Diwali is celebrated in all parts of India with grand celebrations:
It is official holiday in many countries beside India
the festival of lights, fireworks, gifts and sweets is the much awaited celebration in Gujarat. Associated chiefly with Lakshmi - the goddess of wealth.
Though the actual Diwali festival in this state consists of a five day long celebration, yet the festive fervor begins weeks before Diwali, as people embark on a shopping spree for the Diwali days. Gujaratis buy home furnishings and other decorative to adorn their houses on the occasion.
The first day of Diwali in Gujarat begins with Dhanteras like in the rest of India. On this day, people of Gujarat buy and present Dhanteras gifts like silver and gold jewelry to usher in wealth and good fortune throughout the year. In evening female members of the respective Gujarati households create designs - usually depicting nature or the gods - from natural powder colors on the entrances. These are called 'rangoli' and are supposed to welcome Goddess Lakshmi to the house. Small footprints are also drawn with rice flour and vermilion powder all over the house for the goddess.
The second day is Kali Choudas, which celebrates the Kali - the "goddess of power". It is believed that on this day, the deity killed the wicked demon Raktavija. It represents the triumph of good over evil. Some people also offer puja to Hanuman, the monkey god to protect themselves from all the dark forces in the world. People in Gujarat celebrate the occasion by offering puja to the Hanuman with sesame seeds, ladoos and rice with ghee and sugar.
In most of the Gujarati households, the female members wash their hair and apply kohl or kajal in the eyes to avoid kali nazar or evil eye. People offer food (locally called Nived) and water to the goddess Kali at the crossroads in the vicinity of their homes. They believe that this can cast off evil spirits throughout the year. Some families also offer food to their forefathers on this day.
The third day is Chopda Pujan, which is very significant to the business community, as this is time when ledgers and new account books are opened following a special prayer to Lord Ganesha and Goddess Lakshmi.
The fourth day of Diwali is the most important day, and is called "Bestavarsh". This day is considered the Gujarati's New Year. This day is marked by joyous celebrations in each individual household. Gujaratis wear new clothes, jewellery and visit near and dear ones and greet each other. Sweets, dry fruits and diwali gifts are exchanged to herald the onset of a new year -People visit temples to seek the blessings of their favorite gods and goddesses for a prosperous year ahead.
On the concluding day of Diwali in Gujarat is Bhaibeej celebrating the sacred bond between brother and sister. On this day, sisters specially married sisters visit their parents' home and perform aarti (traditional ritual) and put tilak (kind of bindi) on her brother and prays for his long life. Those who do not have a brother perform a sort of puja to the Moon-God. Brothers in return present their sisters with varied kinds of gifts.
Diwali In Maharashtra
Diwali means three things
gold,
firecrackers
Diwali anks which are:
' Marathi magazines that are published after Dussehra and are sold till Diwali, and have been a part of Maharashtrian culture for over 100 years. The first Diwali ank, Manoranjan, was published in 1901, and was filled with poems and essays around the festival of lights
Deepavali in South India
In the South, Diwali festival often commemorates the conquering of the Asura Naraka, a powerful king of Assam, who imprisoned tens of thousands of inhabitants. It was Krishna who finally subdued Naraka and freed the prisoners. Diwali Festival in the south is celebrated in the Tamil month of aipasi (thula month) 'naraka chaturdasi' thithi, preceding amavasai. The preparations begin the day before, when the oven is cleaned, smeared with lime, four or five kumkum dots are applied, and then it is filled with water for the next day's oil bath. The house is washed and decorated with kolam (rangoli) patterns with kavi (red oxide). In the pooja room, betel leaves, betel nuts, plaintain fruits, flowers, sandal paste, kumkum, gingelly oil, turmeric powder, scented powder are kept. Crackers and new dresses are placed in a plate after smearing a little kumkum or sandal paste.
Celebrations
In The Morning: Deepavali celebrations begins early in the morning. The eldest family member applies sesame oil on the heads of all the family members. Then, it's off for a bath, beginning with the youngest in the family. They emerge with new clothes and a look of anticipation at the thought of bursting crackers, which symbolizes the killing of the demon king Narakasur.
Lehiyan: But before that comes Lehiyan, the bitter concoction, to cleanse the system of its festive over-eating! Then to the crackers.
Murukku: A puja is performed for the family deities in the morning. Breakfast consists of murukku , a sweet dish and, of course, idli or dosa .
Wish fulfilment: Some communities believe that when Narakasur was to be killed, Lord Krishna asked him his last wish. Narakasura replied that he wanted to enjoy the last day of his life in a grand manner and Diwali was celebrated. That was the beginning and the practice continued.
In The Evening: In the evening, lamps are lighted and crackers are burst. As most of the cracker manufacturing units are in Tamil Nadu, there is no dearth of fireworks here.
During Thalai Deepavali, the newly weds go to the bride's parental home for revelry. Taking blessings from the elders, they burst the first crackers of the day. Usually a vast range of crackers is bought, with costs running into thousands of rupees. The Diwali Celebrations include a visit to the temple, gifts of clothes and jewelry, gorging on sweets and receiving blessings of elders. The groom's parents, brothers and sisters come down to join in the celebrations.
Karnataka
The festival of lamps, Diwali, is an ancient tradition that is celebrated through Karnataka in one manner. The festival has been celebrated for ages and grows in fascination by each year. Everyone enjoys the goodies, the glitter and glamor, and the endless zest for living that suddenly grips people around this time. The victory of light over darkness is celebrated joyously all over the region. It is also considered to be a festival of wealth and prosperity.
The legend followed in Karnataka is that of an emperor named Bali who had become all-powerful and a threat to the peace of the universe. God Vishnu is said to have come to earth in the form of a short Brahmin (The Vamana Avatar), and presenting himself before the mighty Bali asked for "as much land as three of my footsteps would cover." As no king should refuse a Brahmin's appeal for charity, Bali readily granted what seemed to him a trifling request. Whereupon the diminutive Brahmin resumed his all-pervasive, omnipresent form and covers the heavens with one foot and the world below with another. He asked where he should place his foot for the third step. Bali bowed before him and offered his own head for him to place his foot on. This victory is observed on the day of the new moon (Amavasya) when the month of Ashwin (October-November) makes way for the month of Kartik.
The celebration of Diwali is marked by the lighting of innumerable lamps in every courtyard and the bursting of crackers. Sweetmeals, new clothes and spirit is there as in other festivals. The time for rejoicing is mainly early morning and late night. These hours of darkness bordering the waking hours are preferred as lights and crackers are the highlights of the festivities and these need darkness to have their illuminating effect. Hence people rise early and go late to sleep.
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pardesh is one of the oldest state of India and was created by combining the old princely state of Hyderabad with the Telgu-speaking portions of the former state of Madras. Andhra Pradesh has traditional way of celebrating Diwali that is organized and celebrated throughout the state. The festival of light is celebrated in Andhra Pradesh together with other places of the country. It is a festival that revolves around Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth. During the festival the whole country explodes into color and noise.
Whereas in the North, Diwali is celebrated in the evening with crackers and diyas, in Andhra Pradesh, the festival starts early in the morning. People of Andhra Pradesh celebrate the Diwali festival by visiting temples and offering poojas. Night skies are filled with fire scintillations and homes are decorated with lamps and joy filled the faces of people as they enjoy fireworks. In Hydrabad, there is a tradition of giving bath to the buffaloes, on the day of Diwali. There is also a custom of decorating paper figures.
Festivities cut across boundaries to move on from small villages to the big towns, for almost a month before Deepawali. Sales of expensive silk saris, jewelery and ornaments, household goods go up. From the poor to the rich, everyone indulges in shopping for the biggest shopping spree of the year. Sweets, which are an integral part of any festival in Andhra Pradesh, are prepared in homes as well as bought from shops for exchange. This festival is full of messages depicting one or more aspects of human life, relationships or ancient traditions.
Tamil Nadu
Diwali in the Tamil Nadu is celebrated in the month of aipasi (thula month) 'naraka chaturdasi' thithi, preceding amavasai. The preparations for the Diwali Festival begin the day before, when the oven is cleaned, smeared with lime, four or five kumkum dots are applied, and then it is filled with water for the next day's oil bath. The house is washed and decorated with kolam (rangoli) patterns with kavi (red oxide). For Diwali Festival, in the traditional pooja room, betel leaves, betel nuts, plaintain fruits, flowers, sandal paste, kumkum, gingelly oil, turmeric powder, scented powder is kept. Crackers and new dresses are placed in a plate after smearing a little kumkum or sandal paste.
The Diwali day begins with everyone in the family taking an oil bath before sunrise, a custom arising from a belief that having an oil bath in the morning on the day of diwali is equivalent to taking bath in the Ganges. Before the bath, elders in the house apply gingelly oil on the heads of the younger members. For those hailing from Tanjore, the custom is to first take a small quantity of deepavali lehiyam (medicinal, ayurvedic paste) after the oil bath and then have breakfast. Often sweets are eaten after wearing new clothes. In almost all houses, items like ukkarai, velli appam, idly, chutney, sambhar, omapudi, boondhi are prepared. For lunch, jangri, pathir peni, or one variety of the poli are made.
Crackers are usually burst only after the bath. Meanwhile, kuthu vilaku (oil lamp) is lit in the pooja room. Mats or wooden planks are placed facing east. After naivedhya (offering to the Gods) of the items, a plaintain fruit is given to each member of the family followed by betel leaves and betel nuts. Those who have to perform 'pithru tharpanam' will have a second bath perform the tharpanam and don't eat rice at night.
Kerela
Kerala is the only state in India where Diwali is not a major festival. Traditionally, Deepavali celebrations in Kerala are on a low key as there aren't too many merchant/business families here. The native people of Kerala do not celebrate Diwali. But places in Kerala where prominent Tamil, Bengali and various North Indian communities resides, Diwali Festival is celebrated with great zest. People of these communities arrange grand feasts and gaily-dressed men, women and children go to temples and fairs, visit friends and relatives.
Information collection from:
Dipawali In Punjab
Diwali is also the anniversary of Guru Hargobind ji being released from the prison at Gwalior Fort. In was on this day in 1619 A D. Diwali of Amritsar was out-of-the-world. Today, the entire Golden Temple is illuminated with traditional lamps of different colors during Diwali. The reflection of the temple in the shimmering water of the holy pool binds the eye, to the many-a-splendored pageant. Fire works display by the traditional professionals recreates the glory of the times gone past.
Diwali in Bengal is celebrated as Kali puja
Kali Pooja in Bengal
Kali Pooja is celebrated on the Amavasya or the no moon night in the Hindu month of Kartik (October/November). This date of Kali Pooja coincides with Diwali, the North Indian New Year or the Festivals of Lights.
Diwali in North India
On Diwali day, shops remain open till the afternoon, believing that good sales on Diwali day predict a prosperous year ahead. In the corporate sector, the process of buying and distributing Diwali gifts begins several days before the big day, and slowly picks up pace. Sweets and dry fruits are the most common gifts, as are silver coins. But gifts also range from silver dishes and other household gifts to suit-pieces.
In north India, around every street corner can be found the temporary stages for holding the Ramlila - a dramatic rendition of the story of the Ramayan, which continues for several evenings, culminating in the defeat of Evil (Ravana) by Good (Ram). In Himachal, as in parts of Punjab, Haryana and Delhi, gambling with cards picks up and reaches peak on the night of Diwali. Although traditionally Diwali is not celebrated by the Sikhs, they do participate in the festival to the extent of making a trip to the Gurudwara, and then lighting candles in the evening and letting off fire crackers as well.
Puja
Houses are decorated and a Lakshmi puja is organized. Often the women of the house do "aarti" to their husbands, garlanding him and putting a "tika" on him, while praying for his long life. In some houses, there is a ritual of immersing a silver coin in a tumbler of milk. The milk is then sprinkled lightly in the rooms of the house. Prashad is kept in front of the idol throughout the night.
Diya Patterns
In Himachal, every indoor corner of the house is lit up carefully, and a large diya, bigger than usual, is kept in the temple or puja place and is guarded all night through. In Bihar and UP, it is not always one large diya, but four smaller ones, intricately shaped, which surround the puja place and the women of the house sit guard all night to ensure they do not go out. Even the diyas placed outside, around the house are jealously guarded and re-lit at once, if the wind puts them out.
Information from :
https://www.diwalifestival.org/
Apart from this Dipawali is official holiday in Nepal; sri Lanka ,Maynmar,Mauritius ,guyana,Trinidad and Tobago, suriname,Maylasia,Singapore and Fiji
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Edited by sami01 - 14 years ago
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