Diwali: The Festival Of Lights

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Eye blinking lights, delicious dishes, sound of crackers, new cloths... India is all set to celebrate Diwali, the great Hindu festival of lights. There is no other Hindu festival which is celebrated with as much of enthusiasm and ardency like Diwali. Diwali is celebrated throughout India, at the New Moon on the fifteenth day of the month Kartika, or Ashwin (october/november), as well as in Indian communities throughout the world.

Diwali is the festival of lights, called so because of the tradition of lighting small lamps called 'diys' all around the house. Modern lifestyles have replaced 'diya' with electric lights, but the spirit and mood of the celebration has not all all lost a drop of it. During the Diwali festival India will be adorned lavishly with lights and colours as to add the brightness and colours to the lives also. A harvest festival and a celebration of the Lunar New Year, Diwali has strong astrological energies, like similar festivals the world over.

Diwali a harvest festival

Harvests were great celebrations all over the globe and most of the prevailing festivals today have been developed from the joy of harvest. Even though there are religious myths linked to Diwali, the essence of Diwali is the happiness of harvest and hopes of prosperity. On the second day of Diwali delicacies are prepared from pounded semi-cooked rice which is collected from the fresh harvest. This ritual strongly suggests of the origin of Diwali as a harvest festival.

Diwali myths
During Diwali people light lamps to remind Lord Rama's return from fourteen years in exile to his kingdom of Ayodhya after conquering the tyrant Ravana, who had abducted his wife Sita and held her in his island fortress of Lanka.

For Jains, the day commemorates the passing into Nirvana of Mahavira, the most recent of the Jain Tirthankaras, or saints. The lighting of the lamps is explained as a material substitute for the light of holy knowledge that was extinguished with Mahavira's passing.

In Sikh perspective, Diwali is celebrated as the return of the sixth Guru, Guru Hargobind Ji from the captivity of the city, Gwalior. To commemorate his undying love for Sikhism, the towns people lit the way to the Golden Temple in his honour.

In Gujarat, the festival honours Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth; and in Bengal, it is associated with the goddess Kali.

For Farmers Diwali is a festival marking the end of one Harvest and the beginning of another and is a festival heralding the beginning of a New Year.

Diwali Celebrations
Diwali is celebrated with great vitality and vigor. People decorate houses and premises with lights and colours. Diwali is a declared holiday in India. People exchange sweets and gifts with friends and relatives. Firing crackers is essential to Diwali. The festival signifies the renewal of life, and so everyone wears new clothes on the day of the festival. The time for rejoicing is mainly early morning and late night. On Diwali day with the lighted lamps people pray to the almighty to fill the minds with the rays of knowledge and compassion. The bloomed universal brotherhood is the underlying message of this festival.