Diwali, as we all know it, is the Festival of Lights. But did you know that Diwali is actually a multi-day festival? Celebrated differently all over the world, a large number of people celebrate this festival over five days. Plus, for many, Diwali is the Indian New Year! So, let’s take a look at the intricate celebrations and the history behind each of the five days of Diwali.
The first day of Diwali is Dhanteras, which translates to “Money Thirteenth.” This day of the festival, this year, was on Nov. 10. This is the day where people partake in Lakshmi Pujan with their family. Lakshmiji is the goddess of wealth. On this day, families pray to the goddess, thanking her for keeping them financially stable in the past year and also stable for the next year to come. Families and friends also pray for good studies, health, and other aspects of their busy lives. Jiya Patel, a junior at Morris Hills, celebrates Dhanteras through Lakshmi Pujan, where she joins her family in washing coins with water and a mixture of milk, sugar, honey, yogurt, and ghee (purified butter). This washing of coins symbolizes the prayers for not only material wealth, but also the wealth of knowledge, food, property and prosperity. Ms. Patel, teacher of Mathematics here at Hills, celebrates this day of Diwali with her family by also participating in a Lakshmi Pujan to welcome happiness and prosperity for the new year.
The second day of Diwali is Kali Chaudas, which loosely translates to “Black Fourteenth.” Kali is the Goddess of Darkness. For light to overcome darkness, darkness has to be present! Jiya and her family pray to Goddess Kali on this day to emit all the negativity and evils in their lives. Others do not cook food and stay inside away from the darkness. It is also the day people begin decorating their homes to prepare for the next day of Diwali. They paint rangolis (intricate art designs) on the floors of their house with colorful sand.
The third day of Diwali is Diwali, which was on Nov. 12 this year. This is the last day of the year, or New Year’s Eve. It is also the festival of lights and symbolizes light prospering over evil. Ms. Patel, along with many others, visit their local temple and take part in various activities, praying for a prosperous year ahead. After visiting the temple, many also exchange gifts with their friends and family. Krish Jain, senior at Hills, along with Jiya and Ms. Patel and many others celebrate with fireworks and sparklers. Jiya and her family cook some delicious Indian snacks like fafda and jalebi and Ms. Patel’s family also makes snacks and desserts like chodafali mathiya, sev, gulab jamun, and ras malai. The most popular legend is that Diwali marks the day Lord Rama returned back from his 14-year exile in the jungle to his kingdom of Ayodhya. The people of the kingdom lit small lamps to mark the path from the jungle back to Ayodhya for Lord Rama, hence why people also light up small lamps, or diyas on Diwali.
The fourth day of Diwali is Annakut, which translates to “First Food.” It is the first day of the new year. Because Hindus follow the Lunar Calendar, it just turned 2080 this year! Annakut also roughly means ‘mountain of food.’ This mountain of food is offered to God as a symbol of getting off to a good start for the new year. This day is mostly celebrated by North Indians only. The food offered is from all different cuisines and is beautifully decorated, with numerous fruit carvings and dozens of cakes.
Last but not least is Bhai Beej or Bhai Dooj (“Brother’s Day). It is the day where siblings invite each other to their homes (traditionally the sisters invite their brothers) for dinner. It is almost like an Indian version of Thanksgiving. It symbolizes having strong family bonds and keeping those connections for the year to come. Krish’s sister returns home from graduate school during Diwali, and the two celebrate their sibling bond on this day.
The five days of Diwali are celebrated differently all over the world. The meaning of Diwali is even different for everyone. For Jiya, Diwali is a time of happiness and cultural celebration with friends and family. For Ms. Patel, it marks a new beginning. She is able to start fresh because of Diwali and celebrate light and life. Krish loves Diwali because it lets him spend quality time with his family and eat lots of different and delicious foods. For many Indian Americans, there is often a cultural disconnect between one’s Indian heritage and the American culture they see around them. “Diwali is a time for everyone to appreciate their diverse backgrounds,” Jiya notes. It is the time to “celebrate with friends and family.” She, along with many others, get dozens of calls from relatives and friends in India wishing them a Happy Diwali and Happy New Year.
We hope that everyone in the Morris Hills community that celebrates Diwali had a wonderful time with their friends and family and wish you all a prosperous new year. Nutan Varshabhinandan (New Year’s Greetings)!