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Diwali, the festival of lights, is a non secular observance commemorated by Hindus, Sikhs, Jains and some Buddhists around the world.
Every autumn, the observance sees thousands and thousands of individuals attend firework shows, prayer providers and festive occasions in celebration of the event.
While Diwali holds significance for a wide range of causes, one in every of the core themes of the festival, as symbolised by the prevalence lights, is the triumph of fine over evil.
Here is all the pieces it’s essential to learn about Diwali:
What is Diwali?
Diwali, often known as Deepavali or Dipavali, comes from the Sanksrit phrase dipavali that means “row or series of lights”.
Rajnish Kashyap, common secretary and director of Hindu Council UK, explains that the festival, which is one in every of the most vital for these of the Hindu religion, can hint its origins again to historic instances “when the end of the summer harvest season was celebrated with much pomp and splendour”.
“It signifies the triumph of light over darkness and good over evil and sees millions of lamps lit at homes, temples, shops and public buildings across the world,” Mr Kashyap tells The Independent.
Another essential theme of Diwali is the recollection of a narrative referred to as Ramayan, which particulars how the Hindu god Rama returned to his kingdom along with his spouse, Sita, and his brother, Lakshman, after a number of years of exile.
“To illuminate the path through which they return and in order to guide them home, diyas (clay lamps) are lit everywhere and the world is bathed in golden hues of light,” Mr Kashyap explains.
Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of wealth, fortune and prosperity, is additionally celebrated in Hindu households throughout the festival.
Diwali coincides with the Sikh celebration of Bandi Chhor Divas, a non secular vacation that commemorates the launch of Sikh Guru Hargobind Ji from the Gwalior Fort in India in the seventeenth century.
“The Guru, who was imprisoned by the Mughal Emperor Jahangir, was standing against the emperor’s regime’s oppression of the Indian people,” says Gurmel Singh, CEO of Sikh Community and Youth Services and secretary common of the Sikh Council UK.
“Loosely translated, Bandi Chhor means ‘release of incarcerated people’. So to Sikhs, the festival represents freedom.”
Eleanor Nesbitt, professor emeritus at the Warwick Religions and Education Research Unit at the University of Warwick, provides that Buddhists and Jains “have other historical reasons” for celebrating Diwali.
When is the festival?
This yr, the festival of lights might be celebrated on 31 October.
The festival sometimes lasts for 4 to 5 days and coincides with the new moon on the Hindu lunisolar calendar, referred to as amavasya.
The new moon is the first lunar part, which is when the moon and the solar have the similar ecliptic longitude.
Amavasya is generally known as the “darkest night” amongst Hindus, and is considered a robust drive for each good and evil.
Diwali is preceded by Navaratri, one other Hindu festival that is noticed each autumn over the course of 9 nights. This yr, Navaratri ran from 3 October to 12 October.
Navaratri additionally symbolises the triumph of fine over evil and commemorates the Hindu deity Durga, the goddess of struggle.
How is it celebrated?
As Diwali is a celebration of sunshine triumphing over darkness, those that observe the festival sometimes beautify their properties with a plethora of lights.
People can even routinely clear their properties in preparation for Diwali, Mr Kashyap explains.
“In India every year, houses are cleaned, often renovated, and always illuminated with sparkling fairy lights and oil lamps,” he provides.
Mr Kashyap says many doorways and foyers are adorned with rangolis, lovely, intricate patterns on the ground which are created utilizing supplies together with rice, colored sand and flower petals.
Gifts and sweets are additionally exchanged throughout Diwali, as are needs for a “Happy Diwali”.
Mr Kashyap emphasises that whereas Diwali is “probably best experienced in India”, it is a world celebration.
During Diwali, a wide range of conventional candy and savoury dishes are consumed.
One of the candy dishes is referred to as Lapsi Halwa, and is created from large-grain cracked wheat, cooked with ghee and sweetened with sugar and cardamom powder.
Read extra about the symbolic meals eaten throughout Diwali right here.
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