Diwali, Divali or Dipavali are short forms or transliterations of the Sanskrit Deepavali. It is also called the “festival of lights” because the victory of good over evil within everybody is signified by the lighting of lamps or lights. Because of this universal message, Diwali is celebrated by many regardless of faith.
How to Celebrate Diwali
Though the traditions vary among different religious communities, there are a number of standard preparations and celebrations of the festival:
- cleaning one’s home thoroughly before Diwali,
- decorating the whole house with lights (electric light strands, lamps, candles or diyas),
- drawing rangolis (sandpaintings, but today often stickers) in front of the main door to the house,
- performing a pooja (prayer) ceremony at home,
- wearing new clothes,
- exchanging gifts,
- distributing sweets to friends, family, neighbors, colleagues and business associates,
- burning firecrackers and
- wishing each other Shubh Diwali or Happy Diwali.
This year, Diwali falls on October 28. The date keeps changing because it is celebrated on the first day of Kartika, the eighth month of the Hindu calendar, which is a lunar one. The festival, therefore, usually takes place at the end of October or in early November.
The Origins of Diwali
According to the Ramayana, one of the ancient Indian epics, Rama, the seventh incarnation of the god Vishnu, was sent to earth to rid it from the ten-headed demon Ravana, ruler over Lanka (today’s Sri Lanka), who was immortal and could neither be killed by god or demon.
Because of a dispute over the throne of Ayodha, Rama was exiled to the jungle for 14 years and took his wife Sita and his brother Laxman with him. There, they encountered the demon Surpanakha, Ravana’s sister, who fell in love with the handsome princes Rama and Laxman. When they rejected her, she attacked them and Laxman retaliated by disfiguring her.
Rama and Ravana
This angered Ravana who swore revenge for his sister’s honor. He came to the jungle and through deception, kidnapped Sita and brought her to Lanka. Rama and Laxman gathered an army and made their way to Lanka to rescue Sita. A fierce battle ensued with casualties and injuries on both sides but in the final fight between Ravana and Rama, good triumphed over evil.
Twenty days after this victory, Rama returned to his kingdom of Ayodha to find that the people had lit rows (avali) of lamps (deepa) in their houses in his honor. That is why, to this day, Rama’s victory over Ravana is celebrated as Dussera and his return to Ayodha 20 days later as Deepavali, the festival of lights.
Diwali is also celebrated by Sikhs and Jains with its own significance and marking important events. A good introduction to Indian festivals like Holi, traditions and mythology can be found in the book The Holy Cow and Other Indian Stories.
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