In India all joyful events celebrate with special scope. Dances, fun, songs and tasty treats — here the main components of carrying out unforgettable holidays. But, be sure that the national holiday of the Diwali will blow your mind the staginess and scale.
What the holiday is
The Diwali (other name — Dipavali) is the Indian festival of light and fire. Without exaggeration it is possible to call it the most important event of year for residents of India. Always very carefully prepare for this holiday — houses are cleaned from garbage and old things, the huge amount of sweet delicacies with which then treat neighbors and everyone is preparing.
Buildings are decorated with the burning icon lamps, garlands and sacred drawings, fires, torches burn at night, and songs and laughter of the celebrating Indians are from everywhere heard. The Diwali can translate from Sanskrit as a number of fires, by means of fire each inhabitant communicates with gods and attracts good luck and happiness to the house.
Hindus believe in existence of the most important deity in all pantheon of deities — Brahma who has no shape and can get 3 forms: Brahma Creator, Vishnu Keeper and Shiva-Razrushitel.
Celebration history
It is difficult to tell precisely when Indians began to celebrate the Diwali. Exact calculations by means of the lunar calendar already testify to centuries-old history of a festival. According to the estimates of some scientists, its age not less than 7 thousand years. Ignition of Dipavali fires has spiritual implication — thus Indians esteem ancient prince Rama with whose government the country left darkness. Darkness in this case — all this bad, ignorance, ruin, and light — knowledge, good, force and other positive the moments. There are some more options of emergence of this holiday, but all of them are based on the Old Indian national epos and mythology. And the Diwali holiday in each part of India is celebrated absolutely differently.
Whether you know? The festival of fires and light is celebrated also outside India. In all countries where there are Indian diasporas (Great Britain, Australia, the USA), fires are lit, fireworks are started and mass festivities are held, observing traditions of ancient India.
Five days of the Diwali: what can be seen during the holiday
For every day of celebration of the Diwali there are traditions, rules and customs. We will tell about them to you in more detail.
Dhanvantari Trayodasha (Dhana-Trayodasha)
The first day marks knowledge acquisition about Ayurveda which, according to mythology, were received from the ancient deity of Dhanvantari. God was from waters of the ocean and imparted great knowledge to the mere mortal. In the twilight of day the Hindus bathe and present treats for the deity of Yamaradzhi who is a patron of death. In the prayers they ask god not to take away prematurely themselves and the relatives on the next world. Also this day buy new ware and jewelry.
Narak Chaturdasha (Chkhati-Divali)
This day the locals have a rest, do the weakening massage with aromas and save forces for celebration the day before yesterday.
Learn more about such types of massage as: Yoni, Lingama, Tantric, Tibetan, Bali, ayuvedicheskiya, panchakarma, guasha, stone, visceral, Spanish hiromassazh and can.
Naraka-Chaturdasha symbolizes god Krishna's victory over the angry demon and release of residents of the country from fear. From this day it is authorized to start salutes and fireworks.
Lakshmi Pudzha
The third day is considered the most important in a festival of fire and light. In this worship the goddess Lakshmi. Since morning of the hostess carefully clean up the house, they believe that Lakshmi will visit the house in which there is no mote. On streets, lamps, electric garlands, torches are lit — thus Hindus light a way of the goddess to each house. At the same time, for night of a door do not close — nothing has to interfere with penetration of the goddess into the dwelling. Owners of houses for the night get on a roof — there they light fires and wait until Lakshmi visits their house. In temples and on streets, songs sound, beat the drums and the atmosphere of joy and fun reigns — this day all India dances and sings. Near each image of the deity numerous icon lamps are lit and sweets — each believer are presented, having made a handout, prays for wealth, love and long life.
It is important! In spite of the fact that it is a religious holiday, at night pilferers do not doze and absolutely wishes to steal a purse from the stood gaping tourist. Being in crowd — be careful and you do not store all valuable things in one place.
Govardhana Pudzha
In penultimate day of festivities special attention is paid to deities. They are washed, dressed in new and beautiful clothes, in temples pudzha ceremonies — a gift of treats, waters, garlands from flowers are made. After a treat (prasada) are distributed come to the temple to pray.
Yama-Dvitiya or Bkhaya-dudzha
The celebration of the Diwali comes to the end with honoring of brothers and sisters. This day the brothers come on a visit to the sisters and the love and respect express the. In houses fires burn, aromas are lit and the atmosphere of a family cosiness and fun reigns.
Features of celebration depending on the region
In spite of the fact that the festival of fires in India unites all inhabitants, irrespective of age and religion, in different parts of the country the celebration takes place differently:
- In the western part of India the beginning of celebration symbolizes the beginning of trade. In the ancient time these days the local dealers loaded the ships and departured in far-away countries to trade in the goods. In the modern world the dealers pay off with debts and update the account books. Attracting good luck in the shop, local businessmen decorate a show-window with garlands, light icon lamps and goods shower with petals of flowers.
- The central regions of India will read the goddess Lakshmi, inviting her to the house. Order is brought to the dwelling, fires are lit and prayers to deities rise.
- In the east most of Hindus worship the goddess Kali who personifies force and power. Special attention is paid to prayers before a figure of the deity which after ceremonies is lowered to the river.
- In territories where esteem Krishna, the locals cover each other with coconut oil, sing and dance.
As followers of religion of Hinduism trust, during singing of mantras the spiritual component of the person can take God's form, be filled with it, to become his reflection. We advise to get acquainted with such mantras: move mantra, Ohms, Shanti, Har, Ganesha and Mahajana.
Festive vanity, fun, treats and purchases — it is similar to how celebrate New year in the European countries, and in India celebrate with such scope Divapali.
When celebrate the Diwali
It is easy to calculate the annual celebration of a victory of Good over the Evil independently — it is only necessary to be guided in the Indian national calendar and to have near at hand the schedule of a full moon. Fires of the Diwali light Karthik who lasts from October 23 to November 21 in a month, agrees to a Gregorian calendar habitual to us. Celebration begins in day of a full moon this month. We offer you the following dates of celebration of the Diwali:
- in 2018 — November 7;
- in 2019 — October 27;
- in 2020 — November 14.
It is important! Remember that time in India differs from world on the 6th time of hours of 30 minutes (+6:30).
Instruction to the tourist
We prepared for you a small instruction which will help you to take great pleasure from this holiday.
That the festival of the Diwali brought you only positive emotions, remember the following:
- To see with own eyes fires of the Diwali a huge number of tourists comes from around the world. In this regard — search of housing for celebration needs to be begun as soon as possible. Be ready that local hotels and hotels several times will raise the prices of accommodation.
- Planning a trip, consider that on your way surely there will be traffic jams, and at stations and bus stations there will be no tickets. One of the main reasons — locals with the families will go to other cities for reunion with the relatives, the Diwali is a family holiday.
- The prices of the taxi will be much higher, than in usual days.
- Grocery stores and the markets for celebration are closed therefore take care of sufficient stocks of food and water for such long term.
- Every night weeks of the Diwali a huge number of petards and fireworks will blow up therefore properly you will manage to get enough sleep hardly. As option — it is possible to buy earplugs, but also they will not absorb all this noise.
- The numerous fires during a holiday at all not a rarity. Be attentive and do not approach too close in fire and places of start of salutes.
- If you travel with children, then in crowd do not lower from them eyes, strong you hold by a hand if you are in crowd.
Now you know what is a holiday of the Diwali and how on a substantial scale it is celebrated in India. Having visited this country in a week of Dipavali, you receive unforgettable and bright impressions for the whole year.