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

30 drug related offences for 2 men

30 drug related offences for 2 men
Police in Delta say 30 charges have been approved against two men related to drug trafficking and firearms offences. They say that the department conducted an investigation into the men, which included executing search warrants in Delta and Richmond in November 2022.

30 drug related offences for 2 men

Man facing manslaughter charge

Man facing manslaughter charge
Mounties in Duncan say a man is now facing a charge of manslaughter for the stabbing death of a 33-year-old-man earlier this year.  They say that on July 16th, officers responded to a report of an injured man in the city's downtown and arrived to find the victim suffering from stab wounds. 

Man facing manslaughter charge

'I wish my father was here': Tobacco victims hail bittersweet $32.5-billion deal

'I wish my father was here': Tobacco victims hail bittersweet $32.5-billion deal
Under a newly proposed deal, JTI-Macdonald Corp., Rothmans, Benson & Hedges, and Imperial Tobacco Canada Ltd. would pay close to $25 billion to provinces and territories.

'I wish my father was here': Tobacco victims hail bittersweet $32.5-billion deal

Housing, health, and plastic straws: Here's how B.C. politicians are wooing voters

Housing, health, and plastic straws: Here's how B.C. politicians are wooing voters
British Columbia's political party leaders have spent the 28-day provincial election campaign wooing voters with promises on critical issues including health care, housing, the cost of living and the environment. Here is a look at some of the top promises made by each major party ahead of election day on Saturday:

Housing, health, and plastic straws: Here's how B.C. politicians are wooing voters

Testy B.C. election campaign sees leaders attacking each other more than policy

Testy B.C. election campaign sees leaders attacking each other more than policy
British Columbia's election campaign enters its final day in what is viewed as a too-close-to-call contest where David Eby's New Democrats and the B.C. Conservatives led by John Rustad debated big issues of housing, health care, affordability and the overdose crisis, but also tangled over plastic straws and a billionaire’s billboards. The two main party leaders spent a lot of time telling voters why they shouldn't vote for the other rather than presenting their own case for support. 

Testy B.C. election campaign sees leaders attacking each other more than policy

House committee to summon RCMP, ministers over allegations of Indian interference

House committee to summon RCMP, ministers over allegations of Indian interference
The head of the RCMP and Canada's ministers of foreign affairs and public safety will be summoned to testify at a House of Commons committee about the bombshell allegations made this week about Indian state-sponsored interference in Canada. The national security committee agreed to call RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme along with Mélanie Joly and Dominic LeBlanc in a special meeting this morning.

House committee to summon RCMP, ministers over allegations of Indian interference