What is Diwali?
Diwali, or Deepavali, is one of the biggest Indian festivals and
also a major occassion in Nepal. The festival has great religious significance
for Hindus, Sikhs, Jains and the Nepalese. In India, Diwali is now considered
to be more of a national festival, and is enjoyed by most Indians regardless of
faith. It is commonly celebrated by decorating homes with lamps and candles,
bursting of firecrackers and sparklers, eating sweets and other mouthwatering
dishes, praying to Gods and Goddesses, observing religious rituals, wearing new
dresses and sending wishes and gifts to one another.
When is Diwali?
Though the number of days of the celebration of the festival
differ with different communities, the actual days of observance of Diwali are
common and fall on exactly the same set of days across Nepal and India. Going
by the Gregorian calendar, Diwali in India is observed generally in the months
of October or November. The festival comes exactly twenty days after Dussehra,
another sacred Hindu occassion, and is celebrated for five consecutive days at
the end of Hindu month of Ashvin. Diwali is on 5th November, 2010 and 26th
October, 2011.
What does Diwali mean?
DiyaThe word "Divali/Diwali" is a variation of the
Sanskrit word "Deepavali" which means "a continuous line of
lamps" (The word 'Deep' means "light", and 'avali' means "a
continuous line"). Thus, Diwali is the time to celebrate with lights.
Hindus and Sikhs alike regard it as a celebration of life and
use the occasion to strengthen family and social relationships. One of the most
important Hindu festivals, Diwali marks the beginning of a new year in some
Hindu calendars. For Hindus, the festival is not only the time to make merry
but also the time to worship divine beings considered sacred in Hinduism like
Lord Ganesha, Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Mahabali. It is also a significant
festival for the Sikh faith. For Jains, it is an occasion to remember Lord
Mahavira. In Nepal, Diwali is celebrated by many Buddhists as Tihar or Swanti.
Why is Diwali called the "Festival of Lights"?
Diwali is known as the "Festival of Lights". This is
probably because of the manner in which it is observed. The festival is
traditionally celebrated with activities like bursting crackers, lighting rows
of candles and diyas (earthen lamps) around individual homes, holding dazzling
fireworks display and igniting colourful sparklers.
What happened during Diwali?
Rama, Laxman, Sita and HanumanKnown as the "Festival of
Lights," Diwali commemorates the time when the Lord Rama returned to his
hometown Ayodhya after defeating the evil demon king of Lanka, Ravana. Lord
Rama was the king of Ayodhya who had, by his father's orders, went away from
his country to live in the forest for fourteen years. But the people of Ayodhya
loved their king very much and waited for years to meet with him again. And so,
when news of Lord Rama's return came to them again, the people of Ayodhya, in
the honour of their king and to celebrate his victory, burst crackers, lit up
their houses with earthen lamps (diyas), and decorated the entire city in the
grandest manner. Year after year this homecoming of Lord Rama is commemorated
on Diwali with lights, fireworks, bursting of crackers and merriment. The
festival gets its name Deepawali, or Diwali, from the rows (avali) of lamps
(deepa) that the people of Ayodhya lit to welcome their King.
Today Diwali is celebrated across the world as the
"Festival of Light," where the lights or lamps signify victory of
good over the evil within every human being .
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