Diwali or Deepawali is the most vibrant festival of India. It is celebrated on the new moon of the lunar month of 'Kartika'. Fireworks and festive lights brighten the moonless night of the festival. Diwali comes from the Sanskrit words deep and avali and literally means ‘row of lights’. The festival is associated with the triumph of dharma (righteousness) over adharma (unrighteousness) and light over darkness.
The name ‘Festival of Light’ signifies people's joy. Houses are cleaned and painted to sanctify them. People wear new clothes and take pledges to begin a new life. Shops and offices are decorated with colored lights. Businessmen close their old account books and begin new ones, at dusk, homes and shops are lit up with lights and fireworks fill the skies. Friends and family gather to feast and exchange gifts. One of the most important Indian festivals, Diwali, also called Dipavali or Deepawali, symbolizes the victory of good over evil and is called the “festival of light”: During the festival, it is customary to light some lights (candles and traditional lamps called diya). In many areas of India, the celebrations include fireworks displays.
Diyas or small earthen lamps made of clay is lit everywhere. Diyas are generally placed on the balcony or window edges to decorate the house.Ghee or oil is used as the fuel and cotton wool as the wick. Though in these days electric lights are replacing earthen Diyas, still the charm of traditional Lamps is there. Diyas are also floated on leaves over the holy rivers like the Ganges at Haridwar and other places. Nowadays the candles of various colors and forms have replaced earthen lamps.
Diwali is a five day celebration with the third day being celebrated as Diwali. There is a lot of feasting and merrymaking on Diwali throughout the country. People from various religions come together and celebrate the festival. Children burn crackers and the Diwali extravaganza stretches into the dark hours of the night. Laxmi Puja is performed at night to seek the divine blessings of the Goddess of wealth and prosperity. People meet friends and relatives on Diwali and exchange presents. Gambling takes place in the wee hours of the night as it is a firm belief that the year ahead will be a prosperous one for those who win on this night.
The actual festivities start from Dhanteras, which is celebrated two days before Diwali. Everybody goes out of their way to make big purchases and buy new clothes and jewellery. This is because this day is considered auspicious for wealth, and it is said that if you buy any silver or gold on this day, you will be lucky throughout the year. The second day of Diwali, Goddess Kali is worshiped to drive away the deadly sins like laziness and evil thoughts. On the third day, people are engrossed in decorating their homes with lights, flowers, ribbons and Rangolis. Every house is shining bright. It is the day when people are rejoicing and celebrating Diwali.
Diwali reminds us of the brilliant display of colorful fireworks and crackers, which explode in the dark nights. Almost everywhere in India old and young enjoys Diwali fireworks. Over the years, Diwali has been celebrated with great enthusiasm. With time, trends have changed. But what hasn’t changed is the popularity of firecrackers that add to the excitement of the festival. Both children and adults look forward to bursting crackers on Diwali. When the rocket flies high and burst opens into an umbrella of colourful embers, people from the ground watch this spectacular in awe, the beauty raining down towards them. The children quickly light up a fire wheel which dances on the floor, just as a couple of noisy bombs go off in the background. Every year Diwali arrive in all its sound and sparkle. This Indian festival can be associated with the Christian celebration of Saint Lucy (from Lux – Light, in Latin).
Each year on the dark night of Diwali, fire-crackers of varied colours and sounds fill the skies heralding India's favourite festival. Firecrackers come in different varieties from the delightfully visual ones to the ear deafening noisy ones. People spend huge amounts on firecrackers every year ranging from rockets, bombs and wheels to anars, phuljharis and hunters. Crackers hold a fascination for both young and old alike. Tradition says that the illumination of homes with lights and the skies with firecrackers is an expression of obeisance to the heavens for the attainment of health, wealth, knowledge, peace and prosperity. Another possible reason for lighting firecrackers is that the fumes produced by them kill insects and mosquitoes found aplenty after the rains.
The standard varieties of firecrackers include the mild flower pots, the electric crackers, the popular ground wheel (commonly called as charka), the high flying rockets, the favourite sparklers and of course the explosive and ear deafening bombs. The colourful twin angles, a new entrant in the cracker market has caught the fancy of many customers. A combination of all the above makes an exclusive festive package which delights young and old alike. Diwali is a festival of great rejoicing and feasting. Diwali melas are organized in several colonies where people put up lucky draw stalls, food stalls and even sell figurines of gods and goddesses. The principle deity for Diwali is that of Laxmi-Ganesh. For Hindus and Jains, it is a celebration of life and an opportunity to reconnect with family and friends. For Jains, it also marks the beginning of the year.
People might have undergone a tremendous change in lifestyle and incomes but the customs and traditions remain the same. Diwali revives the age old beliefs and values among people. They forget all grievances and embrace each other on this day. Diwali inspires us to catch up on the happiness we tend to overlook the rest of the year.
