As we all know, Diwali is the celebration of the triumphant victory Lord Rama over Ravan on a dark moonless night. Diwali is the celebratory affair of welcoming Rama back to Ayodhya and thus ending his 14 years of exile. Diwali is celebrated at many places across the globe. There’s no doubt it that Indians celebrate this festival with great pomp and splendor. India is known for its diversity. We celebrate Diwali in diverse ways as well. Let’s take a look at the ways we celebrate Diwali:
Diwali is the one of the biggest festivals in India. People throughout the country love making Diwali an exuberant and the humongous affair. It is the festival of lights, happiness and prosperity. Indian diversity has varied ways of celebrating Diwali. Let’s take a look at the ways we celebrate Diwali:
North Indians are famous to celebrate Diwali with the grandeur of “Ram Lila”. Ram Lila is a dramatic representation of the Ramayan. The final arrival of Lord Rama brings people together and the event usually becomes a very emotional one, especially for elders. Ram Lilas are held in various localities and people keenly watch the interpretation with their neighbors and loved ones. In Varanasi, Diwali is a mammoth affair. The “Ganga Aarti” makes the evening special. It is beautiful to see thousands of people making the diyas float in Ganga after the Aarti. Thus, Ganga becomes a very vital part of Diwali in the North.
The South Indians celebrate Deepavali. The stories of South India and North India are a little different. In South, people celebrate Deepavali to celebrate the victory of Lord Krishna over Naraksura. People in south apply Sesame oil and kumkum paste as a symbol of celebration of the festival. In Tamil Nadu, people wear new clothes and have a tonic called “Deepavali Legiyam”. Gifts are very important in South and shopkeepers welcome customers as gods.
In the East, people from West Bengal celebrate Diwali as the victory of Goddess Parvati who killed Bakrasura by taking the form of Goddess Kali and thus, saved the whole world. Bengalis perform the Kali Puja at a very big scale during this time. In the east, people make rangolis with rice paste and not colors. People in Orissa, burn the stems of Jute plants to get rid of the darkness and to welcome light or happiness in life.
It is said that Lord Rama stayed in Panchvati for a long time during his exile. This place now lies somewhere near Nasik. Thus, Marathi’s celebrate Diwali with great vigor. The land of businessmen i.e. Gujarat celebrates Diwali with Lakshmi pujan in order to welcome the goddess Lakshmi. Gujarati’s put Ghee in their diyas and then apply the kajal made from these diyas. Gujarati’s also celebrate their New Year during the time of Diwali. Rajasthani’s love making sweets of different types in Diwali. They make sweets like besan barfi, mawa Kachori, shankarpara and Jalebi! Entire Rajasthan is lit, especially the havelis and forts. It is a visual treat!
North, South, East or West, Indians celebrate Diwali as the triumph of good or the bad, light over darkness, faith over mistrust. I hope you have a great Diwali this year.
Happy Diwali, Happy Travelling!
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