The festival of Diwali
has been celebrated for ages and grows in attraction by the year.
Everyone enjoys the goodies, the shine, glamour, and the endless
enthusiasm for living that suddenly grips people around this time. But
there is much more to Diwali than feasting and merrymaking. Diwali is a
holy tradition, not to be put in the shade by the lights. Deepawali
symbolizes the victory of light over darkness. Celebrated joyously all
over the country, it is a festival of wealth and prosperity. Dipawali is
essentially a festival for householders. The preparations, the rituals,
the entire celebration focuses on the home and family, spanning out to
cover the community as a natural extension. Diwali is a festival
synonymous with celebrations in India and among Indians all over the
world, is an occasion for jubilation and togetherness. This is an
occasion for young and the old, men and women, rich and poor - for
everyone. Irrespective of their religious and economic background, the
festival is celebrated throughout the country to ward off the darkness
and welcome the light into their lives. At a metaphysical level,
Deepawali is a festival signifying the victory of good over evil; the
latter is destroyed and reduced to ashes by fireworks is the belief of
the people. This festival is celebrated on a grand scale in almost all
the regions of India and is looked upon mainly as the beginning of New
Year. As such the blessings of Lakshmi, the celestial consort of Lord
Vishnu are invoked with prayers. Diwali is also celebrated outside India
mainly in Guyana, Fiji, Malaysia, Nepal, Mauritius, Myanmar, Singapore,
Srilanka, Trinidad and Tobago, Britain, Indonesia, Japan, Thailand,
Africa, and Australia among the Hindus worldover. Places as far as
Southern America have record of celebrating Diwali.
Diwali celebrations in Mauritius :
Mauritius is an island in the Indian Ocean that lies to the east of
Madagascar. This beautiful landmass is full of picturesque landscapes
and enchanting spots. Mauritius accounts a 63% of Indian majority of
which 80% follow Hinduism. Hence, celebration of almost all the Hindu
festivals in this island is a common phenomenon. In Mauritius, Diwali
celebration is an age-old tradition. It holds special significance for
the natives, who believe that Diwali has been celebrated even long
before the return of Lord Rama from 14 years of exile and his coronation
as the king. The festival is marked by lightening of earthen lamps in
rows making images out of the rows. Lakshmi is worshipped as the goddess
of wealth and crackers are burnt to scare away evil spirits.
Diwali celebrations in Nepal :
Nepal is a landlocked country nestled in the foothills of the Himalayas.
Nepal, a multi-ethnic and multi-lingual society is the only Hindu
Kingdom of the world. Diwali is celebrated here with the usual Hindu
festivities and rituals. Diwali in Nepal is known as Tihar. Just like
most places in India Diwali is celebrated here to honor the goddess of
wealth and god of prosperity Lakshmi and Ganesh respectively. The
festival of light falls on the months of October or November on the day
of Amavasya the darkest day of the year. The festival here continues for
five days. Every day has its special significance. The first day is
dedicated to cows as they cook rice and feed the cows believing that
goddess Lakshmi comes on cows. The second day is for Dogs as the Vahana
of Bhairava. Preparation of delicious food especially meant for the dog
is a typical characteristic of the day. Lights and lamps are lit to
illuminate the entire surrounding and some of the specialty items are
prepared to mark the third day of the festival. Fireworks, Lamps and
crackers are widely used. The fourth day is dedicated to Yama, the Hindu
God of Death. He is prayed for long life. The fifth final day is Bhhaya
Dooj dedicated for the brothers who are wished long life and prosperity
by their sisters.
Diwali celebrations in Malaysia :
Fascinating in its diversity, Malaysia has many mesmerizing charms and
attractions. With a population of about 20 million, comprising of a
harmonious multi-ethnic mix of Malays, Malaysia promises a colorful
potpourri of culture traditions. Most are based on the various religions
practices, beliefs and traditions influencing the costumes, festival,
ceremonies and rituals. The Hindu community of Malaysia constitutes
about 8% of its total population .The community celebrates Diwali as a
symbol of triumph of good over evil. The Malaysian people call diwali as
Hari Diwali. This festival is celebrated during the 7th month of the
Hindu solar calendar. The south Indian traditional of oil bath precedes
the festivities. The celebration includes visits to temples and prayers
at household altars. Small lamps made from clay and filled with coconut
oil and wicks are a common sight to signify the victory of Lord Rama,
the hero of the Hindu epic Ramayana, over the demon king Ravana.Diwali
is celebrated almost all over the Malaysia except in Sarawak &
Federal Territory of Labuan.
Diwali celebrations in Indonesia :
The name Indonesia came from two Greek words: "Indos" meaning
Indian and "Nesos" meaning islands. The majority of population
follows Islam. Hindus constituent about 2% of Indonesia's total
population. However, the Indonesian island of Bali is famous for
celebrating the festival of Diwali, as a majority of the population here
are Indians. It is one of the most revered festivals of the locals here.
The celebration and rituals of the festival is mostly similar to that
celebrated by their counterparts in India.
Celebrating
Diwali in Myanmar
Sharing
the eastern boarder of India, Myanmar has a good number of Hindu
populations. Hence most of the Hindu festivals are celebrated here.
Diwali is one of them that are celebrated according to the Hindu solar
calendar. The day is celebrated by worshipping of God. A good number of
lights or traditional lamps are lit to illuminate the home inside and
out side. Delicious foods are cooked and new garments are worn.
Traditional dancing and music follow to mark the occasion.
Celebrating diwali in Singapore.
Diwali
celebration holds a significant place in the calendar of festivals of
Singapore. The festival of light Diwali is popularly known in Singapore
as Deepavali. This may be because of the fact that most of the Indian
population come from Tamil Nadu and are Tamil-speaking. 'Deepam' and 'voli'
are Tamil words. 'Deepam' means 'lamp' and 'voli' means 'light'. The
celebration process of the festival is also a lot similar to that of
southern India. Marking the importance of the festival day, most of the
offices and commercial institutions / organizations remain closed on
this day.
Celebrating diwali in SriLanka.
Sri Lanka is on the extreme southeastern point of India. Related to the
epic of Ramayana, Diwali holds a special importance for the people here.
The festival is marked by illumination, making of toys of enamel and
making of figures out of crystal sugar popularly known as Misiri. The
sugar crystals take the place of sweets. Burning of crackers in the
evening of the festival is a common practice of this festival.
Celebrating
Diwali in Japan
Japan,
the land of the rising sun also celebrates Diwali (Deepawali) as the
day, which awards happiness, progress, prosperity and longevity in life.
The festival here is celebrated in a unique way that is not common in
India. Here the people go out into the orchards and gardens and hang
lanterns and paper made hanging structures on the branches of trees.
Dance and music continues throughout the night. Putting on new clothes
and going for boating and broom cleaning of the house are also some of
the other related activities of the festival. The places of worship are
decorated with beautiful wallpapers to bring in the festive mood and the
auspicious beliefs related to the festival.
Celebrating Diwali in Thailand
Diwali
is celebrated in Thailand under the name of Lam Kriyongh during the
months of October-November. The festival has almost similar ways of
celebration as that of Diwali. Diyas (lamps) made of banana leaves are
made and candles are placed on it along with a coin and incense. These
are set afloat on a river, which gives a wonderful view together on the
water. The festival is not an extravagant affair. People greet each
other and wish them happy returns of the day. Distribution of sweets is
a common practice on this day.
Diwali
celebrations in South Africa :
South Africa is located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa.
The South African culture is a mix of variety of cultures. It had the
largest immigrant Indian community in the world a decade prior to the
colonization by the United States of America. The immigrant Indians
account of almost one million in the country. But most of them are
concentrated in the eastern regions of Natal and Transvaal of the
country. About 65% are Hindus, 15% Muslims and 20% of Christians live in
this area. Due to the majority of the Hindu population, a number of
Hindu festivals are celebrated here. Diwali also holds an important
place in the festival calendar of the region. The celebration is more or
less same to that of India. Most of the Hindus here are from Gujarat and
Tamil Nadu and continue to follow their regional variations of Hinduism.
Celebrating Diwali in Kenya and Tanzania
Approximately
1000 Indians reside in the former British colonies of Kenya and
Tanzania. They form just about 1% of the total population of these
countries. However, the influences of this tiny amount of population
have considerable economic influence and are a well-respected minority.
They also celebrate the major Indian or Hindu festivals of the Hindu
solar calendar. As they have restricted interaction with the locals and
do not seek converts they usually celebrate their festivals the same way
India does. The significance, customs and belief related to the festival
of light, therefore is almost same like that of India. Illumination,
worshipping of God and Goddess of wealth and prosperity are some of the
common practice.
Diwali is also declared as a national holiday in Kenya.
Diwali
celebrations in Britain :
The Indians are the second largest ethnic minority in Britain. To get
rid of the feeling of missing their homeland, especially during festival
times, the Indians here celebrate most of the festivals .The occasion is
marked by visit to the local temple to worship the shrine to Lakshmi,
which they have made for Diwali. Eating special sweets, burning of
incense sticks, lighting the home and surroundings and the blowing of
the conch shell follows the prayer session in the Lakshmi temple. The
festival here is celebrated according to the Hindu solar calendar hence
it falls in the month of November, one of the cold, damp and windy
months in Britain. But still the enthusiasm of the festival celebration
makes the task of leaving small lamps on windowsills or by open doorways
possible ignoring the chill. The lamps and Diyas play their part in
maintaining the atmosphere of Diwali in the home.
Celebrating Diwali in Australia
Australia
the wonderful island country on Indian Ocean has an estimated 100000
Indians settled in Australia. Most of them are the follower of the Hindu
religion. Though, some of the Indians here are recent arrivals that
belong to the affluent sections of the Indian society. Due to the large
number of Hindu here, Diwali is one of the festivals that is celebrated
with enthusiasm. The lightening of lamps and diyas is a common practice.
However, the non-availability of the appropriate material of or some
other reason have influenced and given in the touch of modernity in the
celebration of the festival of light.
Diwali
celebrations in Trinidad and Tobago :
Trinidad is the most southern of the Caribbean islands, lying only seven
miles off the Venezuelan coast, is one of the most exciting, colorful
islands of the West Indies. Considered as the land of the Humming Bird,
Trinidad and Tobago has a good number of Indian populations. For that
reason, Hindu festivals, customs, traditions and observances forms an
integral part of the society, which comprises the unique beauty of the
twin island state. The Diwali celebration has a unique flavor here in
the Caribbean island nation. Here 43 per cent of the 1.3 million
populations are ethnic Indians. The Diwali celebrations are usually
marked as an occasion to unify the nation that consists of Hindus,
Muslims, Christians, Indo-Trinidadians and Afro-Trinidadians. The
festival day is regarded as a national holiday. The festival is also
marked by scores of functions besides the usual rituals of the
festivity. The functions and celebrations also have an official imprint
as the Ministers of the Government also participate in the celebrations
sometimes. The belief behind the festival is same as of India, which is,
prevalence of good over evil. The celebrations continue for over a week
and the headquarters of the National Council of Indian Culture at Diwali
Nagar becomes the focal point.
Diwali
celebrations in Guyana :
Guyana, formerly known as British Guiana, is located on the northeast
coast of South America. Guyana is 82,978 square miles in area and has a
population of about 7,70,000.Hindus constitute 33% of Guyana's total
population. The Co-operative Republic of Guyana in Southern America
celebrates Diwali according to the Hindu Solar calendar. The day of the
festival is declared as a national holiday in the official calendar of
Guyana. The tradition of celebrating the festival is believed to have
been brought to Guyana in the year 1853 by the first indentured people
from India. The legends related to the festival are similar to that of
India. The celebration of the festival includes, distribution of sweets,
illuminating the inside and out side of the house, exchange of
greetings, cleaning of houses and wearing of new clothes. The
celebrations hold special significance for the people of Guyana. The
distribution of sweet signifies the importance of serving and sharing
whereas exchange of greeting cards denotes the goodwill of each other.
The sweets distributed mainly consist of mithai, pera, barfi, and kheer.
The tradition of wearing new cloth for the people of Guyana is
significant especially in this festival. They believe that wearing new
cloth is the symbol of healthy souls in healthy bodies. Cleaning of
their homes and keeping them well illuminated in and outside is a
practice meant to illuminate the road for Goddess Lakshmi so that while
goddess Lakshmi visits their home she faces no problem of light as the
diwali night is regarded as the darkest night of the year.
