Diwali
Diwali (also Divali ) or Dipavali (also Deepavali ), the festival of lights , is an important multi-day Hindu festival in India , Sri Lanka and Nepal and in other countries shaped by Hinduism , for example in Mauritius , Suriname , Fiji , Trinidad and Tobago , Singapore as well as in South Africa and the Indian diaspora . The festival can be compared to Christmas because of its spiritual and social significance and its cheerful character , and the night to New Year's Eve . In northern India, Diwali is also New Year's Day .
etymology
The name Dipavali ( दीपावलि dīpāvali ) means something like "chain of lights" in Sanskrit (composition of दीप dīpa "light" and आवलि āvali "row"). In the North Indian languages the name has slipped into Diwali (e.g. Hindi दीवाली dīvālī , Marathi दिवाळी divāḷī ). In the South Indian languages, on the other hand, the name form Dipavali is used (e.g. Tamil தீபாவளி tīpāvaḷi , Kannada ದೀಪಾವಳಿ dīpāvaḷi ).
time
Diwali always begins on the 15th day of the Hindu month of Kartik (late October / early November), 20 days after Dashahara , at the new moon . Since the country-specific local time for the new moon depends on the geographical longitude and time zone, it is possible that Diwali is celebrated a day later in the West Indies, Europe or America than in the East Indies (this was the case in 2003 and 2015). The dates for Diwali in the years 2015 to 2025 are:
- Diwali 2015: Tuesday, November 10, 2015 (in Singapore and South India), Wednesday, November 11, 2015 (in the rest of India)
- Diwali 2016: Sunday October 30, 2016; Saturday October 29, 2016 (in Singapore)
- Diwali 2017: Thursday, October 19, 2017 (in Singapore: Wednesday, October 18, 2017)
- Diwali 2018: Wednesday 7 November 2018 (in Singapore: Tuesday 6 November 2018)
- Diwali 2019: Sunday, October 27, 2019 (in Singapore also on Monday, October 28, 2019)
- Diwali 2020: Saturday 14 November 2020
- Diwali 2021: Thursday 4th November 2021
- Diwali 2022: Monday 24 October 2022
- Diwali 2023: Sunday 12 November 2023
- Diwali 2024: Friday 1st November 2024
- Diwali 2025: Tuesday, October 21, 2025
meaning
The festival is celebrated very differently in different parts of the Indian subcontinent, with diverse customs and different mythological references. Depending on the region, it takes between one and five days. The main message of the festival is the victory of good over evil, truth over lies, light over shadows and life over death.
For many Hindus, especially in northern India, it goes back to the day when the god Rama returned to his capital Ayodhya with his wife Sita and his brother Lakshmana after 14 years of exile in the jungle , as the Ramayana describes. As it was dark, people lit oil lamps along the way.
In the south of India, on the other hand, the people of Diwali see a reference to Krishna , who defeated the demon Naraka and freed sixteen thousand women who were in the captivity of the demon.
Diwali is also celebrated by other religions in India. In Jainism one recalls Mahavira's entry into nirvana and moksha . In Sikhism is to Har Gobind victory over Jahangir and his return to Amritsar thought.
Rituals
Lights are an essential element of Diwali. Originally it was just small oil lamps - placed in rows by windows or entrances - today it is increasingly electric fairy lights that illuminate homes, shops and streets across the country. Sometimes you hang lamps in trees and place candles on the roofs. According to one interpretation of this custom, the lights show the pitris , the spirits of the dead, the way to the land of bliss. At the Christian All Souls and the customs remind z. B. in Bengal (East India), where the black goddess Kali is worshiped at Diwali , who symbolizes death and the conquest of death. Even days before the festival, firecrackers and other fireworks are lit everywhere on the streets , on the holiday itself it cracks and pops everywhere, similar to New Year's Eve in Germany.
- The first day is called Dhanwantari Triodasi (also Dhantrayodashi , Dhan means wealth).
- On this day the house is tidied up and decorated, new clothes and cooking utensils are bought, as well as valuables and jewelry, mainly made of gold or silver.
- The second day is called Narak Chaturdasi (also Kali Chaudas ).
- It is considered the day on which Krishna defeated the demon Narakasur . Part of the ritual of the festival is that people get up before sunrise and take a bath, if possible with fragrant oil. You light oil lamps and decorate the house with special Kolams . You usually wear new clothes, visit each other and give each other sweets , in the evenings you light fireworks and crackling frogs.
- The third day is dedicated to the goddess Lakshmi and is called Lakshmi Puja .
- It is considered the most important day of festivities in northern India. Here the lights are interpreted as a greeting for them. It is said that she does not go to apartments that have no lights in front of them and that have not been tidied up and cleaned. This day is also of special importance for shopkeepers. Not only do they clean and paint their businesses, they also create new business books. For the coming year they ask Lakshmi for success. Lakshmi Puja is considered to be particularly favorable for gambling , as the goddess embodies luck herself. As an omen for the coming year, many people take z. B. take part in a raffle or go to the casino.
- The fourth day is called Govardhan Puja (also Balipratipada , Padawa ).
- Be on him Krishna and Vishnu worshiped, and he is considered the first day of the new year. Wives wave a tray of lights around their husbands' heads in blessing and then dab a blessing point on their foreheads.
- The fifth and last day is Bhau Beej (also Bhaiduj , Bhayitika ).
- On him sisters bless their brothers with the light. On this brother-sister day, both promise to protect one another.
Commercial importance, pollution
Just as Christmas has become very much a consumer event in the western countries, which are in the Christian tradition, this is also partly the case with Diwali. The time around Diwali is the main shopping season in major Indian cities. Around Diwali, gold and jewelry are particularly popular.
This economization has also met with criticism. The festival has degenerated from a silent and spiritual to a loud and meaningless commercial event. The strong air pollution from the numerous fireworks and burning oil lamps, which regularly leads to the corresponding fine dust limit values in the Indian metropolises being far exceeded during the time around Diwali, is also criticized .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ India Today of October 25, 2019: Ban on environmentally harmful Divali fireworks in Delhi does not work
- ↑ Calculation by Hindu Luni-Solar Calendar: When will be Deepavali in the coming years? Accessed December 4, 2015 .
- ↑ [1]
- ↑ Holiday Calendar: November 2015. Government of India, accessed December 4, 2015 .
- ↑ http://www.mom.gov.sg/employment-practices/public-holidays#Year-2016
- ↑ timeanddate.de Divali in Singapore, accessed on November 2, 2018
- ↑ Together for a human ecology
- ↑ The names of the days may vary depending on the region.
- ↑ Reuters: Prices to dull gold's luster in India for Dhanteras (Engl.)
- ↑ Kali Choudas
- ↑ Saritha Rai: Raging Battle Among India's Top Online Retailers To Dominate Upcoming Diwali Shopping Frenzy. forbes Asia, October 6, 2015, accessed December 4, 2015 .
- ↑ Mukul Devichand: Jewelery as to investment: Financial wisdom or misguided tradition? BBC News, July 3, 2011, accessed December 4, 2015 .
- ↑ Geeta Pandey: Crass, loud, meaningless: Why have we ruined Diwali like this? BBC News, November 15, 2015, accessed December 4, 2015 .
- ^ Ritam Halder: Delhi: Air quality worsens on Diwali, pollution levels 23 times higher. Hindustan Times, November 12, 2015, accessed December 4, 2015 .
- ↑ Chirag Verma, Dhananjay K. Deshmukh: The ambient air and noise quality in India during diwali festival: A Review. Recent Research in Science and Technology 2014, 6 (1): 203-210 PDF