The Indian Festival of Lights – Diwali Celebrations 2017

The entire meaning of Diwali lies in adopting the bright light of happiness and knocking the darkness out. The Indian festival of lights celebrates all the feelings of brightness i.e. positivity by driving away the feelings of darkness i.e. negativity. The brightest night of Diwali is the night of the new moon which is actually the darkest in its true form. And by employing all the lightings and Diwali fireworks on this dark day, the Indians try to drive away the darkness out of their lives and move towards the path of serendipity and fluke, which the Hindu community considers being with them in the form of Providence.

Festival Of Lights- Amici

The entire world is black or white; nothing is grey. The emotions, feelings, and incidents in our lives are positive or negative; never neutral. We always give out love or hate but never the ambivalence. Darkness signifies all the negative emotions of despair, hopelessness, anger, grief, hatred, envy, pessimism and the list goes on. While the light of brightness signifies all the feelings of positivity and prosperity including the feelings of enthusiasm, optimism, gratitude, serenity, euphoria, tranquillity and the list here is never-ending.

History of Diwali

Diwali is the most important festival of India and this is the reason why the entire country celebrates the festival despite being so diverse. The history of Diwali is in itself a great affair as every religion followed in India has a different history associated with it. Starting with the Hindu Mythology the very well-known history of Diwali talks about the return of the 7th incarnation of Lord Vishnu; Lord Rama who was on an exile for 14 years. During his exile in the forests, he defeated the king of Lanka; the demon Ravana. When Lord Rama returned to Ayodhya from exile, the entire city gleamed with happiness and welcomed him with lightings and Diwali celebrations.

Another Hindu mythological history of Diwali calls on for the five days of the Diwali celebrations. The first day is called the dhanvantari triodasi or dhanteras, this day is celebrated by buying gold and silver jewellery in India. The other story of Diwali history talks about the 8th incarnation of Lord Vishnu; Lord Krishna, it is believed that Lord Krishna destroyed the demon Narakasur on the second day of Diwali celebrations, which is known as the Narak Chaturdashi. On the final day of Diwali which is the third day, goddess Lakshmi is worshipped according to the Diwali puja muhurat. Following the Lakshmi pujan the subsequent day calls on for Govardhan pooja, following which comes the final and the last day of Diwali celebrations; Bhratri dooj. The final day is believed to be the day when Lord Krishna returned to his sister Subhadra after destroying the Narakasur. His sister welcomed him with sweets, tilak, flowers, and aarti.

According to the Sikh community of India, the Diwali celebrations are in lieu of the return of the sixth Sikh guru; Guru Hargobind Ji from the captivity in the city of Gwalior. In honor of the return of their guru, the Sikh community lights the entire way to the harmandir sahib; the golden temple and celebrate by burning the Diwali fireworks. The Jain community has different beliefs attached with the Diwali celebrations. According to the Jain community of India, the day is believed to be the day when the Lord Mahavira received Nirvana (moksha) from the entire world. This day is known to be the most crucial one for the entire Jain community.

Different stories, but same Diwali celebrations, same Diwali traditions, and the same zeal of joy and this is why India is known to find unity in diversity. The beliefs of the different communities may vary but the meaning of Diwali remains the same for the entire nation and hence, we regard the nation decorously as Incredible India.

When is Diwali 2017?

The Indian festival of lights; Diwali is celebrated each year on a different date, in accordance with the Hindu calendar. It falls on the 15th day of the month of Kartik which is a Hindu month. In India the 15th day of the month Kartik is on the 19th November, therefore Diwali 2017 is on that day. The entire nation is all set to blaze the entire nation with the Diwali celebrations. Otherwise, Diwali falls in late October or November every year.

Happy Diwali 2017- Amici

Diwali Traditions

Diwali is a gigantic festival in the eyes of the Indian community. On this day the entire nation gleams with lighting and crackers. In the most traditional ways, the Diwali is celebrated by the Diwali Lakshmi Mahapujan which calls on for the worshipping of the goddess Lakshmi in accordance with the Diwali puja muhurat. The Diwali puja takes place later in the evening and is dedicated to the worship of the Goddess Lakshmi following which traditional Diwali lightings; the diyas and the candles are lighted, following which the Diwali fireworks are burnt and the entire sky lights up in the ecstasy of the Indian festival Diwali. Diwali food mainly involves sweets and the various types of Indian food items that are prepared on the day. Also, the day includes the exchange of Diwali wishes, sweets, and gifts to relatives and friends. People do decorate their house with series of lightings which illuminate the entire nation into a bright gleam. This is how the entire Diwali celebrations in India take place.

The Diwali Fireworks

The entire nation has certain religious beliefs and exhilaration attached with the Indian festival of lights and hence, they celebrate the festival accordingly. But, the need of the hour is to differentiate between the festival and religious fanaticism, which is known to be hazardous to mankind in various ways. The religious fanaticism here is the lighting up of the Diwali fireworks. Agreeing upon the zeal and the ecstasy of the day, I would like to accentuate here the health hazards of the Diwali fireworks. Every year the subsequent days after the Diwali celebrations prove to be like a war for survival, as the entire nation breathes in 100% smoke and 0% oxygen. The entire nation is covered with a blanket of smog containing suspended particles so hazardous that they can even knock you to death. The need of the hour is to understand the hazards of religious fanaticism, considering which the Supreme Court has banned the selling of the Diwali fireworks in the capital. This is a small step towards the better air quality of the country.

Happy Diwali 2017- Amici

In a nutshell, the Indian festival of lights; provides us insights of a number of things and morals. The most highlighted one being the brightness of positivity. Diwali is a harmonious way of celebrating the brightness within each of us and eliminating all the dark shades. Diwali teaches us to focus on the happy moments of life and cherish them to the fullest, for happiness is nothing but a Frisbee of feelings that returns back to us each time we give it out.