Diwali, Deepavali, or the Festival of Lights as it is known in the West is one of the most significant festivals in the world. Considering that about a billion people in the world celebrate it, Wonkie finds it quite surprising that many people know little more about it than it being the Indian “Christmas” equivalent of sorts.
The Diwali celebration takes place over five days during the Hindu lunar month called Kartika – usually around October-November in the western calendar. The main Diwali festival itself falls on the no moon phase of the lunar cycle. The darkness in the sky is offset by streets and homes lined with lit clay lamps. Add to that the amazing firework displays, rich sweets, delicious food and festive atmosphere and you’ve the makings of quite a celebration. This year, Diwali falls on the 5 November.
Although the festival represents different things to different communities in India, one of the core reasons for the festival is rooted in the epic Hindu scripture, the Ramayana. The day commemorates the triumph of good over evil and represents the conclusion of the story narrated by Amitabh Bachchan in today’s cart00n. The story as it is told is a long and fascinating one.. in summary though, it is a hero’s journey. Prince Rama and his wife Sita are banished from the kingdom and leave to live in a forest for 14 years. During their exile the king of Lanka, an evil demon named Ravana deviously managed to kidnap Sita. After many trials and with the help of the devoted monkey warrior Hanuman and his army, Rama manages to successfully rescue Sita from Lanka.
After Sita was rescued, their period of exile was over and they returned home to Ayodhya. In celebration of his victory over evil and with great symbolism, the streets were lined with lit lamps called diyas. Hence the name Diwali or Deepavali which translated from Sanskrit means row of lamps.
The remaining four days of festivities (two days before and two after) include giving appreciation and thanks for wealth, acknowledgement of siblings – particularly between brothers and sisters, and the spreading of general goodwill. The day following the Diwali festival itself marks the start of the Hindu New Year in many parts of India.
The Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore eloquently communicated the significance of Diwali in a single beautiful verse:
“The night is black. Kindle the lamp of love with thy life and devotion.”
Wonkie would like to wish all readers a very Happy Diwali filled with positive spirit and goodwill. May you all have a great year ahead!
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Hey Wonkie is getting all religious! LOL! Just now it will start to sound like my UCP-Universal Collective Prayer…hmmm…seeing as I’m busy with nanowrimo and have been kinda on a go slow on there…maybe I can just share this blog on my UCP…going to! Will post the link back here when I’m done plagiarising! 🙂 With credit though!
Here’s what I did with the cartoon!
http://universalcollectiveprayer.blogspot.com/2010/11/happy-diwali-2010-with-wonkie-cartoons.html
How refreshing to have a non-political cartoon for a change
Oh dear, bonfires for Guy Fawkes, crackers for Diwali, fireworks for New Year.
Please don’t – Amen
You know these cartoons are just not funny
Knowledge is always good, especially when good triumphs over evil!
Good post!
Oh, Wonkie! What a lovely cartoon! Funny, as always, but full of sentiment.
I, too, wish all readers who celebrate this wonderful festival, a Diwali filled with love, peace and harmony.
sum pips know hw 2 celebrate their festivs, y dont we do de same in SA instead of killing our luvd 1s. Hapy Diwali 2 all de Westerns
please tell me something about guy fawks the real stori
Pelizo, for me to give my opinion on that could drive you crackers.
(excuse the oun) It’s a celebration that began circa 1611 during the time King
James and his bishops were arguing about what must be added to their Bible to
make it more attractive to the heathen.
But Politics as usual, was a little stronger than religion. A mad guy called Guy Falkes was just
as sick of that government, as many of us today with ours. Many would like to see the whole
bang shoot, (excuse the pun) be blown out of existence.
This Guy and his GodZillas, (excuse the pun) tried to do just that, but the security forces got in
just in time and removed all the gunpowder before it could harm anyone.
Since that day, the British people have been sulking. Especially the atheists who would have
preferred James and his Bible to go to Hell. Ever since, in deep mourning, they celebrate that
lost day, by blowing up crackers regularly every 5th of November. They also make great big
bonfires, place an effigy of Guy Fawlkes in the centre, light it and watch him burn in hell for
being so damned clumsy as to be caught in the act.
Seeing a great big bunch of them descended on S.A. after the Dutch boere came, they brought
that noisy celebration with them. They later setup ‘The South African Party to oppose the
boere. Perhaps bringing Guy Fawkes was the hidden agenda of those bloody agents.
Beautiful story of the triumph of good over evil
Is a story about which humanity is familiar, hence it is expressed in many communities in many different fables
Like all religious festivals this one also makes no sence being celebrated over the dark period of the moon. There is a reasom why so manny people are “van die maan gepla”! The moon does not shine because of it’s own light but it’s the light of the sun reflecting – same way us christians do not shine because of our own light but shine because the light of God reflects from us christians. {Ponder on Romans 1:20 !} ( Now, do keep in mind that christians are not the religous sunday church-goers…we are free from dead works, festivals and bulldust to celebrate or all kinds of rituals like baptisms to undertake )
Just like the surface of the moon, we are nor perfect…just a dead stone reflecting the true light here on earth – the point I aim at is the fact that this festival of lights is being celebrated by religious slaves of their religion during the dark time of the moon with manmade light! This is the way of ALL religions – they bare their own man-made light and they feel safer doing that while there in no reflection of the true light!
I’m a Hindu by birth. I’ll live the glorious life of a Hindu, and finally, I’ll die as a Hindu. In between, I’ll celebrate all the functions Hindu’s perform, including Deepavali.
@dirk – you are truly supreme. If by supreme one means the lord of happy-clappy Christian idiots on which all symbolism is lost. Go pray to your cross and pretend its not an idol.