The festival of light

Deepavali falls on October 17:

by P. Krishnaswamy

There are interesting legends about Hindus celebrating Deepavali, but the common belief is that it marks the worship of God in the form of Light. Hindus, all over India, Sri Lanka and other countries in the world celebrate Deepavali as a festival of joy and liberation from bondage. The lighting of oil lamps on that day symbolises thanking the Gods for the happiness, knowledge, peace and wealth that they have received.

One legend behind this festival is that Narakasura, a demon, ruled his kingdom of Pradyoshapuram and under his rule people suffered a lot due to imprisonments, tortures and other forms of hardships. They were not allowed to dress well or be happy. The demon kidnapped their women to be imprisoned in his palace. Seeing his wickedness, Lord Krishna set out to destroy him and the day Narakasura was slain was celebrated as Deepavali, the triumph of good over evil, the story goes.

Customarily, Hindus wake up early in the morning to be applied with oil over their body - head to heel - by the father or elders in the family followed by a bath normally called 'Ganga Isnan', which means bathing in the Holy river Ganges.

They then dress in new clothes after displaying them in front of the statues or lithographs of deities they worship. Women would be clad in silk sarees or Punjabi suits of various bright shades.

Hindus particularly dislike dressing in black on that day as they consider black an inauspicious colour for the festival. Hindus would also pay respect to the elderly and most families would go to the temple after having a breakfast of sweets.