Diwali
Diwali (also: Deepawali)[2] is one of India's biggest festival. The word 'Deepawali' means rows of lighted lamps. It is a Festival of Lights and Hindus celebrate it with joy.[3] During this festival, people light up their houses and shops with small cup-shaped oil lamp made of baked clay. They worship the Lord Ganesha and Goddess Lakshmi for welfare and prosperity marks the beginning of a new year. People clean and decorate their house before the festival. They do colorful rangoli art on floors with colourful rice and flowers.
| Diwali / Dipavali /Deepavali | |
|---|---|
 Rangoli decorations, made using coloured powder, are popular during Diwali | |
| Observed by | Hindus, Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists[1] |
| Type | Indian, Cultural, Seasonal |
| Begins | Dhanteras, 2 days before Diwali |
| Ends | Bhai Dooj, 2 days after Diwali |
| Date | Kartik Amavasya (Varies per Hindu Lunisolar calendar) |
| 2023 date | 12 November (Sunday) |
| 2024 date | 6 November (Monday) |
| Celebrations | Diya and lighting, home decoration, shopping, fireworks, puja (prayers), gifts, performing religious rituals, feast and sweets |
| Related to | Kali Puja, Diwali (Jainism), Bandi Chhor Divas |
Deepawali is celebrated and is a public holiday in India, shops, school, offices and temples are thoroughly cleaned, whitewashed and decorated with lights, flowers and oil lamps. On the day of Deepawali, people wear new clothes and exchange greetings, gifts and sweets with their loved ones.
At night, buildings are illuminated with earthen lamps, candles and lights. People buy sweets for their families and also send them as presents to their friends and relatives. The Goddess Lakshmi is also worshiped in the form of silver coins. Hindus believe that on this day, Lakshmi enters houses which are neat and tidy. People offer prayers for their own health, wealth and prosperity. They leave the lights on in their homes to welcome Lakshmi with happiness.
Diwali is one of the most important festivals of the Hindus. It comes on Amavasya in the month of Kartik. People prepare lots of sweets with their oil. People light diyas and burn crackers. They ex- change greetings and sweets.
It is a festival of light and during this day people in India burst firecracker and draw rangoli on the floor.
Diwali Media
Chandua lanterns on display for Diwali.
Radha and Krishna celebrating Diwali by Sitaram. Kishangarh, late 18th-century. National Museum, New Delhi
William Simpson labelled his chromolithograph of 1867 as "Dewali, feast of lamps". It showed streets lit up at dusk, with a girl and her mother lighting a street corner lamp.
Diwali is commonly celebrated in the honour of Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth.
A picture of Lakshmi and Ganesha worship during Diwali
A hukamnama from the tenth Sikh guru, Guru Gobind Singh, requesting all of the Sikh congregation to convene in his presence on the occasion of Diwali
A sparkling firecracker, commonly known as 'Kit Kat' in India
Lighting candle and clay lamp in their house and at temples during Diwali night
References
- ↑ Charles M Townsend, The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies, Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0199699308, page 440
- ↑ Mead, Jean (February 2008). How and why Do Hindus Celebrate Divali?. Evans Brothers. ISBN 978-0-237-53412-7.
- ↑ Ramnarine, Tina K. (2013-10-18). Musical Performance in the Diaspora. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-317-96956-3.
- ↑ Om Lata Bahadur 2006, pp. 92–93.
- ↑ David Kinsley 1988, pp. 33–34.
Other websites
- The Ancient Origins of Diwali, India’s Biggest Holiday, Becky Little (2017)