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Diwali or Deepavali
Diwali or the festival of lights marks the climax of the
festive season. It is the gayest Hindu festival and is
celebrated in a splendid manner in all parts of India in one
form or the other.
The word Diwali is derived from Deepavali meaning 'cluster of
lights'. Small earthenware lamps called divas and electric
lights are lit in every home and every city, town and village
is turned into a fairyland.
Diwali
is always celebrated on Amavasya-the 15th day of the dark
fortnight of the Hindu month of Aaso (October-November). It is
said that on this day Ram returned from his fourteen years of
exile in the forest and the people of Ayodhya greeted him with
a blaze of light.
Diwali, as it is celebrated today, is a five-day affair. On
the first day, .i.e. on the 13th day of Aaso, houses and shops
are scrubbed clean and doorsteps are decorated with multi-coloured
designs. Gold or a new utensil is purchased that day.
The second day, called Naraka Chaturdashi, marks the end of
the legendary tyrant Narakasura. This demon had imprisoned
16,000 women-daughters of God, saints and sages-in his harem.
Lord Krishna killed him and freed the women. So it is mainly a
day of rejoicing. People in the south get up much before
sun-rise, have an oil-bath and put on new clothes. The day is
heralded by fireworks and crackers. In the North it is called
Roop-Chaturdashi as everybody takes a ritual bath.
The third day is devoted to the propitiation of Lakshmi-the
goddess of wealth and prosperity. Every home is decorated with
flickering divas to welcome her. It is believed that unlit
homes are overlooked by the goddess. Many commercial firms and
businessmen close their yearly accounts and open new accounts
books on this day.
The fourth day of festivities is devoted to Govardhana
Puja in the North. Govardhana is a small hillock in Braj near
Mathura. According to the Purnas, Krishna lifted it to give
shelter to the cows and cowherds from a deluge caused by Indra.
Therefore, the people of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and
Bihar build cow dung hillocks symbolizing Govardhana,
decorate them with flowers and fluffy cotton and worship them.
The day is also observed as Annakoot, the 'Mountain of Food'
in temples, especially those of Mathura and Nathdwara, numerous
varieties of dishes are ceremoniously raised in the form of a
mountain before the deity.
In the South and Maharashtra, the fourth day commemorates the
visit of Mahabali, the demon king about whom you have already
read in 'Onam.'
The final or fifth day is popularly called Bhaiya Dooj, the
custom being that every man dines at his sister's home and
presents her with gifts. In the North, this day is called
Yama-Dwitiya, for it is said Yama-the God of Death visited
his sister Yamuna to exchange the ceremonial gifts and granted
her a promise. He gave his word that everyone who gets a tilak
from his sister and presents her with gifts on this day will
not be thrown into the nether world. That is why thousands
gather on the banks of the river Yamuna, and brothers and
sisters hold hands and take a dip in the sacred waters
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