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The Joy of Diwali
Festivals are an opportunity to bond over a shared heritage, cultural practices and collective memories. These occasions acquire a bigger meaning when the roots of traditions are strong and joy of togetherness is shared with colours,lights, fireworks and a feast. This is what Diwali, also known as Deepawali, means to millions of people in India and elsewhere.
The name of the festival - Diwali or Deepawali - means a festival of lights. Essentially it is an occasion to clean up the house, decorate it, and for everyone in the family to get and wear new clothes. The celebration extends to a display of fireworks, crackers, merry making and having a huge feast with traditional dishes cooked especially for the day. In India, the festival is much more than mere festivities. . In traditional Hindu and Indian culture, it marks the festivities as per the harvest season, a change of weather, the beginning of the Hindu calendar and also as per several traditional mythological tales. The one thought common to all variations is that this festival signifies the victory of light over darkness and the triumph of good over evil.
Why do we celebrate Diwali?
In the Hindu calendar, Diwali is celebrated on the new moon day of Kartik month, as a festival of happiness, good fortune and prosperity. It generally falls in the month of October or early November. The Diwali Tradition as per religious beliefs, it is celebrated to honour Lakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth in the Hindu pantheon, and Ganesh, the God of Wisdom. Its religious significance varies from region to region across the country.
In most north India and central India, it is celebrated to honour the return of Lord Rama, Sita and Lakshmana to their home in Ayodhya after a long exile period of 14 years, according to the Hindu epic Ramayana, marking victory of good over evil. In some regions, it is celebrated to mark the return of the Pandavas to their kingdom after 12 years of exile and one year of Agyatvas (isolation), according to the Hindu epic Mahabharata.
It is also believed that it began to be celebrated when Goddess Lakshmi was born after churning the sea by gods and demons during the battle between the two sides.
It is said that the great emperor Vikramaditya was crowned on the new moon day of Kartik month. Since then people started the tradition of celebrating this festival. Followers of the Jain faith celebrate Diwali to mark the nirvana (salvation) attained by Lord Mahavira.
Global Diwali
Diwali is celebrated by Indians all over the globe. Wherever they are settled, Indians tend to decorate their homes, light crackers, dress up in festival finery, perform rituals and have a great time together. It is a time to connect, reconnect and remember their shared heritage and cultural history. Indians and people of Indian origin in Britain, the USA , Canada, New Zealand,UAE, Mauritius and many others, celebrate Diwali with joy and fanfare. Many new ventures by Indians are marked to start on this day, and the occasion is also used to exchange gifts, visits and have parties.
A Time for Festivities the very mention of Diwali is synonymous with festivity and merry-making. It is commonplace to come across a reference to Diwali, when people are talking of good days and success at work or personal issues. “It is Diwali time!” is often an exclamation when people strike a big, profitable deal, or come back after accomplishing a tough task, or win a match or an election, or even when they overcome a major problem.
With the festival being a cue to celebrate, Diwali shopping includes buying new things like home appliances, giving a facelift to the house, buying clothes for everyone, gathering of family members or friends, preparing new dishes, giving gifts to near and dear ones, neighbours, colleagues and employees.
The light decoration is with strings of lights, candles, lanterns, lamps, bulbs etc. Decorative use of Diwali diyas is an inherent part of Diwali tradition and people try to light up at least five oil lamps(clay lamps (diyas) with oil or ghee and a cotton wick in them). These diyas are kept lit all night as it is believed that the light will help the Goddess Lakshmi pay a visit, and bless the house with prosperity. On the day of Diwali, to guide the Goddess, the doors are kept unlocked at night, the entrance and pathway to the house are decorated with rangolis (patterns made on the floor with coloured powder). Lanterns are hung on the main gate and the main entrance to make sure the house is not in darkness.
At the auspicious time, prayers are offered to the Goddess and as soon as the diyas are lit at the puja, it is a cue to light the firecrackers! As elders visit neighbours and exchange sweets and goodies with them, the young (and not so young alike) join in the colourful, often a bit noisy, task of bursting the crackers. These includes sparklers, floor charkhi, chakkar, rockets, comets,flower pot, cracker garlands, bombs or sounding crackers. Although there is rising awareness to reduce the bursting of firecrackers because of smoke and noise pollution, the tradition continues even though for a limited time on Diwali night.
Partying is the next thing to do, with a huge variety of dishes, mostly homemade especially for Diwali. It is considered to be auspicious to try new dishes. Also, since the weather tends to change after Diwali and the nights begin to get colder, some winter dishes make their first appearance on this day. It is said that playing games of luck on Diwali night helps in getting success in the coming year. Often there is an allusion to mythology that gods and goddesses played chausar - a game of dice - on Diwali night. Since playing chausar or a game of kaudi (shells) has become rare, it is now limited to playing cards to keep up with the tradition. For most households and families, however, it is a one-time excuse for gambling of any kind.
A feeling of large-heartedness, charity and helping others is an integral part of the Diwali spirit. In the working sector, it is a time-honoured tradition to give Diwali bonus to all employees, regardless of the company size. It is common for people to give gifts not only to people they know, but also distribute sweets, fruits and goodies to shelter homes, orphanages, and among the less privileged.
Sweets and very often money are also given to employees, workers and attendants. It is expected that giving gifts and bonus will help in spreading the festive cheer among all. It is one of most admirable aspects of Diwali across India.
Boom Time for Markets
The festive spirit of Diwali is considered the most important boost for India’s economy in the entire year. As most people tend to take up home renovation, finalise property deals, make big purchases, go shopping for clothes, sweets, crackers and decorative items, there is tremendous growth in sales of domestic appliances and consumer goods. Companies big and small vie with each other to offer special offers, discounts, launch products and so on. Buying cars, othervehicles, gold and gold ornaments, expensive sarees, suits and clothes for oneself or for gifting is also common. It is also common for people to start their new ventures on this day. The marketplace, to say simply, experiences the best sentiment of the year during Diwali time.
The Diwali spirit – or the “scent” and “flavour” of Diwali, can be sensed much before the festival itself. In fact, Diwali festivities are spread over five days. Diwali is celebrated on the no-moon (dark or Amavasya) night and the festivities start two days prior to this day.
Dhanteras | The first day is known as Dhanteras, or the 13 th day of the previous fortnight. It is traditionally considered the most auspicious day to purchase kitchen utensils, metal appliances, gold and silver, coins and jewellery. Talking of metals, Dhanteras is also considered to be the most appropriate day to buy a new vehicle. |
Roop Chaudas or Narak Chaturdashi | The second day is known as Roop Chaudas or Narak Chaturdashi, the 14th day of the fortnight. It is the day when all accumulated garbage and useless things are got rid of, signifying the cleaning up of the house, shops and offices. In many cultures it is also known as Chhoti Diwali, or a pre-Diwali celebration,and diyas are kept at corners of the house to symbolize that the house is now ready to welcome Goddess Lakshmi. |
Diwali day | The third and the main Diwali day, idols of Ganesha and Lakshmi are worshiped as Lakshmi Puja, homes are decorated with diyas, candles, lanterns and decorative bulbs and lights. People burst crackers, have a feast and partying goes on till late in the night. The colours and bright lights paint the moonless dark night in myriad colours. On this day Kaali Puja is also performed in West Bengal, in which Goddess Kali is worshipped. Balindra Puja is performed in households across most South Indian states including Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Houses are cleaned as well as decorated with various flowers and artificial decorations. |
Pareva | The fourth day is actually the first day of the next fortnight, and is known as Pareva. It marks the starting of the Hindu new year and is marked by no work or transaction in offices or markets. It is celebrated as Govardhan pooja and as perHindu mythology, Lord Krishna is remembered as having lifted ‘Govardhan Parbat’ on a single finger to protect the people of Mathura from heavy rains. |
Bhai Dooj | The fifth day is a huge festival again, known as Bhaiya Dooj or Bhai Dooj, an occasion for sisters to remember and express their affection for brothers. It is a day of family gatherings when sisters apply ‘roli tika’ on their brothers forehead and pray for their well-being. |
Gifts Galore
How can a festival of this importance be without gifts? The nature of Diwali Gifting has changed over the years. While big companies give expensive corporate diwali gifts to their clients and stake-holders, people in general go for something to match their personalities and work. Thus, while giving homedécor items such as bedsheets, curtains, table covers, wall hangings, paintings,sculptures, stationery items, photo frames, tabletop items and fashion accessories such as watches, bracelets, jewellery is a common trend, it is equally popular to go in for diwali chocolate hampers, sweets, cakes, fruits, dry fruits, ferrero rocher and other gift items. Other gifts may include baby items wherever suited, keepsake items, mementoes, trinkets, books, toys etc. Corporate gifts , on the other hand, are often lavish or luxurious. These gift items range from electronics items such as music players, fitness trackers, mobile phones,power banks, planners, expensive watches, sports and stadium items, tableware,mugs, premium kitchen items and other gadgets.
Till a couple of decades ago, Diwali was marked by noisy crackers sounding tilllate into the night. But with rising awareness about noise and environmental pollution, now there are regulations allowing crackers to be burst for a limited time. Today manufacturers have come up with green or eco-friendly crackers which do not emit smoke, but give off colourful lights and also do not make very loud noise. Pets are kept indoors for the time crackers are burst, and care is taken to comfort them if they get anxious.
A vast majority of Indian diaspora exists in countries like the USA, UK, Canada, Australia and UAE. People send online Diwali gift hampers to these countries and also people in these countries send Diwali gifts back home, in India.
When is Diwali ?
In the year , Diwali will be celebrated on Saturday, November 14. The most auspicious time (muhurat) for Lakshmi Puja is for 1 hour 55 minutes, from1730 hours to 1925 hours (IST, Delhi time).
The year has been an extraordinary one with Covid19 pandemic having struck most countries in the world. However, Diwali is expected to be a time to generate hope and show light, away from the darkness of the misery of the pandemic. Most people would choose to send diwali gifts online. 1800giftportal.com enables to find the perfect Diwali gifts for family and friends. Life for many people had its ups and downs in this year, but Diwali is truly a unique festival where the lights and decorations reflect the happiness everyone feels at the change of season, and the hope that better times are ahead.