DEEPAWALI...

 

"Deepawali" redirects here. For the Nepali festival, see Tihar. For the films, see Deepawali. Before Diwali night, people clean, renovate, and decorate their homes and offices. On Diwali night, Hindus dress up in new clothes or their best outfit, light up diyas (lamps and candles) inside and outside their home, participate in family puja (prayers) typically to Lakshmi – the goddess of wealth and prosperity. After puja, fireworks follow, then a family feast including mithai(sweets), and an exchange of gifts between family members and close friends. Deepavali also marks a major shopping period in nations where it is celebrated.Diwali (or Deepawali, the "festival of lights") is an ancient Hindu festivalcelebrated in autumn (northern hemisphere) or Spring (southern hemisphere) every year. Diwali is one of the largest and brightest festivals in India. The festival spiritually signifies the victory of good over evil. The preparations and rituals typically extend over a five-day period, but the main festival night of Diwali coincides with the darkest, new moon night of the Hindu Lunisolar month Kartika. In the Gregorian calendar, Diwali falls between mid-October and mid-November.

Diwali is an important festival for Hindus. The name of festive days as well as the rituals of Diwali vary significantly among Hindus, based on the region of India. In many parts of India, the festivities start with Dhanteras(in Northern & Western part of India), followed by Naraka Chaturdasi on second day, Deepavali on the third day, Diwali Padva dedicated to wife–husband relationship on the fourth day, and festivities end with Bhau-beej dedicated to sister–brother bond on the fifth day. Dhanteras usually falls eighteen days after Dussehra.

On the same night that Hindus celebrate Diwali, Jains celebrate a festival of lights to mark the attainment of moksha by Mahavira, Sikhs celebrateBandi Chhor Divas and some Buddhists also celebrate Diwali remembering Ashoka's conversion to Buddhism. Diwali is an official holiday in Nepal,India, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Suriname,Malaysia, Singapore and Fiji.

HISTORY:-

The religious significance of Deepavali varies regionally within India, depending on the school of Hindu philosophy, regional myths, legends, and beliefs.

Many wrongly see Diwali as honouring the return of the god Rama, his wife Sita and his brother Lakshmana from exile of 14 years. As told in the ancient Hindu epicRamayana of Valmiki, Lord Rama returned from exile on the Shukla Paksha day of Navami in the Hindu month of Chaitra month. ^[It is wrongly believed that Diwali is also celebrated to marks the return of Pandavas after 12 years of Vanvas and one year of agyatavas in the other ancient Hindu epic Mahabharata. The Pandavas returned to a desolate kindgom without any celebrations as the entire Kaurava and Pandava armies were destroyed except for twelve personalities namely Sri Krishna, the five Pandavas, Satyaki, Yuyutsi, Ashwatthama, Kritavarma, Kripacharaya and Vrishketu. Deepavali is linked to the celebration of Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity, and wife of the god Vishnu. The five day festival of Diwali begins on the day Lakshmi was born from the churning of cosmic ocean of milk by the gods and the demons; the night of Diwali is the day Lakshmi chose Vishnu as her husband and then married him.Along with Lakshmi, devotees make offerings to Ganesha who symbolizes ethical beginnings and fearless remover of obstacles;Saraswati who symbolizes music, literature and learning; and Kubera who symbolizes book keeping, treasury and wealth management.Other Hindus believe that Diwali is the day Vishnu came back to Lakshmi and their abode in theVaikuntha; so those who worship Lakshmi receive the benefit of her good mood, and therefore are blessed with mental, physical and material well-being during the year ahead.

Hindus in India's eastern region, such as Odisha and West Bengal, worship the goddess Kali instead of Lakshmi, and call the festival Kali Puja. In India's Braj and north central regions, the god Krishna is recognized. People mark MountGovardhan, and celebrate legends about Krishna. In other regions, the feast of Govardhan Puja (or Annakoot) is celebrated, with 56 or 108 different cuisines prepared, offered to Krishna, then shared and celebrated by the local community.

In West and certain Northern parts of India, the festival of Diwali marks the start of a new Hindu year.