What Is Diwali Celebrating? It Depends

Diwali is a pretty big deal. Think Christmas (gift giving), the Fourth of July (fireworks), Halloween (a lot of sugar), and New Year’s Day (based on a non-solar calendar) all wrapped up into one. It’s basically one big party. But what exactly is Diwali celebrating? Well, let’s just say it’s complicated.

 

The General Idea

Diwali, it could be said, is a national festival in the world’s most populated country—India. Given the massive number of people, it can’t be expected that all Indians think alike, and they definitely don’t. Trying to describe Diwali in a broad, generic way that doesn’t attract ire (or at least a strong desire to edit) isn’t the easiest task. Here’s a take that most would accept (maybe).

Diwali—also written as Divali, Deepawali, and Deepavali among others—is a festival of lights celebrating the triumph of lightness over dark, or good over evil. The term originates from the Sanskrit word deepavali, meaning row of lights, and common decorative elements for the festival include oil lamps (diyas) and colorful designs (rangoli).

The timing of events is based on a lunar calendar (lunisolar to be exact), landing the proceedings in October or November. Spending time with family (and exchanging gifts), partaking in feasts (often with a very high glycemic index), and enjoying fireworks are all key components of the festivities.

Government offices, schools, and many businesses are closed for the holiday.

 

Variations

Diwali probably dates back a couple thousand years and may have originated as a harvest festival. Given this timeframe, it is typically viewed as a Hindu festival. (I won’t open another can of worms by trying to define Hinduism.) Today, the manner of celebration can vary from region to region, specifically in regards to which religious figures Diwali is celebrating and why. (Don’t sweat it if the names that follow don’t sound familiar.)

One common convention includes a five-day celebration, with the third day being the most important and accounting for the aforementioned holiday. On that third day, Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity, is welcomed into homes to bless residents with a little of both. The occasion marks either the birthday of Lakshmi or her marriage to Vishnu.

In eastern India, the goddess Kali is the focus of worship.

In certain northern Indian states, the celebration is tied to the return of Rama from 14 years in exile after defeating the demon king Ravana.

And in the southern Indian states, the festival commemorates Krishna’s defeat of the demon Narakasura. Depending on the exact location, festivities may last only one day or perhaps not take place at all.

In some cases, Diwali may mark the beginning of a new year, and—given the connection to wealth—be used as the start of a new fiscal year.

With the spread of Hinduism across the world—due to both indentured servitude and voluntary migration patterns—Diwali celebrations can now be found in many countries including but not limited to Australia, Canada, Fiji, Guyana, Malaysia, Mauritius, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

The celebration of Diwali is, of course, not limited to Indians of just one faith. For example, Sikhism marks Guru Hargobind’s return from captivity at the hands of the Mughal Empire during Diwali. Similarly, Jainism uses the occasion to celebrate the liberation of Mahavira from the cycle of life and death. Newar Buddhists (in Nepal) celebrate Emperor Ashoka’s conversion to Buddhism. And Muslims and Christians partake in Diwali because the festivities are…festive (see below).

 

The Christmas Parallel

To simplify the above, a parallel can be drawn to the celebration of Christmas in America, where most everyone can agree that the decorations, cookies, and gifts are kind of cool (if not the two months of incessant Christmas carols). Attaching a deeper meaning is optional. Similarly, the joyous, colorful, and firework-infused celebrations of Diwali have a magnetism that overrides self-identification and regionalization.

As a side note, both holidays have also raised environmental concerns, namely the carbon footprint of the (real and artificial) Christmas tree industry and the contribution to air pollution of Diwali fireworks.

 

If you’d like to dive in and participate in the festivities, I recommend a trip to your local Indian grocery store. They’ll have everything you need, from the pyrotechnics to the high-octane sweets. Then you can go home, relax, and celebrate whatever it is that Diwali is celebrating.

 

Rao Vempaty, general surgeon and legitimate Indian, contributed to this article.