Diwali 2023: Deepavali History, Meaning and History of the Festival of Lights

DIWALI 2023: Deepawali, also known as Diwali, is one of the important festivals of Indian culture. This celebration commemorates the victory of good over evil and light over darkness. Diwali is celebrated not only in India but also throughout South Asia and other parts of the world for various reasons. Diwali is celebrated on the darkest night of the lunar month of Kartika, which usually occurs in October or November.

This year Diwali will be celebrated on November 12. Diwali preparations begin months in advance and on the day of the festival Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Ganesha are honoured. During Diwali puja, cleanliness is very important, which encourages people to start cleaning their houses with several days of preparation. Devotees light candles in their homes and enjoy exquisite food after the puja.

Deepawali, which coincides with the Hindu New Year, celebrates new beginnings and symbolizes the triumph of light over darkness. The festival of lights is observed by decorating homes with candles and lamps, performing religious ceremonies, sharing gifts and wishes, as well as bursting firecrackers.

Diwali: History and origin

The origin of Diwali dates back to ancient India. This is most likely a light celebration that originated as an important harvest festival about 2,500 years ago. However, different stories surround the origin of Diwali. Many of these tales include the triumph of virtue over evil.

Ramayana story

The best-known narrative of Diwali is about the return of Lord Rama to Ayodhya after 14 years of exile and the defeat of the demon king Ravana. During this exile, Sita was kidnapped by the evil King Ravana of Lanka. Lord Rama finally defeated the king of Lanka and saved Sita after many obstacles. In joyful celebration of this triumph and the homecoming of King Rama, the people of Ayodhya rejoiced by illuminating the kingdom with earthen diyas, distributing sweets and blowing firecrackers, a practice still followed by people commemorating the festival.

The story of the goddess Kali

In some regions of India, particularly West Bengal, Diwali is dedicated to the worship of Maa Kali and is celebrated with great zeal. It is claimed that Goddess Kali was born to save the world from demons. After destroying the demons, Goddess Kali lost control of her anger and began massacring everyone who crossed her path. Lord Shiva had to intervene to stop her killing frenzy. This is the exact moment when he steps on Lord Shiva with his scarlet tongue sticking out of him, and finally stops his aggressive activities with terror and sadness.

Tale of the goddess Lakshmi

On Diwali, people worship goddess Lakshmi, revered as a goddess of prosperity and wealth. The birthday of this deity is celebrated on the New Moon Day of the Karthik month. Lord Vishnu was so enthralled with Lakshmi's peaceful nature that he decided to marry her, so diyas were lit in a row to commemorate the event. Since then, Deepawali has been observed to honour goddess Lakshmi and seek favours from her.

Diwali and its meaning

Every Diwali celebration ritual has a meaning and story behind it. The festival represents the spiritual triumph of light over darkness, good over evil and wisdom over ignorance. The lights of Diwali represent a time to remove all our ambitions and negative ideas, erase dark shadows and evils and empower ourselves to continue our goodness for the rest of the year.