What is Deepavali?
Deepavali is a festival of love, usually lasting for five days, in honor of Lord Shiva, who is believed to be the lord of all worlds. One of the biggest festivals of India, Deepavali signifies the victory of good over evil, light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance, and prosperity over adversity. It is also a festival for people to give away what little they have and spend it all at once.
The origin of Deepavali is not exactly clear. According to Hindu traditions, Lord Shiva and his consort Lakshmi were once born on this very day - April 20th - the first day of summer. At that time, it was said that Lord Shiva threw mud on the earth in the shape of a flower to greet the sun. When the sun had fully risen, Lord Shiva revealed himself to the goddess of love and told her about the various auspicious moments that should be celebrated in order to welcome the season and to bring about the harvest of prosperity.
The idea of a festival of love, and giving away one's surplus wealth for the benefit of another, came about because it corresponded with the teachings of Sita, the goddess of Sita, who was the wife of lord Ram and mother of lord Maha Prabhupada. Sita taught that true happiness and prosperity do not lie in material possessions, but in understanding, compassion, patience, and kindness. Deepavali thus serves as a way to honor her teachings and to follow her example.
Deepavali is celebrated by the Hindus with lots of fire and fireworks. Since it is considered auspicious to have some sort of ritualistic act or ceremony to celebrate the occasion, fire is given priority for many reasons. Fire represents the burning love of Lord Shiva, which is believed to be the main reason why Lord Shiva appeared on earth in the form of a woman - a goddess of light. The flame also symbolizes the fact that Lord Shiva is pleased by all the good deeds that are done during this festival.
People burn all kinds of objects, including gold, jewelry, cloth, gold statues, precious stones, and even human beings. Some people even burn their bodies. Some families even burn their own homes. It has been said that when all of this stuff is burned, all the bad and evil things of a person's life will be wiped out. The only thing left is a person's pureness and goodness, which in turn helps him or her to achieve happiness and prosperity.
There are many customs that mark the beginning of Deepavali celebrations. A few of these include the distribution of sweets to all, the burning of rice grains, the breaking of a lotus flower, the blowing of sacred incense, and the lighting of firecrackers and torches. The celebration can also be marked with the exchange of sweets between the lord and the goddess. In some parts of India, the festival is also marked with the sending of auspicious gifts. There are other rituals like the exchange of food items for special occasions. People can even send prayers to lord Shiva at this occasion.
The Festive Day of Lord Shiva
Deepavali (also spelled as Deepavali or Devali) is a festival celebrated on the last day of the Hindu lunar month of Kartika. The festival celebrates the victory of good over evil, light over darkness and knowledge over ignorance.
Deepavali is a great festival for all age groups, both genders and is not confined to any caste, creed or region. It is one of the largest celebrations of India, with millions of devotees of all ages participating in the festivity. It is celebrated with much pomp and show. This festival is considered a part of Indian tradition and is seen as a culmination of all that the worship, honor and revere.
The Festival of Deepavali takes place in different parts of India according to the seasons and also according to the cultural traditions of the region. The festivities begin with the preparation of various offerings from the Hindus and the local gods. These include various sweets such as kheer, gajankush-a sweet made out of gram, pomegranate leaves and spices like cardamom, cinnamon and cloves. These sweets are known as Rakshabandhan in Hindi and Vidaag-Vati in Marathi.
Next comes the main festival which is Dussehra. The main festivity here is the procession of Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Shiva through the streets of the city. People make the streets clean of all human and animal bones and trash and display these idols and deities before the doors of their homes and garlands them on their heads.
Garlands made of dried palm leaves and perfumed oil are hung on the doors of the houses and windows. The entire process of cleaning the streets is called 'Shirodhara', which means 'the wiping clean of the streets'.
On the final day, the people celebrate in the grand auditorium of Kartika Lanka and take part in the processions of Lord Shiva and his consort, Goddess Lakshmi. As the evening wears on, the fireworks become visible. The fireworks are actually the best entertainment in the sky and are observed by everyone on the ground. At the end of the festival, Lord Shiva and Goddess Lakshmi come down from their places on the earth and the people pray for health, wealth and prosperity.
The festival is celebrated in July but in some regions it is celebrated in August. Most of the cities of Maharashtra, Uttaranchal, Assam and Himachal Pradesh celebrate the festival during the month of August.
There are various activities and games that are conducted at the celebration of this day. The most popular of these is the 'Sholav' which is a traditional game where people put on masks and play the role of demons, spirits. They are decorated with garlands and perfumed powder and carry various objects around them.
The people also go around the streets and offer 'Dussehra Puja' in the temples and pray for good crops and harvest. The people of the temple then take care of these needs for the coming of the 'Raksha Bandhan'.
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