Deepavali: Here is hope amidst pandemic

Deepavali is all about catharsis and catharsis is important for healthy life. The end of the current pandemic needs a catharsis.

Hopefully we won’t have the pandemic before next Deepavali.

Deepavali is all about rows of light. Rows and rows of them. Lights. But the mood of the Deepavali Festival is far from peaceful rows of lights symbolising the victory of good over evil. So let there be light. Rows of it.

The mood of Deepavali is more like a spontaneous celebration of victory over long-suffering.  Nevertheless, what is important is the spontaneous overflow of relief.. like the opening of a bottle of fizzy drink, after being shaken all up. Shaken not stirred.

During the last 20 months or so the world was under the rule of the virus-unseen by millions but suffered by millions. Suppose the WHO announces tomorrow that the current pandemic is over, just imagine how the people would react. (*Obviously it can’t happen in this context as this is a disease and a disease can only gradually wane off).

People would rather “react” than “respond”. Jump into the streets…re-live.

Hence, the celebration. Some cultures celebrate the birth of the saviour, metaphorically as well as in real life. 
This is what Deepavali is all about. The spontaneous overflowing of relief…probably after a long period of tortuous and stressful suffering… 

Festivals can be an occasion to rekindle hope amidst desperation. Or remembering and reliving a glorious moment. Festivals are an expressive way to celebrate and remember such events, glorious heritage, culture and traditions or explain a belief of a religion in a metaphorical way.

They are meant to rejoice the special moments and emotions in lives. They play an important role to add structure to our social lives and connecting us with our families and backgrounds.

Deepavali (Referred also as Diwali) is one of the biggest and auspicious festivals celebrated by Hindus (And also some other Indian religions) all around the globe. 

This festival of lights signifies peace and joy, the victory of good over evil, and light over darkness every day.
The festival of lights is found in all cultures around the world.

Deepavali is also celebrated by, Jains, Sikhs, and Newar Buddhists, although for each faith it marks different historical events and stories, nonetheless the festival represents the same symbolic victory of light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance, and good over evil.  (source Wikipedia)

However, Deepavali is not a festival for most Buddhists, except for the Newar people who revere various deities in the Vajrayana Buddhism and celebrate Deepavali by offering prayers to Lakshmi. The Hindu Goddess of wealth. 
Sikhs particularly celebrated the release from prison of the sixth guru Hargobind Singh in 1619. But Sikhs celebrated the festival before this date. Historic sources say that the foundation stone of the Golden Temple at Amritsar, the holiest place in the Sikh world, was laid on Diwali in 1577.

On the other hand, Jains also mark Deepavali Day as an important day. The founder of Jainism is Lord Mahavira. During Diwali, Jains celebrate the moment he reached a state called Moksha (nirvana, or eternal bliss).

In the West the Jewish festival of lights, Hanukkah, is celebrated for eight consecutive nights sometime between late November and late December – determined by the Hebrew calendar – in Israel and by Jewish people all over the world. 

While Northern India celebrates the return of Rama and Sita to Ayodhya after their 14-year exile, in the southern parts of India and related cultures celebrate the victory of Lord Krishna over evil Asura called Narakasura.

Narakasura was like all Asuras. When he set out on his path to absolute power and universal destruction, he made sure he was immortal. He sought his boon from Creator- the Brahma. 

Like winning an election with an absolute majority, Narakasuran sets off his rule of authority with absolute power, until he was destroyed by Krishna, like an irresponsible and corrupt leader who is thrown out by people in the ensuing election. 

 Like in all other stories, Narakasura was eventually destroyed by Krishna (Vishnu), which is celebrated as Deepavali in the Southern Indian traditions. 

The word Diwali comes from the Sanskrit word Deepavali, meaning “rows of lighted lamps”. In Tamil also it is referred to in the original form Deepavali. The etymological study is irrelevant here anyway.

Houses, shops and public places are decorated with small oil lamps. People also enjoy fireworks fun and sweets, so it’s popular among children. 

Lately, Deepavali is slowly evolving into an international festival as technology and globalisation allow faster and closer cultural exchanges.  Deepavali was commemorated for the first time at the United Nations in 2016, with its imposing headquarters in New York being lit up especially on the occasion of the Indian festival of lights.

It has increasingly attracted cultural exchanges, becoming occasions for politicians and religious leaders worldwide to meet Hindu or Indian origin citizens, diplomatic staff or neighbours. 

Many participate in other socio-political events as a symbol of support for diversity and inclusiveness. 

The Catholic Dicastery Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, founded as Secretariat for non-Christians by Pope Paul VI, began sending official greetings and Pope’s message to the Hindus on Deepavali in the mid-1990s. 
Many governments encourage or sponsor Deepavali-related festivities in their territories. 

The Singaporean government, in association with the Hindu Endowment Board of Singapore, organises many cultural events during Deepavali every year. 

National and civic leaders such as Prince Charles have attended Deepavali celebrations at prominent Hindu temples in the UK, such as the Swaminarayan Temple in Neasden, using the occasion to highlight contributions of the Hindu community to British society. 

Since 2009, Deepavali has been celebrated every year at 10 Downing Street, the residence of the British Prime Minister. 

Deepavali was first celebrated in the White House by George W. Bush in 2003 and its religious and historical significance was officially recognized by the United States Congress in 2007. 

Barack Obama became the first president to personally attend Deepavali at the White House in 2009. On the eve of his first visit to India as President of the United States, Obama released an official statement sharing his best wishes with “those celebrating Deepavali”. 

Deepavali is not November light festival

Deepavali should not be confused with Karthigai Deepam, the festival of lights that is observed by Hindus of Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka and some other southern states of India. 

It falls in the month of Karthigai (mid-November to mid-December) as per the Tamil calendar. Generally the last week of November.

The full moon day of this Karthigai month is called Karthigai Pournami. 

The name of the festival was born from the name of the god Kartikeya or Murugan. In the Tamil calendar, the name of this month is called Karthigai. 

The Karthigai month starts on the day of Deepavali. From that day till the end of the month, oil lamps are lit every day. On Karthigai Pournami (Full moon of Karthigai month) oil lamps prepared at home, are lit in Lord Murugan and Shiva temples. It is also known as Thiruvannamalai Deepam.