Put down those trusty turkey day stretch pants and don't press play on that Christmukah playlist just yet. There's an important post-Halloween holiday you may not be too familiar with, but you may want to partake in its lesson. Diwali (pronounced “de-VAH-lee”), or the Festival of Lights, celebrates the Hindu New Year, new beginnings, and good triumphing over evil. For those reasons and more we say light it up, badasses!
So, when's the party? Diwali is a five-day festival that occurs every autumn between mid-October and mid-November. The exact dates of the festival change each year based on the Hindu lunar calendar, but this year's celebration began Monday, November 5th, and will continue until Friday the 9th. The climax of the festival is on Wednesday, November 7th (Diwali), and is marked with feasts, gift-giving, fine clothing, fireworks, and celebrating with family and friends.
The Daily Breakdown: each day of Diwali brings its own unique traditions and customs. Lets get familiar, shall we?
Day One: Dhanteras, or The Day of Fortune, is celebrated with the cleaning, cleansing, and decorating of homes, businesses, shops, and public spaces in preparation for the festival and the new year (as well as the business/financial year). Dhanteras is also a major shopping day, particularly for gold, silver, and jewelry as well as fine, colorful clothing that will be worn later in the celebration.
Day Two: Naraka Chaturdashi, or The Day of Knowledge, pays homage to the legendary hero Krishna's victory over the demon Narakasura and rescue of 16,000 captive princesses according to Hindu literature. Celebrants wake up before sunrise to perform the puja -- a ritual for the Hindu Goddess Lakshmi so that the new year may bring peace, wealth, and prosperity -- by applying oil, flowers, and sandalwood all over the body, washing the head, applying kajal (kohl) to the eyes to ward off the evil eye (kali nazar), and adorning new clothes.
Day Three: Diwali, or The Day of Light, coincides with the darkest night of the Hindu lunisolar month and celebrates when Lord Rama rescued his wife from the demon Ravana, according to Hindu tradition. As they triumphantly returned home, Rama's people lit up a path to guide their safe journey through the darkness (Diwali literally means “rows of lighted lamps”). As a symbol to show the victory of good over evil, candles and intricately decorated clay lamps (called diyas) are lit in homes and businesses. During the festival, diyas, flowers, and colorful rice powder are used to create intricate designs called rangoli to bring good luck. The celebrations continue with feasts, sweets, and fireworks!
Day Four: Govardhan Puja celebrates the New Year with offerings of food to Lord Krishna at places of worship including public temples and sacred shrines within the home. These offerings symbolize Govardhan Hill, the location Krishna lifted to shelter villagers from a flood caused by the vengeful King of Heaven Indra.
Day Five: Bhai Dooj honors the love between brothers and sisters. Typically, brothers give their sisters gifts (as much of the traditional gift-giving throughout the festival of Diwali is from men to women) to show their respect and symbolize protection.
Diwali symbolizes the spiritual victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance - a beautiful message that ought to be shared right now. Each year, The Fem Word Co-Founders Monika and Natasha Samtani celebrate Diwali with their family... and now extend their good wishes to you, too, through their Ms. Media announcement for iHeart Radio:
" May this festival of lights be as bright as ever. And may Diwali bring happiness and prosperity for you and your loved ones. Happy Diwali! "
Listen to the full PSA: https://soundcloud.com/natasha-samtani/iheart-x-ms-media-diwali-psa
All Images Courtesy of Getty Images
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