Diwali is to Hindus what Christmas is to Christians and Eid is to Muslims. It is also perhaps the only festival celebrated by Hindus of all communities across India and abroad.
Diwali falls in the latter half of the year, usually between mid-October to mid-November. On this day we pray to Goddess Laxmi, the symbol of prosperity, to bless us with wealth and all good things.
While different communities have their own version of the story behind Diwali a common thread runs through each, heralding this Festival of Lights as a victory of good over evil.
I grew up hearing Mom narrate the story of Lord Ram returning home after spending 14 years in exile and killing Ravan. Since the day he returned was Amavasya – the night of the new moon- it was pitch dark, so the villagers lit up his path and the entire village with thousands of oil lamps or Deep as we call them. Ever since that day came to be celebrated as Deepavali or Diwali. Since then we celebrate Diwali each year to celebrate the triumph of good over evil and light Deep or Diyas to dispel darkness, literally and metaphorically.
Diwali is also about food, clothes and celebrations.
As a child I remember Gujias, Sattu ke Laddoo, Mohanthal, Namkeen Puri, Chaklis and Chivda being cooked in humungous quantities a few days before Diwali. Mum was, and still is, very particular about sending out only home made sweets and savouries to near and dear ones. No store bought stuff for her.
So a few days before Diwali saw Mum, my Aunts and the house-helps sit together and start the preparations. Oh what a day it used to be! Laughter, lots of talk, various delicious fragrances wafting in the air and clever hands mixing, shaping and frying away.
As children we could help, and were the official tasters. ‘Is it sweet enough?’ , ‘Is the salt right?’, ‘Is it fried right?’ we had a dozen pairs of expectant eyes zoomed in on us and like the judges of Masterchef. After we delivered our verdict there were sighs of relief all around. Yes, everything tasted perfect, always.
The excitement of shopping for clothes and the impatient wait for Diwali day to arrive so that we could wear our new clothes. The all day celebrations with crackers and sweets surrounded by loved ones. The memories we created in the days of festivities that lasted us an entire year, till Diwali came around again.
As I grow older I seem to think that the spark of Diwali seems to have dimmed. This festival of Lights seems to come and go, almost like any other day. Why is that I wonder? Has life got too busy? Special occasions are no longer a priority or are we getting too jaded?
Let us celebrate to keep the significance of these festivals alive and pass them onto the next generation.
Festivals are memory markers. Click To TweetThey help us trace our footprints left behind, so that we can find our way ahead. For isn’t it important to know where you came from, to know where to go?
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very nice thoughtful articles
Diwali brings so much love and warmth with it. This is one of my favorite festivals as you rightly said celebrated all across. Diwali for me means – family, good food, shopping, home decor & sweets 🙂
Nicely Penned Mayuri. It is true that nowadays it feels more like work than fun. With optional holidays given to working people, it is like we are losing our treasures one by one. However, there are many who still practice customs religiously. So, gradually we will get back to things. This is my belief too.
Helping with making sweets was a great way to get ready for Christmas, so I can relate so much to this, Mayuri.
I hope you and the family had a wonderful Diwali!
This brought back so many childhood memories for me. What I love about Diwali is that the buzz for it starts so many days before the actual festival. Even keeping the house Diwali ready is exciting and what fun it is to look at old forgotten things. And the food, clothes, decoration all add to the beauty of this festival! Yes, I feel the sparkle of Diwali has dimmed over the years but we must certainly keep it alive for our kids!
The festival of Diwali is one such festival where it brings families and relatives closer through preparing delicacies, buying clothes etc. and I always look forward to it. Agree that the importance has lost due to lots of work pressure, but still it is happiness galore at homes.
The main time I enjoyed these festivals was as a child. Like you mentioned, life seems to have taken a toll on my enthusiasm. Then again, as a doc, I don’t often get to be free on holidays either so that is part of it as well. It just becomes a routine day for me…
We waited for Diwali so much, new clothes, lots of delicious snacks at home, meeting up friends and relatives. I wish people shared the same warmth they did earlier, now. Festivals must be celebrated together.
Those were the days… really! I loved being the taster. The aromas in the air used to foretell what delicacy was being cooked on that particular day… lighting up the entire bungalow with oil lamps and rangolis marked it so distinctly!
Mayuri, your post gave a great trip down the memory lane! Thanks for that!
-Anagha from Team MocktailMommies
Nostalgic write. I try to practice the same traditions of making sweets and snacks like my elders. The only difference is that the festivals are not that much fun when we are staying far away from our family.
You made me nostalgic. Yes, I guess we lack the enthusiasm that our earlier generation shared about community celebrations.
Very nicely penned,those days of childhood were amazing,i miss the Sandesh and other mithai those my paternal and maternal moms used to prepare.
Diwali truly brings many positive prospects to life. There is always happiness around Diwali as it includes meeting friends and extended family and eating loads of sweets.
All the festivals have a reason and if we understand the reason then we live the true spirit of it.
You have very well explained all areas of festival Diwali.
Cheers
MeenalSonal from AuraOfThoughts