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🪔Deepavali, Festival of Light, and Much more!!🪔


diwali festival
Traditional indian oil lamps for diwali festival


🪔Have you ever wondered what is so special about Diwali/Deepavali?.... What is the whole festival all about…🪔


The most popular belief is that Diwali is celebrated to mark Lord Rama’s return to Ayodhya…Is that it?... What could be more than that...


Well, here are some not-so-popular anecdotes of the 5-Day celebrations.


Diwali/Deepavali is also the mark of a seasonal change, with great importance placed on how to spend the cold days of the coming winters without succumbing to hibernation, depression, and preparing oneself to transition into a new season without falling sick.


Dhanteras is the first day of the 5-day celebration of Deepavali. Dhanteras, a colloquial term for Dhanavatri Threyodashi, the thirteenth day of the Karthik month (the 8th month of the Hindu calendar), is dedicated to well-being. It's a day that encompasses everything related to physical and mental health.


In Indian culture, every aspect of life has a deity associated with it, and so, the god of well-being/medicine is Lord Dhanavathri. In some regions, this term is associated with Doctors or Vaidyas. In traditional Vaidya shala (Ayurvedic centers), Lord Dhanavantri is worshipped. Among the general public, this day has been associated with gold and money. Perhaps, at one point, our deprivation from everything valuable made us believe that money would solve all our problems, leading to the practice of buying gold, silver, and property on Dhanteras. As a civilization, we are finding our foothold and slowly standing up. As a result, the ancient knowledge of holistic well-being should also take precedence over the desperate hoarding of gold and silver.


Variety of fresh leafy greens arranged on a table, signifying the Bengali 'Choddo Shaak' festival, which involves consuming fourteen types of greens for good health.
A variety of leafy greens arranged for the Bengali 'Choddo Shaak' festival.

Here is a picture of various greens that are grown in Indian households to keep the family naturally healthy. Choddo Shaak is the festival celebrated by Bengalis, where 14 greens are cooked and eaten to ward off infections at the start of winters and the end of monsoons.


Naraka Chaturdashi is Day 2 of the Deepavali celebration. This marks the day when Lord Krishna killed Narakasura, a demon who kept more than 16,000 women captive and tortured them as slaves. In the Konkan region of southwest India, a large effigy of Narakasura is made with material that catches fire, and at midnight, it is burnt to mark his killing.


An effigy of the demon king Narakasura with glowing blue eyes, depicted for the Indian celebration marking the triumph of light over darkness.
A colorful Narakasura effigy, commemorating his defeat in Indian tradition.

This is a picture of one such effigy of Narakasura. It is a fun-filled activity for youngsters to make the effigy, take it around on a procession, and burn it with crackers. On a grander scale, a full skit of Krishna fighting the demon is performed with special sound and visual effects. The following day is celebrated by waking up early at dawn, taking an oil bath in warm water with sesame seeds soaked in it, and honoring male members of the house with aarthi, who are believed to be embodiments of Lord Krishna for the women folk, as he returns home after fighting the battle with Narakasura the previous night. If you thought only Raavana is burnt in all pomp and glory, well here is Narakasura for you. This is probably the oldest community celebration to end violence against women. Only if people could remember the real reason behind Narakasura’s burning.


Lakshmi Puja or Kaali Puja is Day 3. The goddess of wealth, Lakshmi, and in some parts of the country, the Goddess of power, Kaali, are worshipped on this day. New clothes, lots of sweets, and lighting the whole house with lamps happen on this day. There is a tradition in north India to gamble on this day as it is not seen as a taboo but rather an auspicious event to attract money. For business-owning families, on this day, they change their account books and pray for prosperity as it is the Hindu new year. This day falls on New Moon Day or Amavasya.


Bali Padya is Day 4. On this day, King Bali is welcomed, and a small statue of the king is installed in the courtyard of the house and he is worshipped. It is on this day that King Bali is allowed to visit his subjects after he attained liberation at the hands of Vamana, one of the Vishnu avatars. A lot of creative rangoli and art with seasonal non-edible fruits are used to decorate the courtyard.


Bhau Bheej/Bhai Dooj is Day 5. This is the day the brothers are invited to their Sister's home and are showered with a lot of attention through good food, gifts, and Sister does aarthi to the brother. This day signifies the strong bond between Brother and Sister, their undying love and affection even after they are separated and start their own family as adults. Most of the sweets and snacks made during this time are deep-fried in ghee or sesame oil to increase the heat in the body. A generous dollop of ghee is used in the dishes to prepare for the body for the coming cold days. They are made in large quantities to last for a longer duration through the winter days.


A festive Diwali meal spread on a red tablecloth, including various traditional Indian dishes such as rice, ladoos, jalebis, and savory snacks, indicative of the joyous and auspicious occasion.
A colorful array of Indian dishes and sweets laid out to celebrate Diwali, the festival of lights.

Did you notice the diversity of each day? These 5 days signify everything important to a diverse population - Health/well-being, Devotion/Gratitude, Money/Business, Community celebrations, Family/Emotions, Creativity/Innovation.


Lots of stories packed into a 5-day festival. This piece of information is hugely dependent on the author's understanding and experience. There could be more diverse explanations of this festival, specific to each region and each community throughout the Indian subcontinent.


If you like the article, please mention it in the comments so that more such content can be written and published.


🪔🪔🪔Happy Deepavali🪔🪔🪔


Note: Aarthi is a way of paying respect and showing love/devotion by moving a fire plate around the person in a clockwise direction. It is most widely seen in Indian hotel lobbies to welcome a guest/tourist.

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