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 The
best-known of the Hindu festivals, Diwali
is celebrated throughout India, at the
New Moon on the fifteenth day of the month
Kartika, or Ashwin (october/november),
as well as in Indian communities throughout
the world. It is known as the "festival
of lights", for people traditionally
light small oil lamps (called diyas) and
place them around the home, in courtyards,
verandahs and gardens, as well as on roof-tops
and outer walls. A harvest festival and
a celebration of the Lunar New Year, Diwali
has strong astrological energies, like
similar festivals the world over.
The celebration of Diwali happens this
year on November 12, 2004. It always features
the exchange of sweets and the enjoyment
of fireworks, but basically, this is a
seasonal, astrological festival marking
the transition from the old lunar year
to the new in Hindu India. Diwali (from
the sanskrit: deepaavali, meaning "a
garland of lamps"), is the perfect
description of this marvellous Indian
festival of lights. In North India, the
lamps are lit to remind us of Lord Rama's
return from fourteen years in exile to
his kingdom of Ayodhya after conquering
the tyrant Ravana, who had abducted his
wife Sita and held her in his island fortress
of Lanka.
 Rama's
heroic deeds are set out in the Hindu
epic Ramayana and Diwali celebrates the
victory of virtue over vice. In the story,
Rama, the rightful heir to the throne
of Ayodhya, accepts an exile in the forest
due to his father's vow to his scheming
stepmother. He is accompanied in his exile
by his lovely Sita and his brother Laksmana.
Ramayana is the story of his conquest
of evil with the aid of Hanuman, the monkey
king, and the undying love of Sita.
Different Meanings,
but the Same Festivities
As with other Indian festivals, Diwali
signifies many different things to people
across the country. In North India, Diwali
celebrates Rama's homecoming, his return
to Ayodhya after the defeat of Ravana
and his coronation as king; in Gujarat,
the festival honours Lakshmi, the goddess
of wealth; and in Bengal, it is associated
with the goddess Kali.
For Jains, the day commemorates the passing
into Nirvana of Mahavira, the most recent
of the Jain Tirthankaras, or saints. The
lighting of the lamps is explained as
a material substitute for the light of
holy knowledge that was extinguished with
Mahavira's passing.
Everywhere, it signifies the renewal
of life, and so it is the done thing to
wear new clothes on the day of the festival.
It seems to have begun as a harvest festival,
yet, as the beginning of the lunar New
Year, it heralds the approach of winter
and the beginning of a new sowing season.
Five
Day Festival
 Diwali
is a five day festival, beginning on the
15th day of the Hindu calendar month of
Kartika (Ashwin). By the Gregorian calendar,
Diwali falls in October or November; in
2004, it happens on November 12. Gifts
are exchanged and festive meals are prepared
during Diwali, and the celebration means
as much to Hindus as Christmas does to
Christians.
Diwali marks the beginning
of the Hindu and Gujarati New Year and
is celebrated with the lighting of lamps
and candles, and lots of fireworks. It
is time to replenish wardrobes with new
clothes and exchange gifts (often clothes)
and sweets with friends and neighbours.
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