Know All about Deepavali
Name of the festival -
The Festival of Deepavali (Commonly known as Diwali) is the festival of lights: Deep (in Hindi) means "lamp" and avali (a Sanskrit word) means "a row,". Hence, Deepavali literally means "a row of lamps."
It is a festival of lights and every Indian celebrates it with joy. During this festival people light up their houses and shops. They worship “Lord Ganesh (the Elephant headed god) – the God for good welfare and prosperity for all” and “Goddess Lakshmi – the Goddess of wealth and good fortune”.
Details of the Festivities and associated myths –
As per the Hindu calendar (Refer to the image on the left for details of Hindu months) Diwali is typically celebrated for 5 consecutive days. Celebrations starts upon the 13th day of the dark half of Ashvina (7th Month) and ending on the 2nd day of the bright half of Kartik (8th Month).
Different parts of India have different beliefs to celebrate the festival of Diwali over these five days. I have tried to present the most popular legends believed throughout most parts of India.
Day 1 - The first day of Diwali is called Dhanvantari Triodasi or Dhan Teras (Dhan meaning "wealth" and teras meaning "13th day"). It is celebrated on the thirteenth lunar day (as per the Hindu Calendar) of the dark fortnight of the month of Kartik. People in India consider this a very auspicious day. A huge amount of buying, specifically gold, silver and precious stones, ornaments, new clothes and utensils, takes place on this day.
Myths –
- On this thirteenth (Teras) day, Lord Dhanvantari is believed to have come out of the ocean with Ayurveda (the science of medicine), for the benefit of mankind.
- According to another popular legend, when the Gods and demons churned the ocean for “Amrita” (or nectar), Dhanvantari (the physician of the Gods and an incarnation of Vishnu) emerged carrying a jar of the elixir on the day of Dhanteras.
Day 2 - The second day of Diwali is called “Narak Chaturdasi”. It is the fourteenth (Chaturdasi) lunar day of the dark fortnight of the month of Kartik and the eve of Diwali. Since, this is the night before Diwali, it is commonly known as “Chhoti Diwali” or Minor Diwali. The day is celebrated by early morning religious rituals and festivities follow.
Myths –
- On this day, it is believed the asura (demon) Narakasura was killed by lord Krishna and his wife Satyabhama and made the world free from fear.
- The festival is also known as "Kali Chaudas", where Kali means dark (eternal) and Chaudas means fourteenth, this is “celebrated on the 14th day of the dark half.
- In some regions of India, “Kali Chaudas” is the day allotted to the worship of Mahakali (or Shakti – Goddess of eternal Power) and it is believed that on this day Kali killed the asura (demon) Narakasura.
Day 3 - The third day of Diwali is the actual Diwali. This is the day when Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Ganesh are worshipped.
Myths –
According to Hindu mythology, Prince Rama was the eldest son of the King of Ayodhya and heir to the throne. Rama's stepmother was jealous of Rama and wanted him to leave the kingdom so that her son could become heir instead. Under the influence of his wife, the King was forced to send Rama to live in exile in the forest for 14 years. Rama's wife, Sita and his brother, Lakshman, accompanied him.
In the forest, there lived several demons, Ravana being one of them. Prince Rama fought the demons and drove them away, making Ravana very furious. He captured Rama's wife Sita, but Sita cleverly left a trail of jewels so that Rama could follow her to the island of Lanka (Modern day Sri lanka). With the help of his brother and Hanuman, Rama set off to save her. Hanuman and an army of monkeys helped to build a huge bridge across to the island. Rama crossed the bridge and killed Ravana and his army of Demons and rescued Sita. This bridge is said to be still visible from space as of today. One such image is as shown below
Rama, Sita and Lakshman returned to the kingdom after 14 years of living in the forest and Rama became king. The people of Ayodhya cleaned their houses and placed oil lamps (diyas) to light their path. This is what makes these traditions important to Diwali celebrations today.
Day 4 - On the fourth day, Govardhan Puja is performed. Govardhan Puja (also known as Annakut Puja) is held a day after the main Diwali in the month of Kartik. People celebrate Govardhan Puja by making food of cereals such as wheat, rice, curry of gram flour and leafy vegetables to offer to the Hindu Lord Krishna.
Myths –
- The day is celebrated by the Hindus as Lord Krishna had defeated the God Indra (God of rains). Govardhan puja is celebrated to commemorate the history of Govardhan hill through which the lives of many people were saved from the critical rain.
- People also do some gambling on this auspicious occasion. The tradition of gambling on Diwali also has a legend behind it. It is believed that on this day, Goddess Parvati (Supreme Goddess) played dice with her husband Lord Shiva (Supreme God). She decreed that whosoever gambled on Diwali night/day after would prosper throughout the ensuing year.
Day 5 - The fifth day of the Diwali is called Bhratri Dooj (‘Bhratri’ Meaning brother and ‘dooj’ meaning second day of bright fortnight in month of Kartik). On this auspicious day, all brothers visit their sisters, and the sisters celebrate and prepare sweets specially in honour of their brothers, wishing them a long, happy, healthy life and great success for them and a stronger relationship between them. This day also marks the end of the five days of Deepavali celebrations.
Myths –
- It is believed that, in the Vedic era, Yama (Yamraj, the Lord of death) visited his sister Yamuna on this day. He gave his sister a boon that whosoever visits her on this day shall be liberated from all sins. They will achieve Moksha (or final emancipation). From then on, brothers visit their sisters on this day to enquire of their welfare.
Diwali Preparations and Modern India-
Diwali is a festival of joy, splendour, brightness and happiness. It is the festival of lights and is celebrated with great enthusiasm by all Indians all over the world. The uniqueness of this festival is its harmony of five varied philosophies, with each day to a special thought or ideal. When people celebrate each of its five days of festivities with true understanding, it will uplift and enrich the lives.
For young India, the festival marks a time for family gatherings and get togethers back at home for those who may be far away in hostels or homes in other big cities. The whole family will often visit the home for celebrations with their families and friends.
Preparation for the festival starts a few days before Diwali. Beforehand, a lot of shopping is done for new clothes, flowers, household items, lamps, sweets and crackers. The bazaars and streets are usually overcrowded around Diwali.
On Festival Days –
During the Diwali Festival, all Hindus light up their homes and shops. On the festival days, people put on rich clothes, exchanging greetings, gifts and sweets. At night, buildings are illuminated with earthen lamps, candle-sticks and electric bulbs. The whole of India is illuminated with lights on Diwali nights. It is found to be very beautiful when seen from space. One such picture showing India can be seen below.
Sweets and toy shops are decorated to attract the passers-by. People buy sweets for their own families and send them as presents to their friends and relatives.
All houses, buildings, shops and temples are thoroughly cleaned, white-washed and decorated with pictures, toys and flowers. In recent years, a tradition of preparing Rangolis (Colourful designs in front of the doors) has been adopted all over India, though earlier it was a tradition followed in south India only. Refer to some of the Rangoli designs below.
The Spiritual significance of Diwali
Beyond the lights, gambling, and fun, Diwali is also a time to reflect on life and make changes. To Hindus, darkness represents ignorance, and light is a metaphor for knowledge. Therefore, lighting a lamp symbolizes the destruction, through knowledge, of all negative forces- wickedness, violence, lust, anger, envy, greed, bigotry, fear, injustice, oppression and suffering, etc.
Some of the virtues that are exercised during this festival are
Give and Forgive.
It is common practice that everyone forgets and forgives the wrongs done by others during Diwali.
Rise and Shine.
It is on Deepawali that everyone wakes up early in the morning. The sages who instituted this custom must have cherished the hope that their descendants would realize its benefits and make it a regular habit in their lives.
Unite and Unify.
The vibrations produced by the greetings of love, which fill the atmosphere, are powerful.
Prosper and Progress.
On this day, Hindu merchants in North India open their new account books and pray for success and prosperity during the coming year. Everyone buys new clothes for the family. Employers, too, purchase new clothes for their employees.
In each legend, myth, and story of Deepawali lies the significance of the victory of good over evil. It is with each Deepawali and the lights that illuminate our homes and hearts, and takes us from darkness unto light. Let there be light everywhere!!!
Have a happy and prosperous Diwali!!!