India is a great place where are extremely huge number of the festival are celebrated. However, there is very less festival that is as joyful as Deepavali. Also known as the festival of light has a great ancient history that is celebrated by many different cultures and beliefs. The five-day celebration of Diwali is the most anticipated festival that every Indian eagerly awaits to celebrate. It’s the day to delight those who are close to our hearts.
As with most Indian festivals, the day for Diwali is determined with the help of the lunar calendar. Therefore, it occurs annually on every different day. This year Diwali is on the 27th of October. Each day of the five-day celebration has associated different meaning which is as follow:-
Dhanteras
The first day is celebrated as Dhanteras falls on the 25th of October this year. This occasion is considered the most prestigious day to buy utensils, silver, gold, and new clothes which is to send as Diwali gifts to each other. According to the popular belief, Goddess Luxmi came out of the ocean during the churning out of the sea. Hence from there on Goddess is worship on the day of Trayodashi.
Naraka Chaturdasi
The second day of the Diwali festival is celebrated as a Naraka Chaturdasi. The reason behind this is the killing of evil Narakasura by Lord Krishna, who is the avatar of God Vishnu. On this day, Hindu people follow a tradition to take a holy bath before sunrise and wear new clothes which are then followed by breakfast with the family.
Luxmi Pooja
The third day is celebrated as the most important day when worship is dedicated to the goddess Luxmi. On this day people worship Goddess Luxmi to seek their blessing. Gift-giving is also done on this occasion and people also distribute Diwali sweets to each other.
Govardhan Pooja
The fourth day of the festivity is celebrated as Govardhan Pooja. This day is celebrated as the day when Lord Krishna defeated the King of Heaven Indra. People majorly in north India commemorate this occasion.
Bhai Dooj
After Govardhan pooja, Bhai Dooj is celebrated when the sister prays for the long and happy life of their brothers.
So, these were the five-days of Diwali celebrations. Let’s discuss further more about Diwali.
How Diwali is celebrated?
The festival is celebrated with big firework displays, to remember the festivities which, according to the old stories is celebrated due to Lord Rama’s return as people of that era light up the lamps to welcome Lord Ram and to fade away the darkness. The celebration of the festival also includes the lighting of the traditional earthen diyas and candles, as the time is changing, people prefer to buy Diwali Diya online.
Before Diwali people decorate their houses with different items and with colorful rangoli patterns that are created on the floor using colored rice or powder. During Diwali, families, and friends share sweets and Diwali gifts with each other, and there is also a strong belief in some charity works by giving food and goods to needy. It is also popular to clean homes and to wear new clothes at the time of the festival.
Type of Food eaten on Diwali
The food is common with every festival, the association of food is very strong. The range of food items that are eaten on this occasion is very huge. The celebration offers a very huge amount of Diwali delicious dishes that people eat with their guests when they arrive and exchange Diwali gifts with each other. This festival is unlike by other types of festivals people cook and serve food according to their liking. Food plays a main focus on the celebration of the occasion. Sending chocolate hampers and other edible items as Diwali gifts in Bangalore is also in trends nowadays.
Diwali means the start of a new year. It also marks the start of the new life to achieve the desired goals. So, welcome this new year by exchanging gifts, bursting crackers, wearing new clothes and exchanging gifts with dear ones.
