Diwali, also known as the festival of lights, is the most important festivity in India, celebrating the triumph of light over darkness and good over evil. It is celebrated in 5 days by more than a billion people of several religions throughout India. Diwali is characterized by prayers, banquets, fireworks, family reunions, and donations. For some people, Diwali also marks the beginning of a new year.
The dates for this celebration are based on the Hindu calendar. Which marks each month according to the time it takes the Moon to orbit around the Earth. Diwali begins just before the arrival of a new moon, typically coinciding with October or November. This year Diwali started on November 2nd, but the main celebration falls on November 4th.
Various religions celebrate Diwali. Hindus, Jains, Sikhs, and Buddhists commemorate it, even though no one knows its origin precisely. Each religion has its own story, but it means victory of good over evil for all of them.
In Hinduism, the oldest living religion in the world, there are several versions of the history of Diwali that vary between geographical communities. However, they are epic tales about a victory achieved by men considered the incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu, who sustains the universe and whose role is to restore the balance between good and evil under challenging times.
In northern India, Diwali commemorates the triumphant return of Prince Rama to the city of Ayodhya after 14 years of exile due to the conspiracies of his evil stepmother and after the heroic rescue of his wife Sita, an incarnation of the goddess Lakshmi. She had been kidnapped by rival king Ravana.
On the other hand, in southern India, Diwali commemorates Krishna’s victory over the demon king Narakasura, who had kidnapped $16,000 women in his palace and inflicted very harsh punishments on them. In western India, the festival celebrates the exile of King Bali, whose immense power had become a threat to the gods.
Sikhs, Jains, and Buddhists, three minority religions in India, have their own stories too. For the Sikhs, whose faith emerged at the end of the 15th century as a movement devoted to Vishnu, Diwali commemorates the liberation of the seventeenth-century guru Hargobind after spending 12 years in prison. Jains, whose ancient religion shares many beliefs with Hinduism, celebrate Diwali as the day when their last great master, Mahavira, reached nirvana. And Buddhists, whose faith emerged as a reaction to Hinduism, recognized it as the day when the Hindu emperor Ashoka, who reigned in the third century BC, converted to Buddhism.
Diwali is also a celebration of the Hindu goddess of wealth and good luck, Lakshmi. In India’s ancient agricultural society, Diwali matched the last harvest before winter. Nowadays, Indian companies still consider Diwali the first day of the new year.
During Diwali, there are several rituals. What most of them have in common is the abundance of sweets and food. They also have clay lamps that symbolize the inner light that protects each home from spiritual darkness.
Each of the five days of Diwali has its importance. On the first day of Diwali, people pray to the goddess Lakshmi, cook sweet dishes, and clean the house. On the second day, they decorate with lamps and rangolis, designs made on the floor with sand, dust, rice or colorful flower petals.
The third day of Diwali is the most important one. On this day, people can go to the temple in honor of Lakshmi or meet with friends and family to celebrate a banquet,light fireworks and dance. Here’s a StepFlix video that shows you one of their typical dances called Bollywood. Devotees also set fire to the lamps they placed the day before.
For many, the fourth day of Diwali marks the beginning of a new year and a time to exchange gifts and good wishes. Finally, the fifth day is usually the day to honor the brothers.
Over the years, Diwali has become the most significant festive season in India, rivaling Thanksgiving or Christmas in the United States. Fireworks are an essential element of the celebrations, especially in New Delhi.
Although the shadow cast by the coronavirus has turned this year’s celebration into a bittersweet event for those who celebrate it, they may find comfort in the spirit of the holidays: the belief that, in the end, the light will triumph over the darkness.
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