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Diwali, also known as Dipawali, is India's largest and most important celebration. The festival's name is derived from the row (avali) of clay lamps (deepa) that Indians light outside their homes to represent the inner light that guards against spiritual darkness. For Hindus, this festival is just as important as the Christmas holiday is for Christians. Diwali has evolved into a national celebration that is widely appreciated by non-Hindu cultures over the years. In Jainism, Diwali commemorates Lord Mahavira's nirvana (spiritual enlightenment) on October 15, 527 B.C., whereas in Sikhism, it commemorates the release of Guru Hargobind Ji, the Sixth Sikh Guru. Diwali is also observed by Buddhists in India.
Diwali's origins may be traced back to ancient India, and it is connected with numerous stories. Many people think that Diwali commemorates Goddess Lakshmi's marriage to Lord Vishnu. Others think it is a celebration of Lakshmi's birth, as she is said to have been born on Kartik's new Moon day.
Although each denomination commemorates distinct historical events
and legends, Hindus, Jains, Sikhs, and Newar Buddhists all celebrate Diwali,
which symbolises the triumph of light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance,
and good over evil.
Diwali is a festival dedicated to Lakshmi,
the goddess of riches.
Within India, the religious importance of
Diwali differs by area. One tradition connects the celebration to stories from
the Hindu epic Ramayana, in which Rama, Sita, Lakshman, and Hanuman returned to
Ayodhya after a 14-year exile when Rama's army of good vanquished Ravana's army
of evil.
According to another famous legend, during
the Dvapara Yuga period, Krishna, an incarnation of Vishnu, slew the demon
Narakasura, the wicked ruler of Pragjyotishapura, near present-day Assam, and
freed 16000 captive females.After Krishna's victory over Narakasura, Diwali was
celebrated as a symbol of good triumphing over evil. Naraka Chaturdasi, the day
before Diwali, is commemorated as the day Narakasura was slain by Krishna.
According to a Jain and Nivethan scholar,
Diwali is commemorated in Jain tradition as "Mahavira Nirvana Divas,"
Mahavira's bodily death and final nirvana. The Jain Diwali, which is celebrated
in various regions of India, includes many of the same customs as the Hindu
Diwali, such as burning lights and praying to Lakshmi. The centrepiece of the
Jain Diwali, however, remains Mahavira's devotion. According to Jain legend,
the practise of lighting lamps originated on Mahavira's nirvana day in 527 BCE,
when 18 monarchs assembled for Mahavira's last lectures made a decree that
lamps be lighted in honour of the "great light, Mahavira."Jains'
historic artworks, such as paintings, represent their traditional beliefs on
Diwali's origins and importance.
Sikhs commemorate Guru Hargobind's
liberation from the Gwalior Fort jail by Mughal emperor Jahangir and the day he
arrived at the Golden Temple in Amritsar on BandiChhor Divas. Diwali in the
Sikh tradition is older than the sixth Guru Hargobind tale, according to J.S.
Grewal, a historian of Sikhism and Sikh history. Guru Amar Das, the Sikhs'
third Guru, constructed an eighty-four-step well at Goindwal and allowed Sikhs
to bathe in its sacred waters during Baisakhi and Diwali as a form of communal
bonding. These spring and fall festivals became the most significant Sikh
festivals over time, and holy locations such as Amritsar became yearly
pilgrimage destinations.According to Ray Colledge, the festival of Diwali
commemorates three events in Sikh history: the founding of Amritsar in 1577,
Guru Hargobind's release from Mughal captivity, and Bhai Mani Singh's martyrdom
in 1738 as a result of his failure to pay a fine for attempting to celebrate
Diwali and subsequent refusal to convert to Islam.
Most Buddhists do not celebrate Diwali, with the exception of the
Newar people of Nepal, who worship numerous Vajrayana deities and celebrate
Diwali by praying to Lakshmi. In Nepalese valleys, Newar Buddhists celebrate
Diwali for five days, in much the same style and on the same days as Nepalese
Hindus. According to some observers, the worship of Lakshmi and Vishnu by Newar
Buddhists in Nepal during Diwali is not syncretism, but rather a reflection of
the Mahayana Buddhist tradition's freedom to worship any deity for their
worldly betterment.
Lakshmi
People dress up in their best clothing for Diwali, decorate their homes with diyas and rangoli, hold worship rites for Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity and riches, light fireworks, and exchange mithai (sweets) and presents.
Diwali is a five-day celebration that peaks on the third day,
which also happens to be the lunar month's darkest night. Hindus, Jains, and
Sikhs use diyas, candles, and lanterns to light up their homes, temples, and
workplaces throughout the celebration. Each day of the holiday, Hindus, in
particular, take a ceremonial oil bath before sunrise. Diwali is also
commemorated with pyrotechnics and the usage of rangoli designs on floors and
jhalars in various areas of the house. Families gather for feasts and share
mithai, which is a significant focus.The festival is a yearly season of reunion
and bonding not only for families, but also for communities and associations,
particularly in metropolitan areas, which will host activities, events, and
gatherings. Many municipalities host community parades and fairs, which include
parades as well as music and dance events in public parks. During the festival
season, some Hindus, Jains, and Sikhs would send Diwali greeting cards to
family members near and far, along with boxes of Indian sweets.
Diwali is a post-harvest celebration in India that commemorates
the bounty that follows the advent of the monsoon. Prayers are offered to one
or more Hindu goddesses, the most frequent of which is Lakshmi, depending on
the location. According to David Kinsley, an Indologist and study of Indian
religious traditions, Lakshmi represents three virtues: riches and prosperity,
fertility and bountiful harvests, and good fortune. During Diwali, merchants
pray for Lakshmi's blessings on their businesses and complete their accounting
year.Fertility themes may be seen in agricultural offerings presented to
Lakshmi by farmers who praise her for their recent harvests and ask for her
blessings for a bountiful future crop. In Odisha and Deccan area communities, a
symbolic piece of traditional fertiliser, a dried piece of cow dung, is
incorporated in the ensemble, according to Kinsley, an agricultural theme.
Another feature of the celebration is the commemoration of ancestors.
Diwali rituals and preparations begin days or weeks before the celebration, usually after the Dusshera festival, which is around 20 days before Diwali. The event officially starts two days before Diwali night and finishes two days afterwards. The following are the events of each day:
Clothes, Money
celebrated during the Hindu lunisolar month Kartika (between mid-October and mid-November