Diwali, the festival of prosperity and wealth

By Binita Tiwari

Diwali, ‘the festival of light, prosperity and wealth’ is celebrated in the entire country along with some other parts of the world. Though it may be known as some different names but the celebration purpose is always same. To celebrate this festival in the name of joy, wealth and happiness, though there is also a scientific reason behind it to clean up the home after the end of rainy season, which becomes the major cause of the growth of insects and several microorganisms.

Diwali also known as Deepawali is a one of the major festival of Hindus, but it is also celebrated by Jains, Sikhs and several other communities irrespective of their faith. It is one of the social festivals of India like Holy, Eid, Christmas Day and Baishakhi. Besides India it is also celebrated in Nepal by the name of Tihar, in Malaysia, it is known as Hari Deepawali, Singapore and Sri Lanka celebrates it by the name of Deepawali and beyond the Asian subcontinent. Deepawali is celebrated by lighting diyas (Earthen lamp) with diyas. When all the diyas enlighten on the earth, the stream of light shows that a new sun rises on the horizon. The enlightened diyas express the spirit of fighting with the darkness despite of ‘Amavasya’ the darkest night of the month. Deepawali shows the victory of ‘good’ over ‘evil’, ‘light’ over ‘darkness’ and ‘knowledge’ over ‘unawareness’.

The mighty hurricanes we suppress in our heart welled up during night as festival is also about meeting and enjoying with our loved ones. In this day all the rival melts in the heat of the light and the people celebrate it with their hearts forgetting all the austerity.

Story behind this festival

This festival is celebrated to commemorate the returning of Rama in Ayodhya (the kingdom of Lord Rama), after 14 years of exile; the people of Ayodhya welcomed him back by lighting up the diya.

According to some other views, it is celebrated as the day when Lord Krishna defeated the demon Narakasura and also as a victory celebration of Rama over Ravana. According to Jainism, on this day Lord Mahavira acquired ‘Nirvana’.

The Five days festival

Day 1: Dhanterus: The celebration begins from the day of Dhanteras, two days before Diwali that bring good fortune and prosperity. Dhanteras is regarded as the origin day of god Dhanvantari, who originate during the churning of the great ocean by the gods and the demons. Dhanterus means Dhan+terus, in which Dhan denotes money and terus is the thirteenth day of the month. It is also known as Dhanvantri Jayanti or Dhantrayodasi because of the origin day of god Dhanvantri, the god of health and ayurveda. On this day people buy utensils and jewellery for performing tradition, as it is believed a symbol of fortune.

Day 2: Naraka Chaturdashi: The second day of Diwali is known as Narak Chaturdashi, the fourteenth day of the month on which demon Narakasura was killed. It signifies the victory of good over evil and light over darkness. It is the prime day of the festival in south India. The people perform puja of Lord Sri Krishna or Lord Sri Vishnu. The people enlighten the ‘Diya’ (earthen lamp) before the main door of their homes on this day. This day is also known as Roop Chaturdashi.

Day 3: Lakshmi Puja: In the north India, the third day of this festival is the most important day on which the goddess of wealth, Lakshmi and God of fortunate, Ganesha been worshipped across devotees. People enlighten the earthen lamp across the streets and homes, and pray for their prosperity and well-beings. Children play fireworks and massive crackers are fired to express their joy on this day.

Day 4: Govardhan Puja : The day after the prime day of Diwali is known as Govardhan Puja or Annakut. On this day Lord Krishna defeated Indra by lifting Govardhan Mountain on his little finger. On the other hand, Annakut denotes a mountain of food that is decorated as a symbol of Govardhan Mountain. The people present gifts to their wives on this day.

Day 5: Bhaiduj (also Bhayyaduj, Bhaubeej or Bhayitika) : The last day is for an auspicious relationship of brothers and sisters, especially married brothers and sisters. Brothers and sisters express their love and affection for each other by tying a thread. This festival is very similar to the festival of Raksha Bandhan.

Scientific Significance: The festival of Deepawali always celebrated in October or November, when the rainy season completely finishes off. The rainy season becomes the cause of various insects and microorganism that are killed of earthen lighting, house cleaning and fireworks and provide us a healthy new winter season.

Importance of Deepawali for the small shopkeepers and businesspersons

According to Hindi Calendar (Vikrami Samvat), the day of Lakshmi pujan (Worship of goddess Lakshmi) is the last day of financial year. The businesspersons ended the account on this day and calculate the profit or loss. A new account begins from the next day for the next financial year.