Many of us like to kick off the winter holiday season with Halloween at the end of October. We immediately start looking forward to Thanksgiving in November, and Christmas in December. However, there are several other holidays tucked into these months that many of us might be less aware of: the Jewish community looks forward to Hanukkah, and the large Indian population in the Tri-State eagerly awaits the arrival of Diwali.
Diwali, the Indian Festival of Lights, is now upon us. A 5 day celebration with a 2500 year old tradition, Diwali is one of the biggest holidays of the year in India, with religious roots that permeate the national culture. While Diwali is Hindu in origin, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism all use Diwali to commemorate events in their own histories.
“Diwali” comes from the sanskrit word “deepavali” which means “rows of lighted lamps”
Many stories surround the holiday and may vary depending on which part of the country you are in, but the holiday mostly centers around the themes of good triumphing over evil, light beating out the dark, and knowledge over ignorance. A large part of Diwali is honouring Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of wealth and prosperity.
Ways in which people celebrate this festive holiday include visiting with relatives, exchanging gifts, indulging in special sweets, and decorating with small oil lamps called “diyas.” Individual families might also ignite their own fireworks to help mark the occasion. It is the hope of Diwali celebrants that in honoring Lakshmi during Diwali, the goddess will bestow blessings of wealth and prosperity upon them in the coming year.
Because it is based on the Hindu calendar rather than the 12-month Gregorian calendar, the specific dates of Diwali change every year, but it usually falls sometime between October-November. This year, Diwali starts on Thursday, November 12, but the main celebration will be on Saturday, November 14, which is the third (and main) day of the festival.
Here in the Tri-State, the Indian population annually celebrates this holiday from their ancestral land in various ways. In normal years, Diwali celebrations would include cultural programs with traditional dress and dancing, as well as opulent feasts. But, like many things in 2020, Diwali celebrants are having to get creative with finding new ways to have their festivities. Most people will celebrate more simply at home with their immediate family.
We are lucky to have the Tri-State Cultural Society of India here that helps the local Indian community stay connected to each other and to their traditions as well as providing the larger community with new cultural resources. Keep your eyes peeled in the years to come for Diwali celebrations near you, and be sure to tell your Indian neighbors “Happy Diwali!”
If you are interested in learning more about the origins and traditions of Diwali, you might start with these websites:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/15451833
https://www.history.com/news/the-ancient-origins-of-indias-biggest-holiday
