अन्ततः, मैं यही कहना चाहती हूँ कि हम
दीपावली का परम-पावन त्यौहार खूब उत्साह से मनाकर अपनी संस्कृति को बनाये
रखने में महत्त्वपूर्ण योगदान देते हैं लेकिन ऐसे सुंदर अवसरों पर यह चर्चा
करना अक्सर भूल जाया करते हैं कि कैसे भगवान् श्री राम ने अपने जीवन में
संघर्षों का बहादुरी से सामना किया और सत्य एवं धर्म के मार्ग पर चलने के
लिए जीवन के सब सुखों को दाँव पर लगा दिया | सच मानिये त्यौहार के माध्यम
से यदि हम आपसी वैमनस्य को छोड़कर, अपने जीवन में एक भी दिव्य गुण को
विकसित कर ; उसे निरंतर पोषित करते रहने का उत्साह बनाये रख सकें, तभी हम
सच्चे अर्थों में त्यौहार मनाते हैं |
Diwali is a festival that is celebrated with a lot
of heart and revelry by people across India. Although if one takes a
cursory look at this festival, it can easily be categorized as a Hindu
festival, but if one looks a little more deeply, one can easily see that
celebrations of this festival transcend the boundaries of caste and
creed. This festival of lights is celebrated with tremendous zeal and
devotion by people of all age groups as well as social and economic
standing. The scale of celebrations can vary from downright
ostentatiously extravagant to gracefully simple. To mark the occasion,
people start cleaning and renovating their houses days, sometimes even a
month, before the festival. On the day of Diwali, scores of diyas,
candles and multicolored light bulbs illuminate the moonless night,
presenting a bedazzling spectacle of color, light, vibrancy and
exuberance that enthralls one and all.

Diwali festivities are not just confined to one day celebrations, but
span over a period of five days that commence as per the auspicious
Hindu calendar at the end of the Ashwin month, which usually falls
between September and October as per the Georgian calendar, and
culminate in beginning of the month of Kartika, which denotes to the
time between October and November as per the western date calculation
system. The dates are further elucidated as the days in Ashwin fall
under the category of the 'dark fortnight' known as the Krishna Paksha
of that month, whereas the days in the month of Kartik fall under the
category of Shukla Paksha, i.e. 'bright fortnight'. The first day of
Diwali festivities is known as Dhanteras, celebrated traditionally as
the beginning of the new financial year by most business communities in
India. This day is considered very favorable for financial investments
and buying gold and silver items. Purchasing household utensils is also a
part of the customs and traditions of Dhanteras.

The second day of Diwali festivities is traditionally known as Naraka
Chaturdasi, and popularly known as Chhoti Diwali among the masses,
especially in Northern India. The day is celebrated to commemorate the
occasion of vanquishment of demon, named Narkasura, at the hands of Lord
Krishna and his beloved wife Satyabhama. This day seems like a dress
rehearsal for the coming festival of Deepavali as on this day too,
houses are illuminated and firecrackers are burst but on a much smaller
scale. The third day of festivities, which is an Amavasya, is marked by
the celebration of Badi Diwali or Deepavali. The day sees the
festivities reaching to their zenith, with ostentatious decorations and
devotional fervor. On Deepavali, Goddess Laxmi, bestower of wealth and
prosperity, is worshipped across India in all Hindu households. It is
believed that she visits the homes of her devotees on this day; thus,
houses are kept skip and spam.

The fourth day is known as Kartika Shudda Padyami. On this day, the
ritual of Govardhan Puja is performed with great devotion, especially in
parts of North India. Govardhan is a hillock located in Braj near
Mathura and as per legend related to it, it was picked up by Lord
Krishna and used as an umbrella in order to protect the villagers from
heavy rainfall. Devotees, who can visit this site, perform puja of the
original hillock, whereas, those who cannot, make small hillocks of cow
dung and worship them. The Diwali revelry comes to an end on the fifth
day with the celebration of Bhai Dooj. This festival, like Raksha
Bandhan, celebrates the unbreakable bond of love and affection between a
brother and sister. The festival of Diwali not just celebrates the
victory of good over evil but also teaches us to value our each and
every relationship.
Diwali Date Calendar
Diwali 2014: Thu, October 23
