Close X
Saturday, November 23, 2024
ADVT 
National

What is Diwali, the Festival of Lights? How is it celebrated in India and the diaspora?

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 31 Oct, 2024 10:44 AM
  • What is Diwali, the Festival of Lights? How is it celebrated in India and the diaspora?

Diwali 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.

Diwali is derived from the word “Deepavali,” which means “a row of lights.” Celebrants light rows of traditional clay oil lamps outside their homes to symbolize 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, the holiday is being celebrated on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1. In the U.S., Diwali falls on Halloween this year, which has triggered quite a few #Diwaloween memes on social media where some celebrants can be seen lighting diyas in their scary costumes or handing out laddoos to trick-or-treaters.

What are some Hindu stories of Diwali?

While Diwali is a major religious festival for Hindus, it is also observed by Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists. The origin story of Diwalivaries depending on the region. All these stories have one underlying theme — the victory of good over evil.

In southern India, Diwali celebrates the victory of Lord Krishna’s destruction of the demon Naraka who is said to have imprisoned women and tormented his subjects. In northern India, Diwalihonors the triumphant return of Lord Rama, his wife Sita, and brother Lakshmana, from a 14-year exile in the forest.

How is Diwali celebrated?

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.

—In southern India, many have an early morning warm oil bath to symbolize bathing in the holy River Ganges as a form of physical and spiritual purification.

—In the north, worshipping the Goddess Lakshmi, who symbolizes wealth and prosperity, is the norm.

Gambling is a popular tradition because of the belief whoever gambled on Diwali night would prosper throughout the year. Many people buy gold on the first day of Diwali, known as Dhanteras — an act they believe will bring them good luck.

Setting off firecrackers is a cherished tradition, as is exchanging sweets and gifts among friends and family. Diwali celebrations typically feature rangoli, which are geometric, floral patterns drawn on the floor using colorful powders. This year, several northern Indian states, including the capital New Delhi, are instituting partial or total fireworks bans to combat rising pollution levels during Diwali.

What are the Diwali stories from other faiths?

Buddhists, Jains and Sikhs have their own Diwali stories:

—Jains observe Diwali as the day the Lord 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 Diwali — 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 B.C., converted to Buddhism.

New in 2024: Diwali Barbie

This year, Mattel has released its “Barbie Signature Diwali Doll” by designer Anita Dongre who wrote on Instagram that her Barbie represents “the fashion-forward modern women who wears India on her sleeve with pride.”

In contrast to her earliest iteration in 1996 who was clad in a bright pink sari or the 2012 avatar who was packaged with a “monkey friend,” Diwali Barbie is fashionably dressed in a lehnga, an ankle length embroidered skirt with motifs from Dongre’s home state of Rajasthan, a cropped blouse and vest.

This doll, priced at $40, sold out on day one on Mattel’s website.

 

MORE National ARTICLES

Man Tasered after trespassing in Victoria school, forcing lockdown

Man Tasered after trespassing in Victoria school, forcing lockdown
A middle school in Victoria was forced into a lockdown after a man entered the building without permission, and police say they had to use a stun gun to make an arrest. Victoria police say officers received multiple calls around noon on Monday of an unknown male entering Central Middle School, leading staff to set off emergency procedures that put the building under lockdown. 

Man Tasered after trespassing in Victoria school, forcing lockdown

B.C. Greens' ex- leader Weaver thinks minority deal with NDP less likely than in 2017

B.C. Greens' ex- leader Weaver thinks minority deal with NDP less likely than in 2017
Former B.C. Green leader Andrew Weaver knows what it's like to form a minority government with the NDP, but says such a deal to form the province's next government is less likely this time than seven years ago. Weaver struck a power-sharing agreement that resulted in John Horgan's NDP minority government in 2017, but says there is now more animosity between the two parties.

B.C. Greens' ex- leader Weaver thinks minority deal with NDP less likely than in 2017

One Liberal MP says he's signed letter asking Trudeau to resign, others remain mum

One Liberal MP says he's signed letter asking Trudeau to resign, others remain mum
As an internal revolt brews, few Liberal MPs who are not in the cabinet are publicly defending the prime minister. The upcoming caucus meeting on Wednesday appears to present the most serious challenge to Trudeau's leadership to date.

One Liberal MP says he's signed letter asking Trudeau to resign, others remain mum

What happens after British Columbia's indecisive election?

What happens after British Columbia's indecisive election?
What happens after British Columbia's indecisive election? British Columbians went to the polls Saturday, but now face a week or more before knowing the result, and whether the NDP's David Eby will keep his job as premier or if B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad will take charge, or if there might be a new election.

What happens after British Columbia's indecisive election?

Three charged with first-degree murder in Vancouver Island overdose death: police

Three charged with first-degree murder in Vancouver Island overdose death: police
British Columbia police say three people have been charged with first-degree murder in the overdose death of a woman from Nanaimo. A statement from B.C.'s Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit says their team on Vancouver Island began investigating in August 2023 after obtaining information that led them to believe the woman's death was "suspicious."

Three charged with first-degree murder in Vancouver Island overdose death: police

Cyclist killed by pickup truck

Cyclist killed by pickup truck
Police in Central Saanich are investigating the death of a woman who was killed by a pickup truck as she was taking part in an organized bicycle race yesterday. Police say the woman, who was in her late 40s, was racing in the Tripleshot Cross Fondo when she was struck at an intersection on Central Saanich Road, north of Victoria. 

Cyclist killed by pickup truck