AP – Deepavali is the most important festival of the year in India – and for Hindus in particular.
It is celebrated across faiths by more than a billion people in the world’s most populous nation and the diaspora. Over five days, people take part in festive gatherings, fireworks displays, feasts and prayer. Deepavali means ‘a row of lights’. Celebrants light rows of traditional clay oil lamps outside their homes to symbolise the victory of light over darkness and knowledge over ignorance.
WHEN IS DIWALI?
The dates of the festival are based on the Hindu lunar calendar, typically falling in late October or early November.
This year, Deepavali began on November 10 and the festival was observed on November 12.
WHAT ARE SOME HINDU STORIES OF DIWALI?
While Deepavali is a major religious festival for Hindus, it is also observed by Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists. The origin story of Deepavali varies depending on the region. All these stories have one underlying theme – the victory of good over evil.
In southern India, Deepavali celebrates the victory of Krishna’s destruction of the demon Naraka who is said to have imprisoned women and tormented his subjects. In northern India, Deepavali honours the triumphant return of Rama, his wife Sita, and brother Lakshmana, from a 14-year exile in the forest.
The festival brings with it a number of unique traditions, which also vary by the region.
What all celebrations have in common are the lights, fireworks, feasting, new clothes and praying.
HOW IS DIWALI CELEBRATED?
In southern India, many have an early morning warm oil bath to symbolise bathing in the River Ganges as a form of physical and spiritual purification.
In the north, praying for Lakshmi, who symbolises wealth and prosperity, is the norm.
Setting off firecrackers is a cherished tradition, as is exchanging sweets and gifts among friends and family. Deepavali celebrations typically feature rangoli, which are geometric, floral patterns drawn on the floor using colourful powders.
WHAT ARE THE DIWALI STORIES FROM OTHER FAITHS?
Buddhists, Jains and Sikhs have their own Deepavali stories:
– Jains observe Deepavali as the day Mahavira, the last of the great teachers, attained nirvana, which is liberation from the cycle of birth, death and rebirth.
– Sikhs celebrate Bandi Chhor Divas – a day that overlaps with Deepavali – to commemorate the release of Guru Hargobind, a revered figure in the faith, who had been imprisoned for 12 years by the Mughal emperor Jahangir.
– Buddhists observe the day as one when the Hindu Emperor Ashoka, who ruled in the third century BC, converted to Buddhism.
