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Now that Diwali is just a few weeks away and will be celebrated on
Saturday 17th October 2009, many families have already started preparing
for the festival much in advance. According to the Hindu calendar, the
festival of Diwali is celebrated on the 15th day of Krishna Paksh of the
auspicious month of Kartik, which falls on around September/October
every year.
In India and Nepal, Diwali is now taken to be a national fete, and the
aesthetic prospect of the fete is loved by most Indians and Nepalese
regardless of religion.
Diwali is near and many of you will be gearing up to celebrate this
festival with excitement and enthusiasm. Diwali also is synonymous with
gifts. On this day, folks send and receive a variety of gifts as it is
considered customary and auspicious.
For Hindus, Diwali is a five day extravagant affair. Dhanteras, the
first day, is considered auspicious to buy Gold, household articles and
specially utensils for kitchen. On this day, People gift "golden leaf"
as it signifies prosperity and luck. Choti Diwali is the day when Lord
Krishna killed Narakashura and freed the world from fear, according to
the Legend. Laxmi Pooja or the actual Diwali is celebrated with a Pooja
dedicated to Goddess Laxmi. Padwa is dedicated to the household cattle,
where a pooja is done for them and are fed with goodies. Bhai Duj is a
special day for siblings where the Brother visits the Sister's house to
celebrate the day with them.
You can easily buy these gifts online or from the market place.
Exchanging jewelry as gifts on the occasion of Diwali is also considered
auspicious. You may gift a jewelry item made of silver, gold or diamond
such as bracelets, rings, chains, pendants, cufflinks, tie-pins etc. A
collection of home decor items are also available which makes a
competent gift for Diwali. These items reflect contemporary Indian
designs and have high aesthetic value.
With a large Indian Diaspora abroad, the festival of Diwali is equally
popular along with other festivals celebrated there such as Christmas,
Easter, and New Year. A few years ago, sending gifts from abroad could
send shudders down the spine of folks as it would be difficult for the
gifts to reach on time because of a range of issues such as timely
delivery and safe arrival of the gifts. One of the major issues then
would be the hassle involved in sending the gifts from abroad.
Diwali is often associated with giving Diwali gifts to all near and dear
ones. As Diwali is associated with prosperity, the Diwali gifts are
often in Silver and Gold. Diwali is the festive time where you shower
all blessings and wishes to your friends and relatives. Diwali Gifts
include silver statues of Gods like Ganesh, Laxmi etc, beautiful wall
hangings, Silver coins and Gold coins among others. On Diwali day,
friends wish one another by gifting flowers, dryfruits, sweets etc.
As per Hindu calendar, the five day fete of Diwali is centered on the
new moon day that stops the month of Ashwin and begins the month of
Kartika, starting on the 13th day of the black half of Ashwin (Ashwin
28th) and ceasing along the second day of the bright half of Kartika
(Kartika 2nd). The big day of jubilation changes regionally.
"Diwali is the epiphany of showing gratitude to the almighty for
blessing with wisdom and wealth. Diwali gifts enlighten every soul with
the light of love and affection. People indulge into the memorable
celebration of the festival with their dear ones and exchange beautiful
gifts as token of love. However selecting the perfect gifts for loved
ones require lots of thought process and even after purchasing gift
people still doubt whether they have selected right gift or not. A huge
variety of gifts for Diwali are available online as well as in the
markets. These gifts communicate the message of well being and
prosperity for the coming year.
Diwali is one of the biggest festivals of Hindus, celebrated with great
zeal and bliss in India. The festival is celebrated for five continuous
days, where the third day is celebrated as the main Diwali festival or
'Festival of lights'. Different colorful varieties of fireworks and
rangolis are always associated with this festival. On this auspicious
day, people light up diyas and candles all around their house. They
perform Lakshmi Pooja in the evening and seek divine blessings of
Goddess of Wealth. The festival of Diwali is never complete without
exchange of gifts. People present Diwali gifts to all near and dear ones.
Diwali is the joyous celebration of the triumph of good over evil. It is
the popular belief that the fireworks that add splendor to the
festivities actually reduce the evil to ashes. The uniqueness of Diwali
is that it harmonizes five varied philosophies, with each day assigned
to commemorate a special thought or idea. According to a legend, which
is also taken to be a history of Diwali, the world celebrates Deepavali
as the day the goddess stopped dancing after her battle with
Mahishasura. The festival begins with Dhanteras, which is the
celebration of the birth of goddess Lakshmi from the bottomless ocean.
The second day is "Narak Chaturdhashi", which commemorates the felling
of Narakasura by Satyabhama with the help of Indra. This is again
another view of history of Diwali. Some also believe that the second day
is dedicated to Bali the generous king, who returns to his kingdom
amidst celebrations. The most famous legend behind the celebrations of
Diwali is about the prince of Ayodhya, Lord Shri Ram Chandra, his
defeating Ravana and his return from exile by lighting lamps on this
darkest night of the year.
Traditionally, Diwali is celebrated with spectacular illumination; laced
with exquisite lamps that are crafted out of clay. They are an integral
part of the festivities and add to the fervor of Diwali. Since it is a
five day event, Diwali diyas find prominence on all the five days, more
so, on the first and the third day. Houses and surroundings are lit up
with an array of clay lamps. The sight is indeed so spectacular that
Diwali is appropriately known as the festival of lights.
On this day, Lord Rama returned to Ayodhaya along with Sita after a 14
year old exile in the forests. This day is celebrated with great
enthusiasm and fanfare in India and many countries abroad. The name
Diwali is actually a corruption of the world Deepavali, which means
array of lamps. Diwali is therefore correctly known as the festival of
lights in English.
Diwali is appropriately known as the festival of lights and the name has
evolved from the word Deepavali. It is one of the most effervescent
festivals of India that surpasses religious and geographic boundaries.
Deepavali; in the literal sense, means a row of lamps and is symbolic of
the lighting that are integral to the festival.
This view of history of Diwali is corroborated by the epic Ramayana .
The fourth day of Diwali is devoted to Govardhan Pooja which celebrates
Krishna's feat of lifting the Govardhan hill on his little finger.
People organize a special pooja on this day. The five day festival is
wrapped up by "Bhai Duj", the time to honor the brother-sister
relationship. We {link} at The Holiday Spot bring you all the
interesting stories related to the Festival of Lights that has its root
in the Indian mythology.
Diwali or "Festival of lights" is an occasion of Joy, prosperity and
brightness. Diwali is a significant festival for Hindus, Sikhs, and
Jains. While in Hinduism, Diwali signifies victory over Darkness, Diwali
marks the attainment of nirvana by Mahavira, in Jainism. Sikhs often
represent Diwali as a "Day of Freedom".
The festival of lights, fireworks and togetherness is round the corner
and what better way to augment the festive mood than to spruce up in
style for Diwali. As we are aware, Diwali is one of the biggest Indian
festivals that surpasses linguistic, religious and geographic
boundaries. Although diversified by virtue of language, customs and
traditions, the festival of lights has the power to bind India and
instill in Indians a feeling of oneness. Indians come together to
observe the festival and these festivals are all the more special for
the Indian diaspora spread across the globe.
Diwali is the much awaited Hindu festival which is celebrated with lots
of joy and fervor. As the festival approaches the main concern lies with
the Diwali presents. This tradition of exchanging gifts as a token of
good wishes is very old. It isn't the materialistic value of the gifts
that matters, but the underlying sacred message of good health and
prosperity that matters most. These presents holds an auspicious value
and therefore need to be chosen and given with lot of care. Besides
markets and malls internet these days provide lot of options of gifts to
choose from.
Diwali is a time of celebration and apart from the oil lights and
candles which decorate homes, the puja and the prayers, special sweets,
savories and snacks are central to the festival.
Diwali is celebrated in homes, academic institutions and the emergent
corporate world that have become an integral part of our lives.
Corporate Diwali gifts have been embedded in the tradition and it is a
custom that is looked forward to by employees as well as employers. It
is the perfect occasion for professional bonding and the specially
thought out gifts add to the grandeur of the festival.
Jain Festival Diwali: Among the Jain festivals, Diwali is one of the
most important one. For on this occasion we celebrate the Nirvana of
Lord Mahavira who established the dharma as we follow it. Lord Mahavira
was born as Vardhamana on Chaitra Shukla 13th in the Nata clan at
Khattiya-kundapura, near Vaishali. He obtained Kevala Gyana on Vishakha
Shukla 10 at the Jambhraka village on the banks of Rijukula River at the
age of 42.
Diwali is a festival celebrated by all Indians in India as well as
abroad. The colours, the lights, the music, the dance, the jewellery,
clothes and other finery, the custom of giving away of gifts, sweets and
other delicacies, the firecrackers and the general sense of wellbeing
and rejoicing have attracted even non-Indians to participate in the
celebrations. The joy of Diwali is infectious and people are
spontaneously drawn by its spirit. Australia celebrates Diwali with
great pomp and show. The celebrations attract not only Indians but also
people of non-Indian origin. The fact that Diwali celebrations have
lately been held in the Sydney Olympic Park and on the Flemington
Racecourse, the venue for the Melbourne Cup, one of the world's most
famous horse races, show how well this festival has been accepted in
Australia and how well Indian culture is woven into Australian culture.
Krishna and the Mountain: In the village of Gokula, many years ago, the
people prayed to the God Indra. They believed that Indra sent the rains,
which made their crops, grow. But Krishna came along and persuaded the
people to worship the mountain Govardhan, because the mountain and the
land around it were fertile. This did not please Indra. He sent thunder
and torrential rain down on the village. The people cried to Krishna to
help. Krishna saved the villagers by lifting the top of the mountain
with his finger. The offering of food to God on this day of Diwali is a
reminder to Hindus of the importance of food and it is a time for being
thankful to God for the bounty of nature.
As the celebration of Diwali is always grand so are the gifts that are
to be exchanged with the guest. Every year there has to be a variety in
the gifts given simply to avoid repetition and to make your gifts
satisfying and worthy to be remembered. To do this one has to know what
the latest trend in market is and what is worth the price it holds.
In Sikh perspective, Diwali is celebrated as the return of the sixth
Guru, Guru Hargobind Ji from the captivity of the city, Gwalior. To
commemorate his undying love for Sikhism, the towns people lit the way
to, Harmandhir Sahib (referred to as the Golden Temple), in his honor.
Tags: Diwali
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Top picture Mrs Leela Mathur with Rachit Pareek(S/O Dr K Pareek)
From Lt to Rt Sh Deepak Sisodiya,Sh Anil Ranka,Dr K Pareek
Dr K Pareek & Sh Vinod Jain 
