India is a country of diverse religions, cultures, communities, and thus various different festivities. Diwali is one of this variety of festivals that are extremely popular and widely celebrated throughout this country. Different regions and different cultures may have slightly different ways of commemorating this occasion but the atmosphere of happiness and celebration remains the same everywhere. The core belief remains the same that this festival is the celebration of good over evil, light over darkness.
What is Diwali: Diwali is a 5-day festival to celebrate the triumph of good over evil. Hindus, Sikhs, and Jains observe these festivities in the belief that this was the time when Lord Rama defeated the evil spirit Ravana and returned to Ayodhya, his home after 14 years long exile.
When is Diwali celebrated: This festival follows the Hindu lunar calendar and thus doesn't occur on a particular day every year. But generally, it takes place around the months of October or November on a moonless night, the last day of Krishna Paksha. This year, Diwali is on 4th November.
What are the five days of Diwali: This festival consists of five days and the third day is the main event. The celebrations officially start from the thirteenth day of Krishna Paksha. Let's see what the significance is of each day.
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Dhanteras: This day marks the beginning of the festivities. On this day people worship Lord Dhanvantari(God of health), Devi Laxmi(Goddess of wealth), Lord Yama(God of death), Lord Kuber. Dhanteras is considered a very auspicious occasion to make new purchases such as utensils, gold, silver, or any other metallic stuff. They apparently are believed to bring good luck.
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Choti Diwali: The second day of the five days is known as Choti Diwali or Narak Chaturdashi. As the name suggests, it falls on the fourteenth day of Krishna Paksha. It's believed that Lord Krishna killed Narakasura on this day. Regions from western India observe a harvest festival on this day by making Poha from freshly harvested rice. In West Bengal, this day is known as Bhoot Chaturdashi. Bengalis light up 14 lamps in every dark corner of their house to keep evil spirits away from their home. After the night of Bhoot Chaturdashi, Bengalis worship Goddess Kali.
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Diwali: This is the day when the main celebration takes place. People decorate their homes, wear new clothes, and worship Goddess Laxmi and Lord Ganesha in the evening. Sweets are offered to God and puja is performed with aarti and bhajan. Then people exchange gifts and enjoy hearty feasts to conclude the day.
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Padwa day: The fourth day of the festival is known as Padwa or VarshaPratipada. This day marks the coronation of King Vikramaditya. People believe, on this day, Lord Krishna saved Gokul from Indra's wrath by lifting Govardhan Mountain in one hand. This is why people from the north commemorate this day by performing Govardhan Puja. Some people also observe this day as Annakoot.
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Bhai-dooj: The last but not the least of all days is Bhai-dooj. This is a day to celebrate the bond of brothers and sisters. On this day, brothers visit their sisters and sisters perform a tilak ceremony for them praying for their long life. In turn, brothers promise to protect their sisters. It's a custom to exchange gifts between them as well.
How is Diwali celebrated: Diwali is one of the most anticipated festivals for Indians and that's why the preparations for it start quite in advance. People start redecorating their homes, buying new clothes, jewelry, and home decor items, etc. Let's see what are the most important parts of a Diwali celebration.
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Lights: Lights are the life of the Diwali festival as it's popularly known as the 'Festival of lights. To signify the triumph of light over darkness, people light up their homes with beautiful fairy lights and small earthen lamps called diyas. The whole neighborhood starts twinkling beautifully with all these lights and diyas and paints an exquisite picture.
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Fireworks: Another important part of Diwali celebrations is fireworks. People light up various kinds of bright, colorful fireworks and enjoy the occasion with friends and family.
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Rangoli: Rangoli is basically intricate designs made on floors with colored powder known as Gulaal or flower petals. On Diwali, people decorate their floors with such beautiful Rangoli designs.
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Foods: No celebration or festival is complete without food. Diwali is not an exception either. Foods are also an integral part of this festival, especially sweets. Various kinds of different sweets are made to celebrate the occasion, such as laddus, barfi, pedha, gujiya, halwa, kheer, and gulab jamuns. These sweets are offered to God first and then distributed among friends, family, and neighbors. Along with sweets, people enjoy a lot of savory snacks on this occasion as well. Some such snacks are Samosa, chivda, faral, bhaji, idli, vada, nankhatai, puri etc.