The Celebration of Diwali
What is Diwali?
When is it? Spiritual Significance It's Impact |
What is Diwali
Diwali is the second-largest celebration and it popularly known as "festival of lights." It is the celebration of good triumphing over evil. To show this by lighting small clay lamps filled with oil. The lamps are to be kept on for day and night and their house to be cleaned in order to make the goddess Lakshmi. They blast firecrackers because it's believed to drive away the evil spirits. During Diwali, all the celebrants wear new clothes and share sweets and snacks with family and friends. When is Diwali? It starts on Dhanteras, celebrated on the thirteenth lunar day of Krishna paksha (dark fortnight) of the Hindu calendar month Ashwin and ends on Bhaubeej, celebrated on second lunar day of Shukla paksha (bright fortnight) of the Hindu calendar month Kartik. Diwali usually falls in between mid-October and mid-November. Spiritual Significance While Diwali is popularly known as the "festival of lights", the most significant spiritual meaning behind it is "the awareness of the inner light". Central to Hindu theology is the assertion that there is something beyond the physical body and mind which is pure, infinite, and eternal, called the Atman. The celebration of Diwali as the "victory of good over evil", refers to the light of higher knowledge dispelling all ignorance, the ignorance that masks one's true nature, not as the body, but as the unchanging, infinite, immanent and transcendent reality. With this awakening comes compassion and the awareness of the oneness of all things (higher knowledge). This brings anand (joy or peace). Just as we celebrate the birth of our physical being, Diwali is the celebration of this Inner Light. It's Impact Diwali has had a huge impact, it's planners have won awards for their work on Diwali. More than 4,000 people have participated in 2011's Diwali and many more will join. The city hall of Vancouver has even light up for the celebration of Diwali. It gets funding from the provincial government, federal government and countless other organizations. Diwali is so big, it is recognized as a major date in the Canadian calender. |