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II Diwali /
Deepavali : The Festival of Lights II
Diwali
or Deepavali, the festival of "rows of lights"
(Deep = Lamp, Vali =Array), is one of the
most important of all Hindu festivals. It is also a significant
festival for the Sikh and Jain faiths.
Of all the festivals celebrated in India,
Diwali is by far the most glamorous and important.
Enthusiastically enjoyed by people of every religion.
Diwali is celebrated 20 days after Dussehra, on the 13th day of the dark fortnight of the month of
Ashwin (October / November). Diwali is
a New Year festival in the Vikrama calendar,
where it falls on the night of the new moon in the month of
Kartika.
It is a festival of
lights celebrating the victory of good over evil, light over
darkness, and knowledge over ignorance. On this day
homes are
decorated, sweets are distributed by everyone and thousands of
lamps lit to create a world of fantasy.
The festival symbolizes unity in
diversity as every state celebrates it in its
own special way.
Five Days
Celebration Of Diwali
Diwali is very
enthusiastically celebrated for five continuous days and each day
has its significance with a number of myths, legends and beliefs.
The First Day :
Dhanteras
The first day of
Diwali is called Dhanvantari Triodasi or Dhanwantari Triodasi also
called Dhan Theras. It is the festival that marks the beginning of
the diwali celebrations and therefore it is considered the first
day of five days long festivities of diwali. Dhanteras is
celebrated to seek blessings of Goddess Laxmi, the goddess of
wealth. In the amalgamation of Dhan teras 'Dhan' means wealth. God
Yama is also worshiped on this day to provide prosperity and well
being.
Click here to learn More about Dhanteras
and stories related to this festival.
The Second Day :
Narak Chaudas or Chhoti Diwali
The Second Day is
called Narak-Chaturdashi or more popularly as Chotti
Diwali
which falls on the 14th
day of the month of Kartik.
This festival is observed to
commemorate the victory of Lord Krishna over the demon king,
Narkasur. This
day is also celebrated as the birthday of Hanumanji
or Hanuman jayanti. Also, on this day Hanumanji
reached Ayodhya to deliver the long-awaited message of Lord Rama’s
return. Just like diwali people
light diyas on chhoti diwali to fill their homes with light,
worship Goddess Laxmi and offer prayers to Her and they also burst
firecrackers but all these things are not as grand as they are on
the day of main diwali .
Click here to learn more about Narak
Chaudas or chotti Diwali and the stories related to this festival.
The Third Day :
Diwali or Deepavali
The Third Day of this festival
of Diwali is the most important day
of Lakshmi Puja which is entirely devoted to the propotiation of
Goddess Lakshmi.On
this dark new moon night, the entrances to all homes are lit up
and decorated with rangoli patterns to welcome Lakshmi, the
radiant consort of Vishnu and the goddess of wealth and lustre.
Diwali is the last
day of financial year in traditional Hindu business and
businessmen perform Chopda Pujan on this day on the new books of
accounts. Diwali is the festival when the new business year begins
it is said that Diwali is the "Time to shop or start new
ventures".
The Fourth Day :
Padwa or Varshapratipada
The fourth day of
diwali celebrations is 'Padwa' or 'Varshapratipada'.
In the North India
Govardhan Puja is performed with
great zeal and enthusiasm.
On this day, Goverdhan
Pooja is performed. This day is also observed as Annakoot and
prayers are offered in the temples. The day after the Lakshmi Puja,
most families celebrate the new year by dressing in new clothes,
wearing jewellery and visiting family members and business
colleagues to give them sweets, dry fruits and gifts.
Click here for
Goverdhan Puja and Annakoot katha.
The Fourth Day :
Bhai Dooj
Bhaiya Duj or
Bhai Dooj is the festival that is celebrated on the fifth
day of diwali and it falls on second day after diwali that is on 'Shukla
Paksha Dwitiya' in the Hindi month of 'Kartik'.Bhai Dooj is
observed as a symbol of love and affection between brothers and
sisters. Bhai Dooj is the festival that marks the end of diwali
celebrations.
Click here to know more
about Bhai dooj and story (katha in hindi) associated with this
festival.
More about Diwali :
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