Deepawali - An Essay in 2000 Words. THANK YOU SONIKA AGRAWAL 1. Introduction -Deepawali is the biggest and brightest festival, celebrated w...
Deepawali - An Essay in 2000 Words.
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| THANK YOU SONIKA AGRAWAL |
1. Introduction -Deepawali is the biggest and brightest festival, celebrated with great enthusiasm and happiness in India and worldwide. Its literal meaning comes from, Deep' which means light, and avail, which means a row, i.e., a row of lights. However, there are various other stories associated with the festival. Some people believe it to be the celebration of the marriage of Goddess Laxmi and Lord Vishnu, In Bengal, the festival is dedicated to the worship of Mother Kali, the dark goddess of strength, Lord Ganesha, the elephant-headed God, is the symbol of auspiciousness and wisdom. He is also worshipped in most Hindu homes today as it is believed that every worship or Pooja starts with worshipping the Lord Ganesha. In Jainism, Deepawali has added significance to the great event of Lord Mahavira attaining the eternal bliss of Nirvana or Enlightenment)
2. History - Deepawali also commemorates the return of Lord Rama along with Mother Sita and Brother Lakshman from his fourteen-year-long exile and vanquishing the demon king Ravana. In joyous celebration of the return of their king, the people of Ayodhya, the capital of Rama, illuminated the kingdom with earthen diyas (oil lamps) and burst crackers. Deepawali is a five-day festival in many regions of India. Deepawali night centers on the new moon, the darkest night at the end of the Hindu lunar month of Ashwin, and the start of Kartika. In the common era calendar, Deepawali typically falls towards the end of October or the first of November each year. The darkest night of autumn is lit with diyas, candles, and lanterns. It makes the Festival of Lights particularly memorable. Deepawali is also a festival of sounds and sights, with fireworks and rangoli designs. The festival is a major celebration of flavors with feasts, numerous mithai (sweets and desserts), and a festival of emotions. This festival ritually brings family and friends together every year.
Rituals - Rituals and preparations for Deepawali begin days or weeks in advance. People wear new clothes or their best outfits as the evening approaches. Then poojas with all traditional ingredients, bhog (something offered to God that they like) are offered to Goddess Laxmi and one or more additional deities, depending on the region of India. Typically Ganesha, Saraswati (Goddess of knowledge, wisdom, and art), Dhanwantari(god of good health), Kubera (god of wealth). Goddess Laxmi symbolizes wealth and prosperity, and her blessings are invoked for a good year ahead. It is believed that she roams the earth on the Deepawali night, and visits and stays in the house which is clean, illuminated, and where proper pooja is being offered with pure heart and soul by all the family members collectively with chanting of mantras. (For each god, there exists a particular Mantra, that has a particular sound frequency that can connect to the god, meaning a small phrase of words like for goddess Laxmi, the Mantra is Om Mahalaxmi Namah!, For Lord Shiva, Om Namah Shivay!)
On the evening of Deepawali, people open their doors and windows to welcome Goddess Laxmi and place lights on their windowsills and balcony ledges to invite her in. On this day, the mothers who work hard all year are recognized by the family, and she is seen to embody a part of Laxmi's good fortune and prosperity of the household. Small earthenware lamps filled with oil are lit and placed in rows along the parapets of temples and houses. Some set diyas drift on rivers and streams, making a fascinating scene when slowly these lamps move along with floating water away from our sight. At night the sky is filled with colourful lights and sounds of the fire crackers. Important relationships and friendships are also recognized during the day by visiting relatives and friends and exchanging gifts and sweets. The whole Deepawali evening and night becomes full of joy, happiness, and celebration, and it looks like there is no room for any kind of sadness but only joy appears in the air.
Celebrations - After the pooja, people go outside and celebrate by lighting the pathake (fireworks). Children enjoy sparkles and a variety of small fireworks. At the same time, adults enjoy playing with ground chakra, Vishnu chakra, flowerpots(anar), bombs, rockets, and bigger fireworks. The fireworks signify the celebration of Deepawali and a way to chase away evil spirits. Everyone is in the best possible outfit, with a tilak (a red mark of worshipping Goddess Lami called Laxmi-Pujan on the forehead). After the fireworks, people return to a family feast, conversations, and mithai (numerous sweets and desserts).
Deepawali - As A Harvest Festival - Deepawali is also celebrated as a harvest festival in India. It takes place when the cropping season ends. Instead, other than this fact, many more customs would tell us that it is a harvest festival. In earlier times, the reaping of harvests brought happiness and prosperity to the lives of the farmers. Hence, even now, the farmers celebrate the harvesting time with joy and happiness because even today India is considered an agricultural country, and they also offer prayers to God for a good harvest during Deepawali. In India, the Kharif harvest ends in the month of October-November, and generally every year Deepawali falls in the month of either October or November, so farmers perform Aarati and prepare dishes made of rice taken from the harvest in almost all parts of India. So Deepawali is also considered as a harvest festival.
In other parts of the world - Deepawali is celebrated around the world, particularly in countries with significant populations of Hindu, Jain, and Sikh origins. These include Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Mauritius, Kenya, and Tanzania, along with South Africa, Guyana, Suriname, Trinidad, Tobago, the Netherlands, Canada, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States, with a better understanding of Indian culture and the global migration of people of Indian origin, the number of countries where this festival is celebrated has been gradually increasing.
While in some countries it is celebrated mainly by Indian expatriates, in others it is becoming part of general local culture. So celebrate and perform Sampoorna Deepawali Pooja on the auspicious occasion of the festival for you and your family.
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