sententia

Late October and early November typically marks the beginning of the festival Divali (alternate spellings: Dipavali, Diwali, Deepavali), one of the foremost celebrations for members of the Hindu, Sikh and Jain religious traditions. Though each of these traditions developed in the Indian subcontinent, celebrations now occur around the world.

Background

The name Divali comes from the words “dipa” (lamp) and “vali” (necklace), and thus means “necklace of lights” and is usually understood to be a festival of lights.

Particularly in the northern regions of India, Divali marks the beginning of the new year. More universally, it symbolizes the conquest of good over evil — though how exactly this is understood varies in different religious contexts.

The festival occurs annually between October 15th and November 14th, on the new moon. Celebrants of the festival often decorate their homes with lights, dress in new clothes, exchange gifts and setting off firecrackers.

This celebration typically lasts five days in northern India, and four days in the South.

Hindu Traditions

Members of the Hindu traditions celebrate Divali for several different reasons. Especially in southern India, it marks the occasion on which Lord Krishna ensured the victory of light over darkness by defeating Narakasura, a demon from the underworld. In some variants of the story, Sathyabhama (Krishna’s wife) was actually the one who defeated Narakasura.

In Northern India, many Hindus celebrate Lord Rama’s victorious return to Ayodhya after defeating the demon king, Ravana. Tradition holds that people lit lamps along the way to light the path for Rama, his wife Sita and brother Lakshmana.

According to the Hindu epic, the Ramayana, following his return to Ayodhya, Rama was coronated as the king of Ayodhya and Emperor of the world.

Sikh Traditions

The Sikh celebration of Divali coincides with the Hindu celebration, but is celebrated on a different basis. For members of the Sikh community, Divali marks the release of the sixth Guru, Hargobind, from imprisonment.

According to tradition, Hargobind was imprisoned together with fifty-two Hindu princes under the Mughal emperor, Jehangir. When Jehangir finally relented and allowed Hargobind to go free, the Guru said that he would not leave unless the fifty-two princes also be set free.

The stories relate that Jehangir agreed that he would release the princes only if they were able to hold onto Hargobind’s clothing; Hargobind had a cloak made with extremely long tassels, and thereby saved the princes from imprisonment.

Jain Traditions

In Jainism, Mahavira was the last of the twenty-four tirthankaras (teachers who were victorious over the suffering of life).

Jains believe that Mahavira achieved enlightenment at age forty-two, after which time he was known as the jina, a title reserved for important religious leaders like the Buddha.

In time, other traditions stopped using the term jina for their leaders, except for the ascetic disciples of Mahavira. These disciples came to be known as Jainas, from which we get religious tradition’s current name, “Jainism”. The time of Mahavira’s enlightment is thus very important for Jains around the world, and it is celebrated in the festival of Divali.

Similar to the Sikh and Hindu traditions, the festival is also seen as marking the victory of light over darkness, which was demonstrated by Mahavira’s attainment of nirvana on that day. Jains also regard Divali as the beginning of the new year, and they especially worship Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and good fortune, during this time. Unlike the Hindus and Sikhs, which often see Divali as a time for feasting, the Jains typically engage in fasting, a vestige of their ascetic heritage.