Over the last few years, Indians have shown keen interest in Chinese fireworks. This year there was a new entry in the local markets… the Chinese paper lanterns. These lanterns were colourful and were easily available in local shops. However, they were slightly overpriced when compared to the more traditional earthen lamps. Shop owners who expected a bumper sale of the Chinese lanterns were deeply disappointed with the public response. Many of the lanterns never left the shops all through the festive season.

There was a steep decline in the sale of Chinese crackers and fireworks too. This was primarily due to the fact that they were priced higher when compared to the previous 2 years. Also, there were couple of good quality indigenous fireworks which were available at affordable prices. These were available in assorted gift packs which proved a big hit with local people.

This year might have been dull for the sale of Chinese paper lanterns in India, but their vibrant colors and oriental designs are sure to lure customers in the years to come.

New Year’s Day         – 1st January 2011

Pongal                       – 14th January 2011

India Republic Day    – 26th January 2011

Maha Sivaratri           - 14th February 2011

Milad-Un-Nabi           – 15th February 2011

Holi                            – 19th March 2011

Good Friday               – 22nd April 2011

Easter Monday          – 25th April 2011

Mahavir Jayanthi       – 16th April 2011

Buddha Purnima         – 17th May 2011

Independence Day      – 15th August 2011

Krishna Janmashtami – 22nd August 2011

Eid ul-Fitr                    – 30th August 2011

Ganesh Chaturthi       – 1st September 2011

Dussehra                    – 28th September 2011

Gandhi Jayanti            – 2nd October 2011

Deepavali / Diwali      – 26th October 2011

Bakrid                          – 6th November 2011

Guru Nanak Jayanti     – 10th November 2011

Muharram                    – 26th November 2011

Christmas Day              – 25th December 2011

End of 2011 holidays.

Deepavali, the festival of lights, is around us. The Sanskrit word ‘Deepavali’ means ‘a row of lamps’. A new life emerges with the flashing of silks, with decorated boxes of sweets and fruits and with the streaking of the sky with silver and golden fireworks. It is a rebirth into a sweet and sharing life. It is a time of getting together with family and friends.  

Festival of lights

The Hindu people all over the world celebrate Deepavali, the festival of lights. It commemorates victory of virtue over vice. It is an auspicious occasion to begin things afresh, removing all the defects that lead to loss and failures. Actually the inner meaning of this festival is, “the awareness of the inner light”. It is only when the inner light is awakened and humanity is enlightened with love and compassion, the darkness of ignorance can be dispelled.   

Festival of casting away darkness

Deepavali celebrates the victory of goodness over evil, light over darkness, and ushers into the new lunar year of the Hindu calendar. For this event people prepare their houses by cleaning symbolically getting themselves ready for a new start.  They wear new clothes. They sing, “Om asato ma sadgamaya, Tamaso ma jyotir gamaya, Mrityor ma amritam gamaya” which means, “Lead us from falsehood to truth; from Darkness to light; from Death to immortality and from Lethargy to Activity.”

Festival of a new beginning

With Deepavali, life takes on a delicious newness. As the sun turns honey-gold, there is the shivering anticipation on the edges of every starlit evening of winter waiting to return. It is a new beginning of a challenging new year that ushers with the new moon of Deepavali. People welcome Lakshmi, the Goddess of wealth, luck, light, prosperity and wisdom. They also pray to Lord Ganesha, the “Remover of Obstacles” or the “Lord of Beginnings”.

Festival of senses

Deepavali feasts all the human senses. It is all fun, light and sound immersing us in joy of sharing. It is a delight to all the five senses and also a challenging call to the sixth sense. The skies turn into a beautiful canopy with the colorful fireworks. The lamps in row (Deepavali) remind us to dispel every darkness from our selfish hearts. It is an occasion of hearty songs and sweet melodies. The firecrackers rise to the sky with their bursting noise reminding the world that every evil should be annihilated. The fragrance of festival dishes fills the air and our nose. It is delight to the palate and taste buds with delicious sweets and snacks. It is a call to the whole humanity for a universal brotherhood of shared life.

Festival of unity

Parties, gifts, social gatherings with family and friends are the hallmarks of this festival. On Deepavali day, people exchange gifts, share firecrackers and fireworks, sit together and enjoy festive meals.

A Green Deepavali to add joy

New awareness is being created to make this festival greener and more joyful. Though the fireworks during this festival are fascinating and charming to eyes and ears, time has come for us to think of a green Deepavali. We have to think of the pollution it could create in the atmosphere. As cities are denser and people live in packed areas, fireworks may lead to accidents and health hazards. Hence it has become a necessity of the time to think of a green Deepavali which can make it more meaningful and more eco-friendly. 

Having arrived from India, the Indians of Singapore are a diverse group: coming from various places such as India, Pakistani, Sri Lanka, and even some parts of Africa. (Culture Shock! 193) The majority of Indians are Hindus, while the rest are Christians, Muslims and Buddhists.

Hindus celebrate Deepavali (also know as “Dewali” or festival of lights) as a sign of remembrance of the battle of light over darkness. During this time of celebration, most Hindus will decorate their houses with colored lights and also flower garlands. They wake up early in the morning and offer their prayers at the temples. Children pay ritual homage to their parents, and people pay visits to friends and family reaffirming their ties of solidarity. The festivities also include having ‘open house’ for friends and relatives alike.

Thaipusam is another celebration altogether. On this day, Hindus whose prayers have been answered by their gods have to fulfill their promise of penance. Devotees let their bodies be pierced and carry a ‘kavadi’, a metal contraption to evoke pain.

In addition, as the cow is revered in Hinduism, most Indians do not eat beef, and the rest are strict vegetarians due to their Buddhist beliefs. Similar to the Chinese, sombre colors such as white, black, grayish or pale colors are appropriate for funerals. Bright and cheerful colors are best avoided during this period of mournings.

Bibliography:

• Toynbee, Arnold J. A Study of History. New York, N.Y.: Oxford University Press, 1934.
• Craig, JoAnn Meriwether.Culture Shock! : A Guide to Customs and Etiquette. Singapore: Times Books International, 1997
• Stratton, Jerry. Forces of Acculturation.09 Apr. 1995. Culture Shock! . 09 Jul. 2002 Kwang, Mary. Chinese Culture ‘can play a role in Singapore’. 04 Nov.1999. The Straits Times.11 Jul.2002
• Tan, Tony Keng Yam. Racial Harmony Message 2002. 19 Jul.2002.Singapore.10 Jul. 2002
• Mattics, Sarah.6 Apr.2002.The University of South Alabama .10 Jul.2002
• Ow, Chin Hock. Friends of Singapore.1 Oct. 2000. Kowloon Club.10 Jul. 2002
• Singapore, Expat. 8 Jul.2002.Society and Culture.10 Jul.2002. Expat Singapore. 10 Jul.2002

Diwali or the festival of lights, generally falls in the month of Ashwin according to the Hindu calendar, in other words in the month of October/November as per Gregorian calendar. The festivities of Deepavali last for five consecutive days i.e. two days before the Diwali festival that is known as Dhanteras & Narak Chaturdashi and Govardhan Puja & Bhai Duj respectively. Read on to know more about the different aspects of Diwali celebrations in India.

The First Day: Dhanteras

The celebrations of Diwali festival start with Dhanteras. Dhanteras is also called Dhantrayodashi and falls on the 13th lunar day of Krishna Paksh, in the month of Kartik. As per the mythological legend, during the churning of the milk-ocean (Kshir Sagar) by gods and demons, God Dhanvantari appeared out on this day. Therefore the Dhanteras festival is regarded as an auspicious occasion for the purchase of utensils, gold and silver. On this day Hindu devotees light up a diya or lamp near a sacred tree in the home’s courtyard. Along with the lamp sweet offering are also made to Yamaraj-the Lord of Death.

The Second Day: Chhoti Diwali or Narak Chaturdashi

The next day after Dhanteras, Narak Chaturdashi or Chhoti Diwali is celebrated. This occasion falls on the 14th day and marks the victory of good over evil as according the legend, on this day Lord Krishna killed the demon Narakasura for the well-being of mankind. On this day Hindus get up early in the morning and after massaging their body with fragrant oil take bath. Small earthen lamps and colorful rangolis are made the mark the celebrations. In the evening special prayers and sweets offerings are made to Goddess Laxmi and to the ancestors.

The Third Day: Laxmi Puja on Diwali

The third day of Diwali festival is the most important day that is observed with the Laxmi Puja ceremony in the evening. Hindus offer special prayers, chants hymns and mantras with sweets offerings to the Goddess Laxmi (goddess of wealth) and Lord Ganesha (god of auspicious beginnings). Clay diyas, candles, lamps and fire work are lit to mark the jubilations and seek blessings of well being and good fortune.

The Fourth Day: Govardhan Puja

The fourth day of Diwali festivities is called Govardhan Puja or Annakut and it is celebrated to mark the victory of Lord Krishna over Lord Indra. As per the legend it is believed that Lord Krishna convinced the people to not to worship Lord Indra and to concentrate only on their sole Karma i.e. farming and cattle protection. Lord Krishna taught them to worship nature and stop worshiping Indra. With this Lord Indra got angered and flooded the whole village and protect the villagers and their cattles, Lord Krishna lifted mount Govardhan. Thus people on this day light up lamps and fire crackers to mark the jubilation. The same occasion is celebrated as Padva or BaliPratipada in the Indian state of Maharasthra. In Gujarat Govardhan Puja as the beginning of the New Year.

The Fifth Day: Bhai Duj

After Govardhan Puja and two days of Diwali comes Bhai Duj that is known as Bhai Bij in Gujarat and Bhai Phota in Bengal. On this special day brothers and sisters meet each other for the expression of affection and care. On this occasion the sister applies tilak with vermilion or sandal on her brother’s forehead and performs an aarti of him, wishing him a long and successful life. In return, the brother blesses his sister and offers her sweets and gifts. With Bhai Duj celebrations the five days long Diwali festivities come to an end.

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But there is one festival, which is celebrated by almost all states of India. That is Deepavali, also pronounced as Diwali in some parts, which is the Festival of Lights. The word Deepavali is derived from two words ‘Deepam’ which means Lamp and “Oli” which means light. On the day of deepavali, people lit lamps all over their home and also burn / burst crackers.

The celebration of diwali has lot of stories associated with it, which differs from place to place. It is celebrated for four days.

The first day is called as Aswayuja Bahula Chaturdasi, also called as Naraka Chaturdasi. “Naraka” was a demon king, who was the son of Bhumadevi (or Bhudevi) otherwise known as Mother Earth. He did a severe penance (thapas or prayers) towards Lord Brahma and got his wish fulfilled, that he should be killed only by his mother. He was sure that no mother will kill her own son. So, he cruelly tortured all living beings, with his immense power. The unbearable saints pleaded Lord Vishnu to save them from the tyranny of the demon. Lord blessed them that he will kill Naraka during his avatar as Lord Krishna.

During the Krishna avatar, Bhudevi was in the avatar of Satyabhama, wife of Lord Krishna. Lord Krishna went for a war with Naraka, having his wife Satyabhama as his Charioteer. During the war, Lord Krishna acted as if he got hurt by the arrows of Naraka and acted as fainted. By seeing this, Satyabhama, who was not aware of her Purvajenma (the previous birth), got angry. She took her bow and aimed arrows at Naraka. Being the mother of Naraka, she was able to kill him. The demon king’s live got ended in the hands of his own mother.

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Before dying, Naraka was blessed by Lord Krishna, which gave him Gyaana, the power of good knowledge. He prayed Krishna and asked for a wish that people should celebrate his death as a festival and should not forget him. Lord Krishna blessed him. This is how the festival diwali origined. It is also said as a festival to remove bad (darkness) from your heart, by lighting lamps of knowledge. Hence as a symbolic representation, everyone lights lamp in their home. Also it also teaches the moral, that a parent should punish their children, if they go on wrong path.

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The second day is Amavasya, the no moon day. This day, people perform Lakshmi pooja and offer prayers towards Goddess Lakshmi, who is the Goddess of wealth. It is believed that Goddess Lakshmi would be in her benevolent mood on this day and she fulfill the wishes of her devotees. Also, some people believes that it is the day on which Goddess Lakshmi emerged from Kshira Sagara (Ocean of Milk), when the Gods and demons were churning the ocean for nectar (Amrit), which will make them to live forever.

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The third day is “Kartika Shudda Padyami.” The second day celebration is also associated with one more story saying as the day on which Lord Vishnu taught a lesson to a demon king called Bali, but later blessed him because of his good qualities. On this day (Kartika Shudda Padyami), it is believed that Bali would come out of Pathala Loka (underworld) and rule Bhuloka (Earth) as per the boon given by Lord Vishnu. Hence, it is also known as “Bali Padyami”.

The fourth day is referred to as “Yama Dvitiya.” On this day, sisters invite their brothers to their homes and serve them with special dishes and do poojas for their welfare.

In northern parts of India, Diwali is celebrated as the festival to mark return of Lord Ram along with his wife Sita and brother Lakshman from his 14 years of exile after killing the demon king Ravana. To commemorate his return to Ayodhya, his people illuminated the entire kingdom with beautiful lamps and burst crackers.

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For the Gujaratis, Marwaris and other business community people, Diwali marks the day for worshipping Goddess Lakshmi and also the beginning of the new financial year. For Bengalis, Diwali is the time to worship Goddess Kali or Durga, who killed the demon Mahishasura, which gave Goddess Durga another name as “Mahishasuramardini”.

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Whatever the stories associated, Diwalis is a reason for family get together in most of the families. It is a reason for kids to enjoy wearing new dresses and bursting crackers. It is a reason for elders to enjoy new dishes and sweets, blessing their younger generation. Diwali is a festival of JOY. This time, it falls on October 17, 2009.

Happy Diwali to one and all. Read here for best Diwali Gifts to Share.