Monday 24 October 2011

Tradition of Diwali

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 .
Hindus, Jains and Sikhs alike regard it as a celebration of life and an occasion to strengthen family and social relationships.


DIWALI TRIVIA


WHAT is DIWALI

The word "Divali/Diwali" is a variation of the Sanskrit word "Deepavali" which means "a continuous line of lights(deep)"
WHEN IS IT CELEBRATED
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

EARLY TRADITION OF EXCHANGING DIWALI GIFTS


From ancient times this has been followed. During early times, when Indian households solely depend on farming and cattle rearing for their livelihood, even then people used to give their farm produce on this day.


DIWALI Special SWEETS n NAMKEEN
Every part of the country has its own special recipies for Diwali.These are special diwali preparations done in Maharashtra.

In HISTORY

There are many interesting stories Mythology and history around Diwali


In North India, Diwali celebrates the return of Lord Rama, King of Ayodhya with his wife Sita and brother Lakshmana to Ayodhya from a war in which he killed the demon king Ravana. According to Hindu mythology, it is believed that the people lit oil lamps along the way to light up their path in the darkness. The festival is celebrated on the final day of the Vikram calendar. The following day marks the beginning of the North Indian New Year and is called Annakut.

 
In South India, Deepavali does not coincide with the beginning of New Year as South Indians follow a different calendar, the Shalivahana calendar. It commemorates the killing of Narakasura, an evil demon who created havoc, by Lord Krishna’s wife Sathyabhama.

In Sikhs, 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, Harmandhir Sahib (referred to as the Golden Temple), in his honour.






Among the Jain festivals, Diwali is one of the most important one. For on this occasion Lord Mahavira, who established Jainism, attained Nirvana.



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1 comment:

  1. Hi, even though we celebrate diwali every year, its good to know that even other religions celebrate diwali. Being from Kerala, where Diwali is not a big festival, I still feel the excitement and fun reading this and going through all the other diwali posts.

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