The History of Diwali dates back to more than hundreds of centuries. This is undeniably one of the best known and widely celebrated Hindu festivals. It marks the celebration of victory of the good over evil. The celebrations take place during the months of October - November which is regarded as the 'Ashvin' month of the Hindu calendar. This year Diwali will be celebrated on the 28th October. It is interesting to note that Diwali is also celebrated by Buddhists of Nepal.
Diwali is that time of the year when people get together to thank god for his grace and generosity. This is also known as the festival of lights. In present times the festival is observed across India irrespective of cast and creed. The Goddess of wealth, Goddess Laxmi is thanked during Diwali for bestowing upon her devotees all the wealth and prosperity.
People of different age groups come together during the Diwali festival. Children are however more attracted to the goodies they get to eat and the colorful fireworks that accompany the celebration. Since the celebration is common to all sub-castes among Hindus, it is only apt that we know a little more about the festival.
The festival is celebrated for five days across India. The first day is known as Dhanteras or Diwali Trayodasi, followed by Narak Chaudas held on the second day. Narak Chaudas is also known as Chota Diwali. The first day or Dhanteras initiates the Diwali celebrations. It is believed that there was a fight between the Gods and Demons for the water of immortality known as 'Amrit'. They were churning the ocean of milk and Lord Dhanvantrari, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu appeared before them. The appearance of the lord in between the battle for ‘Amrit’ proved beneficial for mankind. Thus the first day of Diwali is dedicated to him.
Narakasura was a demon who had imprisoned about sixteen thousand daughters, women and saints in his harem. He was ruthless and known for his atrocities. He had defeated Lord Indra and snatched the earrings of Goddess Aditi. Lord Krishna defeated him and after his death people rejoiced. The death of the brutal Narakasura is celebrated as Narakachaudashi and is observed during the second day of the five days ritual.
The actual festival of lights is celebrated on the third day. The third day or Diwali is celebrated to mark the return of Lord Rama. He was also crowned as the King of Ayodhya. Rows of Diyas are lit to welcome the Lord. Fireworks also take centre stage to mark the celebrations.
The fourth day is dedicated to the worship of Mount Govardhan and is known as Govardhan pooja. The Govardhan Pooja is symbolic of Lord Krishna's feat of lifting the Govardhan Mounatin near Mathura. This was done to provide shelter to people from the rains and storm sent by Lord Indra. Religious people stay awake through the night and cook 56 or 108 different types of food to be given as offering to Lord Krishna. The offerings look like a mountain and is known as ankut or annakuta which means mountain of food.
The fifth day is observed as Bhai Dooj which marks the sanctity of the Brother-Sister relationship. The celebrations is dedicated to the brother sister bond. Sisters apply vermilion mark on the forehead of their brothers. It is believed that Lord Krishna visited his sister after slaying Narakasura. His sister Subhadra welcomed him with lit lamps, flowers and put the holy protective vermilion spot on his forehead. Since then sisters all over India pray for the well being of their brothers on this day.
Whatever be the history that backs the extravagant celebration of Diwali we as Indians look forward to the festival. Be it the joie de vivre, cultural events, fireworks or assorted variety of sweets the festival has a charm of its own. Families that are distances apart get together during the festival.
The festivities are lapped up by all irrespective of the age. There have been attempts to add novelty to the celebrations by organizing various festival specific events. Exchange of gifts is an indispensable part of the celebration and new ideas of gifting exclusive presents is witnessed during Diwali.
We once celebrated Diwali to mark the victory of good over evil and today the coming together of members of the family to observe the celebrations, is reason enough for its popularity. As virtue gained supremacy over evil, Diwali will always rein the festival panorama in India.
There are a number of legends connected with the origin of Diwali.
But Diwali is widely celebrated as the day that Lord Rama returned triumphant to Ayodya after defeating Ravana.This aspect of Diwali is the most common and acceptable account with regards to the other origins of Diwali.
Main Legend:
In the north, particularly in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Bihar and the surrounding areas, Diwali is the day when King Rama's coronation was celebrated in Ayodhya after his epic war with Ravana, the demon king of Lanka.
By order of the royal families of Ayodhya and Mithila, the kingdom of which Sita was princess, the cities and far-flung boundaries of these kingdoms were lit up with rows of lamps, glittering on dark nights to Welcome home the divine king Rama and his queen Sita after 14 years of exile, ending with an across-the-seas war in which the whole of the kingdom of Lanka was destroyed.
Second Legend:
In rural areas, Diwali signifies Harvest Festival. Diwali which occurs at the end of a cropping season has along with the above custom, a few others that reinforce the hypothesis of its having originated as a harvest.
Every harvest normally spelt prosperity. The celebration was first started in India by farmers after they reaped their harvests. They celebrated with joy and offered praises to God for granting them a good crop.
Third Legend:
Narakasura, a monster, ruled the kingdom of Pradyoshapuram. He was a trouble-maker to the gods and the pious sages and would disturb their penance or create havoc during the rituals.
To prove his power, Narakasura usurped some territory of Aditi, (the king of Suraloka and a relative of Satyabhama, Lord Krishna's wife).
Vexed with this harassment, Indra and other gods approached Lord Krishna and pleaded with him to protect them from the demon "Narakasura".Satyabhama appealed to Krishna to give her the golden chance to destroy Narakasura, as Narakasura was given a curse that he would be killed by a woman.
Krishna granted her a boon to fight with Narakasura. With Krishna as the charioteer, Satyabhama entered the battle field and killed the demon, Narakasura. The killing of Narakasura was a victory of good over evil.
It is interesting to note that Bhudevi, mother of the slain Narakasura, declared that his death should not be a day of mourning but an occasion to celebrate and rejoice. Since then, Deepavali is being celebrated by people every year with joyous celebrations with lot of fun and frolic, and fire works.
Fourth Legend:
On this day Mother Lakshmi emerged from the ocean of milk called the Ksheer Sagar. She brought with Her wealth and prosperity for mankind.
On that day, Lakshmi Pooja was performed to honour Her and as such, every year on Diwali day, Hindus perform Her prayer and worship.The making and distribution of various sweets and total vegetarian foods are the order of the day.This practice is alive and well to this very day.
Many people believe that Lakshmi, the Goddess of wealth and good fortune, visit the homes of devotees on this day. Worship of Lakshmi is performed in the evening.
Source: ruchiskitchen.com
Diwali, or Deepavali, is the Hindu festival of lights. It is celebrated in a big way in India and Nepal, where it is called Tihar. The term Deepavali is of Sanskrit origin, which means an array of lamps. The word ‘deep’ means clay lamp and ‘avali’ means an array. The celebration of the festival signifies the victory of good over evil within oneself. The word Diwali is actually a corruption of the Sanskrit term Deepavali. Today it is celebrated by Sikhs, Jains, Hindus, and even some Buddhists all around the globe.
The festival has a deep significance since ancient times. According to the Vedic culture, the message of Diwali is to eradicate the world from darkness and lead it towards the self-illuminated light within. Here, each individual is likened to a brightly lit clay lamp. The message is to collectively participate in the endeavour, as it is not just the effort of one individual. The differences between the high and low are forgotten, as the aim is to usher in equanimity and equality in society.
Traditionally, the celebration of Deepavali is associated with a number of mythological events. In Northern India, Deepavali is celebrated to celebrate the return of King Rama to his Kingdom Ayodhaya after from a 14 year exile and victory over the demon king Ravana. The people of Ayodhaya lit an array of clay lamps to celebrate his return.
In Southern India, another legend describes the victory of Lord Krishna over the demon Narakasura. In western India, it is celebrated in the honour of the King Bali who went to rule the nether world by the order of Lord Vishnu.
The festival has varied significance all over India. In West Bengal, it is celebrated in honour of Goddess Durga. Particularly, in the north of India, Hindu merchants open their new books and pray to Goddess Laxmi for a joyful and prosperous new year. In most parts of India, people get up early before dawn on Diwali and pray to the Lord for their spiritual advancement.
Additionally, Diwali is celebrated over a period of five days in many parts of India. These days include Dhanteras, Naraka Chadurdashi, Lakshmi Puja, Govardhana Puja, and Bhai Duj. On Dhanteras, which actually means the thirteenth day of the lunar month, people purchase utensils and gold as it is considered an auspicious occasion. On Naraka Chaturdashi, people commemorate the slaying of the demon Narakasura as it was the 14th day on which the demon was killed.
On Laxmi Puja, people worship Goddess Laxmi, which is considered the Goddess of wealth and prosperity. Govardhan Puja is the worship of Lord Krishna, which is celebrated as the day on which Lord Krishna obtained victory over Lord Indra. In Gujarat, this day is also celebrated as the New Year, and the first day of the new Vikram Samavat. On Bhai Dooj, sisters meet brothers and vice versa and exchange presents and sweets to express their fondness and affection for each other.
Every one in the family gets up early in the morning and puts on new clothes. Especially on this day, children and parents alike burst crackers, make use of a variety of fireworks at night and light lamps to celebrate the occasion. It’s a great joy to see crackers bursting and joyful people all around celebrating this festival with a lot of happiness and gaiety. On many occasions, even people of other faiths join together in celebrating this occasion as one.
On this occasion, people exchange a lot of gifts between each other. Families and friends alike give and accept gifts like sweets, puja thalis, dry fruits, homemade chocolates, diyas, candles, wall hangings, decor items, gift hampers, jewellery, apparel, flowers, bhai dooj gifts and so on.
The business community celebrates the festival by exchanging gifts like corporate gift hampers, gift baskets, designer gift boxes, pen sets, diaries, watches, perfumes, mobiles, and the like.
Nowadays, many Indians have settled abroad in countries like the United Sates, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and other countries. Therefore, this festival is being celebrated by a lot of expatriates in the same graceful manner as it is celebrated on the home front.
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