Diwali
By Serge Norguard. Filed in Uncategorized |
Diwali, Deepavali, the festival of lights. A festival that showcases the thriumph of Light over Darkness. This is a celebration that is meant to be celebrated in all it’s glorious splendour. Serge begins this entry by stating,
Happy Diwali to his friends and everyone who celebrates.
Typically, Diwali celebrations focus on lights and lamps, particularly traditional diyas . Although electric lights have become widespread. Fireworks may also be associated with the festival in some regions.
Customs vary according to faith and region. For example, although Diwali is sometimes referred to as the “Hindu New Year”, the new year is celebrated at different times according to different regional calendar traditions:
In North India, the festival is held on the final day of the Vikram calendar, one type of a Hindu calendar that is followed by North Indians. The following day, marking the beginning of a new year, is for North Indians entitled Annakut.
In South India, Diwali does not coincide with the beginning of a new year as South Indians follow a different calendar, the Shalivahana calendar. In South India, new year festivals occur at about the same time, generally during April: Ugadi is observed by persons in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. Vishu and Varsha Pirappu are celebrated in Kerala and Tamil Nadu respectively.
Diwali normally falls during the month of October or November. This is because the Hindhu calender is a lunar calender, with most years consisting of 12 lunar cycles and an extra month inserted approximately every seven years to resynchronize the calendar with the seasons.
The significance of Diwali is simple, but tremendous. It marks the victory of good over evil.
It is celebrated by Hindus all over the world, every year. On the day of Dipavali, old and young, rich and poor wear new dresses and share sweets. They also burn fire crackers. The North Indian business community starts their financial new year on Dipavali and new account books are opened on this day.
There are three mythological legends associated with Dipavali:
In Bhavishyottara and Bramhavaivarta Purana, Diwali is associated with Daitya king Bali, who is allowed to return to earth once a year. This legend is also mentioned by Al Biruni.
In north India, it is said Dipavali was held to celebrate the return of the Rama, King of Ayodhya, his wife Sita and brother Lakshmana to Koshala after a war in which he killed the demon Ravana. It was getting dark, so people along the way lit oil lamps to light their way.
In south India, it commemorates the killing of Narakasura, an evil demon by Lord Krishna. So Dipavali is a festival symbolising the destruction of evil forces.
Replica of Pava temple at Pansara. Mahavira attained Nirvana at PavaHistorically, Dipavali is first mentioned in Jain books, as the date of the nirvana of Lord Mahavira. The oldest use of the word “Diwali/Dipavali” occurs in Harivamsha-Purana written by Acharya Jinasena, composed in Shaka Samvat 705.
ज्वलत्प्रदीपालिकया पृव्रद्ध्या सुरासुरैः दिपितया प्रदीप्तया| तदा स्म पावानगरी समन्ततः प्रदिपिताकाशतला प्रकाशते |१९|
ततस्तुः लोकः प्रतिवर्षमादरत् प्रसिद्धदीपलिकयात्र भारते | समुद्यतः पूजयितुं जिनेश्वरं जिनेन्द्र-निर्वाण विभूति-भक्तिभाक् |२० |
Thus people in Bharata every year celebrate famous “Dipalikaya”, to reverently worship the Jinendra on the occasion of his nirvana on the amavasya of Kartika month.
The Kalpasutra explains the significance of lights: “गये से भवुज्जोये, दव्वुज्जोयं करिस्समो”, with light of knowledge gone, we make light of ordinary matter.
There are various legends relating to Dipavali as also different ways of celebrating in different parts of India.
Dipavali is celebrated over five days in most of North India as:
-
dhan teras
Chhoti diwali-narak chaudas
deepawali - ba.Dii diwali
varsha pratipada and annakuuTa
bhai duuj
In South India, naraka chaturdashii is the main day of celebration with lot of fire crackers at dawn while in North India the main celebration is on Amavasya evening with Lakshmi Puja followed by lighting of oil lamps in and around the house and bursting of crackers.
In England, the days are Dhanteras, Narak Chatrudashi, Lakshmi-Puja, the most important day, Padwa or Varshapratipanda and Bhaiya Dooj or the Teeka Ceremony.
In Trinidad and Tobago, the day of Divali is a public holiday and celebrations precede the Lakshmi-Puja day for almost two weeks. This event is one of the foremost religious observances for the country. More information about the celebrations in Trinidad and Tobago can be found here
The time is also significant to Sikhs. During the festival time in 1620, the sixth Guru, Hargobind Singh, gained the release of 52 Hindu princes who had been falsely imprisoned in Gwallior Fort by the rulers of the area, the Mughals. The Golden Temple was lit with many lights to welcome the release of Guru Hargobind and Sikhs have continued the celebration.
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