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 reduces
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 commemmorates 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. |
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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 organise a special puja on this day. The five day
festival is wrapped up by Bhai Duj, the time to honour the brother-sister relationship.
We at The Holiday Spot bring you all the interesting stories related to the Festival
of Lights, that has its root in the Indian mythology. |
