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Diwali
: The festival of Lights
Diwali
is mentioned in the Ramayana, making it perhaps the oldest festival
still celebrated today. The celebrations include the lighting of lamps
and candles, and the bursting of fireworks. Friends and neighbors
exchange special sweets. This is also an occasion for people to buy new
clothes.
Preparations for the
festival begin much before the actual Diwali day. Homes are cleaned thoroughly
decorated to welcome goddess Lakshmi. The scientific reason is that the
monsoon is a time for insects and fungus to breed. With the end of the
monsoon, homes need to be cleaned and painted, and belongings aired and
dried before the onset of winter.
In
northern India, two days before Diwali is celebrated as Dhanteras
in honor of Dhanvantari, the physician of the gods.
People bathe early in the morning and observe a fast, which is broken
only after sunset with sweetmeats, puri and other delicacies. On
Dhanteras,
new kitchen utensils are bought and kept at the place of worship.
The day before Diwali is celebrated as Choti Diwali or
'small Diwali'. It is Diwali on a smaller scale, with fewer lights and
fewer crackers. The morning after Choti Diwali, the women of the house
make beautiful, colored rangoli in the doorway and courtyard. Tiny
footprints made out of rice paste are a special feature of the rangolis
made for Diwali. They signify the footprints of Lakshmi, as she enters
the house.
In North India, Diwali
celebrations include pooja offered to goddess Lakshmi and Rama, and
prayer songs. Oil or ghee diyas are also lit. The
gods are offered kheel,
batashe and
khilone and various sweets. After the puja, the diyas are
placed in and around the house. After this,
fireworks are burst, and people meet friends and neighbors to exchange
good wishes and sweets.
The
origin of Diwali can be traced back to ancient India, when it was
probably an important harvesting festival. It was thus extremely
important to the largely pastoral Vaishya community. Their
granaries were full, and the weather was good, at the end of the long
monsoon and before the arduous winter. It was therefore a goodtime to
celebrate. The Vaishya community began their new year with
this happy occasion, after paying their debts and clearing their
ledgers.
Though
Diwali is equally important in the south and the north of India, they
are celebrated differently. In South India, the story widely associated
with Diwali is that of Narasimha, the man-lion incarnation of Vishnu.
According to a legend, Hiranyakshipu was an evil demon king. He was
unjust and cruel to his people. However, he was almost invincible,
having extracted a boon from Brahma that he would be killed neither by
beast nor man, neither inside nor outside, neither during the day nor at
night. When his atrocities became unbearable, the gods sought Vishnu's
help. Assuming his fifth incarnation of Narasimha, the
man-lion, Vishnu killed Hiranyakshipu with his claws in the courtyard
just before daybreak, hence steering clear of the boundaries of the
boon.
Kerala
is probably the only state in India where Diwali is not celebrated. The
major festival there is Onam. In West Bengal, Kali Puja is performed on
Diwali, as it is believed that on this day Kali killed the wicked demon
Raktavija.
Bhai
Duja: The second day after Diwali is celebrated as Bhai Duja
when
sisters apply tilak to their brothers and pray for their long and happy
life. In Bengal, this is known as Bhai Phonta. In all likelihood,
this ritual was originally intended only for married women. Since they
celebrated Diwali with their in-laws, this festival allowed them to come
to their parent's home during this auspicious time. Nowadays however,
both married and unmarried sisters observe Bhai Duja. |
In
the south, people light diyas in their houses on the day preceding
Diwali. The next day begins early. First is the ritual bath, which
consists of oil massage of the hair and body. After bathing, people
receive new clothes and gifts from their elders. People wear new cloths
and pray to Vishnu for well being and prosperity. After the prayers the
main celebrations start which, as in the north, consist of bursting
crackers and lighting candles. At daybreak, all celebrations end. People
then visit friends and relatives and exchange sweets.