1 . The Festival of light
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| Lightning outside the house source:exploreguyana.org |
Diwali is known as the festival
of lights worldwide. Diwali or Deepawali is derived from the Sanskrit word
Dipawali which is made from two different words- Deep (lamp) + Awali (Line or
row). So the real meaning of Deepawali is the row of lamps. In this day,
billions of diyas (lamps) uses in that night. Its celebration include millions
of lights shining on housetops, outside doors and windows, around temples and
other buildings in the communities and countries where it is observed.
2 . The origin
The reason for celebrating this
festival is not getting fun or enjoyment purpose, but there are some
mythological facts behind it. So just find out, why we celebrate Diwali:
- People believed this day as the birthday of goddess Lakshmi (The Hindu Goddess of Wealth and Prosperity).
- In this day lord Krishna killed the demon king Narakashur and rescued 16,000 women from his captivity.
- After the win over Ravana, Lord Ram with brother Lakshman and wife Sita returned to Ayodhya (his hiome) in this day. The citizen of Ayodhya decorated the city with the earthen lamp and celebrated it like never before. (According to Hindu epic Ramayana)
- In this day Pandavas appeared from their 12 years of banishment as a result of their defeat in the hands of the Kauravas at the game of dice (gambling). The subjects who loved the Pandavas celebrated the day by lighting the earthen lamps.
3 . Worship to Goddess of wealth
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| Prepration of Lakshmi Pooja source:indiaonlinepages.com |
As we all know this festival is
also celibrated as the birthday of Hindu Goddess Lakshmi, who is the Goddess of
Wealth and Prosperity according to Hindu mythology. Diyas light the
houses; fireworks illuminate the skies and rangoli
decorates the outside Hindu homes. They do this to attract Lakshmi, the
goddess of good fortune.
4 . Celebrated different ways in India
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| Kali Pooja in Bengal source:wishmediwali.com |
- Kali Puja is light-up night for West Bengal, Mithila region of Bihar andAssam. The goddess Kali is worshipped, not Lakshmi, for whole night on one night during this festival. The festival is popularly called Kali puja, not Diwali.
- In Tamilnadu typical Deepavali celebrations begin with waking up early in the morning, before sun rise, followed by an oil-bath. The bathing tradition involves extensive massaging of warm til-oil containing pepper corns and betel leaves.
- In Odisha, the day starts with drawing Rangolis in front of the house. The Rangoli is drawn in the shape of sailboat on the ground in front of their house and is filled with items like cotton, salt, mustard, asparagus root, turmeric and a wild creeper.
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| Feeding Cow in Diwali source:bp.blogspot.com |
- In Maharashtra, Diwali starts from Vasubaras which is the 12th day of the 2nd half of the Marathi month Ashvin. This day is celebrated by performing an Aarti of the cow and its calf – which is a symbol of love between mother and her baby.
5 . Lots of crackers and fire works
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| Use of Crackers at Diwali Night source:travelguru.com |
During the festival of Diwali,
fireworks worth billions of dollars are ignited. At retail level,
about US$ 1 billion worth of firecrackers are consumed in India over the Diwali
season.
6 . Day for Gambling
Apart from the crackers, fireworks, lightning all the house, and worship goddess Lakshmi, Diwali has a tradition of Gambling on the whole day and it has a legend behind it. It is believed that on this day, Goddess Parvati played dice with her husband Lord Shiva, and she decreed that whosoever gambled on Diwali night would prosper throughout the ensuing year.
7 . Out side India
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| Diwali Lightning in Nepal source:strandofsilk.com |
Deepavali is celebrated around
the world, particularly in countries with significant populations of Hindu,
Jain and Sikh origin. It a national holiday in India, Trinidad
& Tobago, Myanmar, Nepal, Mauritius, Guyana, Singapore, Surinam,
Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Fiji. And is an optional holiday in Pakistan.
8 . Diwali –The group of festivals
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| Shopping of Utensils in Dhanteras source:xinhuanet.com |
Diwali is not a single day event it is celebrated with the gang of festivals. It is the most famous, biggest and brightest festival of India, and is celebrated for five days.
Day one- (Dhanteras), Day second-
(Choti Diwali or Naraka Chaturdashi), Day Third- Lakshmi Puja, Day Four-
Deepawali Badi, Day Fifth- Bhai Dooj
9 . Diwali in other religions
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| A Sikh Person Lighting Diyas at Golden Temple source:dailymail.co.uk |
- Sikhs also celebrate Diwali, as it marks the release of their gurji – Guru Hargobind Sahibji – and 52 other kings and princess of India that were madecaptives by the mogul emperor Shah Jahan.
- Jains celebrate this day as a festival of lights to mark the attainment of moksha by Mahavira.
