In this country of festivals, the festival of lights has its place due to the plethora of emotions
it holds intact within itself. The festival of light or more commonly known as Diwali or Deepawali is a festival largely celebrated in the northern and eastern parts of India.
It is celebrated by the Hindu, Jain, Sikh and Buddhist community every autumn season and the importance of the festival holds equal value in all the communities which may well be divided by their cultural beliefs but are united by the idea of good over evil.
The name of the festival itself explains as the festival is a way of celebrating the battle victory of lord Rama and his return to the land of Ayodhya. The complete story takes place in the epic book of Ramayana which narrates the story of Lord Rama, a fierce warrior and a benevolent king who was sent to exile and had to overcome extreme hardships in his battle with fate before finally returning to his homeland.The Ramayana tells us a popular mythological tale in India which is the story of Lord Rama being sent into exile by his mother and what follows is a battle between two of the mightiest character ever for the sake of love and relations.
History
Raavan kidnapped goddess Sita, the wife of Lord Rama out of his willingness to own the most beautiful lady to have embraced the living world but he fails to break the resilience and love of the lady for her husband as she keeps waiting for fourteen years before she could reunite with Lord Rama. As Raavan the antagonist is a depiction of darkness, his defeat was celebrated by enlightening millions of lamps which are known as deep in Hindi and that is exactly from where our beautiful festival got its name.The lightening of deep gives people believe that their lives will always be full of light and away from darkness. The mythological tale holds great value amongst Indian priests and other people who worship Lord Rama. As Lord Rama is claimed to have been the ruler of Ayodhya, the place has a special value for the festival of light and its worth all your time to pay a visit to the holy city as it engrosses deeply into the lights of lamps and the colors of devotion.
The festival of lights is not limited to the lightning of lamps but also the burning of firecrackers, the firecrackers are burnt as a symbol of happiness and celebration. The complete festival is celebrated in five days with each day holding a different ritual to be performed and different devotional values. The beginning takes place with dhanteras followed by Choti Diwali then comes the day of Diwali followed by Govardhan Pooja and Bhai duj.
Celebration
These five days bring endless joy into the lives of every person where people selflessly pray for the well-being of each other. Visitors are found carrying sweets to their places and they make all efforts to make the beautiful atmosphere by wearing the most beautiful and subtle clothes.
It is a common belief amongst Hindu religion that during the festival of Diwali, goddess Laxmi, the goddess of money in the Hindu mythology pays a visit to their houses. People clean their houses to attract the goddess to their houses and make it look presentable and the decoration that follows is scenery which hangs up for five days every year at the same time.
Children, in particular, are fascinated by the show these crackers put forward despite its drawback which leads to environmental degradation.
In recent times when most of the festivals seem to have lost their essence due to the modernization which has dug up a deep hole into the cultural and ethical values of common people, Diwali stood the test of time and is still celebrated with the same pump and joy.
The burning of fireworks has faced a great backlash from the environmentalists and has been seen as an act of irrational nature which could cause to the already prevalent pollution degradations.
Even after the elimination of firecrackers from the festival of light, the very essence which it holds captive in its name is still relevant and is celebrated with the same love and enthusiasm every year. The significance of the festival may vary across India but the emotions attached are all equally pious and devotional.
Hopes for Harvest
Since the harvest is when they get cash, they have been offering donations and waiting for the coming healthy harvest on their Diwaly property to Lakshmi puja (Prayer Ritual).
"With our cattle, grain and money, we have a tiny puja," tells Kondar. He describes that family representatives keep a tray of gifts and rituals while the tray rotates around the property.
