Diwali, also known as Dipavali or Deepavali, refers to the festival of lights observed by Jains, Sikhs, Hindus, and Newar Buddhists. Diwali is a five-day celebration where celebrants light up their homes, temples, and workplaces with diyas (oil lamps), candles and lanterns. The holiday is considered a yearly homecoming and bonding for families, communities, and associations. According to the Gregorian calendar, this holiday is celebrated between mid-October and mid-November.
The festival of light is believed to be a blend of several harvest festivals from ancient India. This holiday was first mentioned during the 1st millennium CE in Padma Purana and Skanda Purana. The lamps (diyas) are described in the Skanda Kishore as a signal for part of the sun, the cosmic giver of light and energy to all life.
In the following centuries, a play and poem mentioned and described their accounts of Deepavali celebrations. Good examples of such reports include the Sanskrit Nagananda play by King Harsha during the 7th century. In this play, King Harsha talks about Dīpapratipadotsava, a festival where diyas were illuminated, and recently engaged brides and grooms would receive gifts. In the 9th century, Rajashekhara, a renowned Sanskrit dramatist, critic, and poet talked about Dipamalika in reference to Diwali and described the custom of decorating homes, markets, and streets with oil lamps.
Diwali is also mentioned by several travelers from outside India. For instance, Al Biruni, a Persian explorer and historian in his 11thcentury record of India, defines Diwali as a Hindu celebration observed on the day of the new moon in the month of Kartika. In the 15th century, Niccolò de’ Conti, a Venetian explorer and merchant, in his memoir about India, stated that on one of those festivals they decorate their temples and outside the roof with many oil lamps, which are left to burn throughout the day and night. He also states that families come together, dressed in new attires, feast, dance, and sing. Again in the 16th century, Domingo Paes, a Portuguese explorer, wrote about his exploration of the Hindu Vijayanagara Empire where Diwali was observed in October, that houses and temples were illuminated by oil lamps.
Other historians including the Islamic sultanate of Delhi and the Mughal Empire of the period commented about Diwali along with other Hindu festivals. Most notably is Akbar, the Mughal emperor, who welcomed and took part in the celebration while others such as Aurangzeb banned both Diwali and Holi Festivals in 1665.
During the British colonial era, publications mentioned Diwali celebrations. An excellent example of such publications includes the note on Hindu festivals by Sir William Jones, a philologist, famous for his interpretations on Sanskrit and Indo-European languages. In his publication, Jones highlights a five-day holiday celebration during the month of autumn.
Diwali is observed by several religious groups. However, for each group, this holiday marks a specific historical event but still holds the same symbolic meaning of victory of light over darkness, and so on.
Hinduism
In India, the religious importance of Diwali differs regionally. Generally, this holiday is associated with a variety of deities, symbolism, and customs. These variations reveal the possibility of various indigenous autumn harvest festivals that merged into a single Pan-Hindu celebration with a joint divine significance, rituals, and retention of local traditions.
According to one tradition, the festival is linked to the myth of the Hindu classic Ramayana, where Diwali marks the day when Rama, Sita, Lakshmana, and Hanuman arrived at Ayodhya after exile and the defeat of the demon king, Naragasuran’s, evil army by Rama’s army of good. According to another tradition, Diwali is believed to signify the victory of good over evil following Lord Krishna’s triumph against Narakasura, the evil king of Pragjyotishapura.
However, according to many Hindus, the 5-day celebration is associated with Lakshmi, goddess of wealth and prosperity and the wife of Vishnu. This account stems from contemporary sources which claim that the start of the Diwali festival marks the day when Goddess Lakshmi was born while the eve of Diwali marks the day when Lakshmi picked and married Vishnu. On the other hand, in Eastern India, the festival of light is linked to Goddess Durga, including Kali her ferocious avatar, who is considered a symbol of victory of good versus evil. Hindus from other regions such as Braj in northern India, sections of Assam, Southern Tamil and Telugu, associate Diwali with the god Krishna, who overpowered and ruined the evil demon king Narakasura, still another figurative victory of good and knowledge versus evil and ignorance. In western states of India such as Gujarat, along with some northern Hindu communities, Diwali festival is associated with the beginning of a new year while trade and merchant clans offer prayers to Saraswati, the goddess of music, art, wisdom, knowledge, and learning.
Sikhism
Sikhs observe a holiday referred to as Bandi Chhor Divas which coincides with the Diwali festivals. On this day, they celebrate the release of Guru Hargobind from the Gwalior Fort prison in the Mughal empire and his arrival at the Golden Temple in Amritsar. However, based on scholars such as J.S. Grewal, the origin of Diwali within the Sikh tradition predates the Guru Hargobind myth. According to other legends, Diwali marks a form of community bonding which originates from Guru Amar Das’, who invited Sikhs for a bath in sacred waters on Baisakhi. According to another Scholar, Ray Colledge, the festival of light in the Sikh tradition is associated with three events, which include:
Jainism
According to scholars, in Jainism, Diwali is observed in memory of the physical death and final nirvana of Mahavira. It is believed during Diwali, Lord Mahavira achieved the state of everlasting bliss and freedom of the birth-death cycle which made him immortal. Although in Jainism, Diwali is observed in honour of Mahavira, the tradition of lighting lamps dates back to 527 BCE following a declaration by 18 kings who had attended Mahavira’s last teaching before his death.
Buddhism
Diwali is only observed by the Newar Buddhist of Nepal who observe Diwali by presenting prayers to Lakshmi. The tradition of celebrating Diwali by worshipping Lakshmi, as demonstrated by the Newar Buddhists, reflects the freedom of the Mahayana Buddhist custom to idolize a deity of their choice for their worldly improvement.
Diwali marks one of the most important Hindu festivals which signifies the spiritual triumph of good versus evil, knowledge versus ignorance or light versus darkness. In preparation of the Diwali celebrations, people renovate, clean, and decorate their homes and workplaces. Additionally, on the third day of the festivities, celebrants adorn themselves in the most elegant clothes. The celebrations along with the rituals usually last for five days with office buildings, temples, homes, and shops being intensely lit. Typically, the climax of this festival occurs on the third day, which coincides with the darkest night of the month of Kartika. Usually, during these festivals, parades, fairs, music, and dance performances in local parks are very common. Depending on the location, celebrations may also include offering prayers to one or more Hindu deities, commonly Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, prosperity, and good fortune. The festival of light usually begins two days before the climax of the holiday, which is on the third day and ends two days after. These days include:
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