On Tuesday this week the Hindu community of Grahamstown celebrates the Festival of Lights (Diwali) with joy as they bid farewell to the old year.
On Tuesday this week the Hindu community of Grahamstown celebrates the Festival of Lights (Diwali) with joy as they bid farewell to the old year.
This traditional festival with its charm and glory, identified by the flickering lights of earthenware oil lamps in houses, shops and public areas, is followed by the Hindu New Year 2069 on 14 November 2012. A Havan (sacred fire prayer) ceremony will be held in the Hindu Mandir (temple) at 7am on Wednesday to herald the New Year.
Although the legends accompanying the festival are different in all parts of India, the central theme of Diwali is the victory of good over evil. Embodied in the spirit of Diwali is the caring and upliftment of those who are in need and sharing goodwill with others. It is not just about spirituality, but also to lead a life where good values such as honesty, respect, togetherness and pride prevail.
To Hindus, darkness represents ignorance, and light is a metaphor for knowledge. Therefore lighting a lamp symbolises the destruction, through knowledge, of all negative forces. Diwali is not just the lighting of the lamps, but the return of Lord Rama to Ayodha.
Thousands of clay lamps illuminated Ayodha as Lord Ram returned after his 14 years of exile. Hence the significance of lighting the clay lamps to this day has added much more meaning. The sound of fireworks too, announces the celebrations of Diwali where young and old look forward to the display, although in recent years there’s has been a move against them because of noise and atmospheric pollution and the number of accidental injuries.
Diwali is very much a time for buying and exchanging gifts.Traditionally Indian sweetmeats were very common gifts to exchange, but the festival has become a time for serious shopping, leading to anxiety that commercialism is eroding the spiritual side of the festival.
The clay lamp, as the most significant symbol of Diwali, is also partially overpowered by coloured electric lights and decorated plates with lamps instead of the home-made decorations. Be that as it may Diwali will always be symbolised by the flickering of clay lamps.
WHAT MAKES DIWALI SO SPECIAL
The smell of delicious Diwali treats baking in the oven (and shared with family and friends), the exchange of gifts, the community congregating in the temple and display of colourful fireworks. In times of global unrest where suspicion, doubt and fear lurk in every heart, the need for the message becomes more relevant for all people.
The message is that peace must reign supreme, all people must be healthy and content and live without fear and anxiety in a world where people are guided by spiritual love.
