Every autumn, homes in India and around the world glow with the soft light of diyas—small clay lamps—while city streets are lit by string upon string of lights, and rangoli, intricate designs made with brightly colored chalk and powders, adorn floors and entryways. This is Diwali, India’s five-day Festival of Lights and one of South Asia's most widely celebrated and significant holidays.
In traditional Hindu celebrations, the first night of Diwali focuses on buying precious metals (which leads to shopping and traffic chaos in India) and worshiping Dhanvantari, the god of Ayurveda. The second night commemorates Krishna’s victory over the demon Narakasura and is marked by early-morning bathing rituals. Day 3, the peak of Diwali, features rituals for Lakshmi and Ganesha, gifts, fireworks, and lamp lighting. The fourth day honors Krishna again, and the fifth day sees brothers and sisters honor each other with prayers and gifts.
India’s festivals follow an ancient calendar based on lunar cycles, while our Gregorian calendar is based on the Sun's movement. So, while the main day of Diwali always falls on the 15th day of the lunar month of Kartik, the corresponding Gregorian date shifts from late October through mid-November. This year, Diwali falls on November 7th.
In northern and central India, Diwali is closely tied to another festival, Dussehra, as both celebrate the climactic events of the great Indian epic the Ramayana. Dussehra marks the final defeat of the demon Ravana by the story’s hero, Rama, and features the burning of a giant, firecracker-filled effigy of Ravana. Burning contemporary effigies has become popular in recent years. Effigies representing “Corruption,” “Price Rise,” and “Terrorism” have become common. During COVID, people added giant figures of the “Coronavirus,” complete with face masks. This year, Delhi's Dussehra featured a giant cockroach figure. Claimed to be a civic message against “unhygienic urban conditions,” it has sparked debate. With youth protests rising under the banner of the Cockroach Party many see it as more political than civic.
Twenty days after Dussehra, Diwali marks Rama's return to his capital, Ayodhya, after defeating Ravana. The Ramayana says that because he arrived on the dark, moonless night of Kartik Amavasya, the citizens of Ayodhya lined every building, doorway, window, rooftop, and path with earthen diyas. Originally called Deepavali, meaning “a row of lamps,” these little lamps have come to symbolize Diwali worldwide.
While Diwali is a Hindu festival, other religions in India also celebrate the new moon night of Kartik Amavasya for reasons appropriate to each tradition rather than to commemorate Rama’s return to Ayodhya. For Jains, Diwali marks the liberation of their last Tirthankara (spiritual teacher). Lamps are lit to symbolize the desire to retain the light of divine knowledge that had left the physical world. Sikhs celebrate the night the Mughal Emperor Jahangir released Sikh Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji from prison. When he arrived in Amritsar, Sikhs lit the entire city and the Golden Temple with thousands of lamps.
Buddhists celebrate Diwali as Ashoka Vijayadashami, marking a major milestone in Buddhist history rather than events from the Ramayana. In the 3rd century BCE, Emperor Ashoka defeated a rival empire in the Kalinga War, but at a terrible cost. Seeing the carnage and destruction of the war, in which over 100,000 Kalingas were killed, caused Ashoka deep remorse, and he subsequently abandoned further military action and converted to Buddhism. This was a turning point in the spread of Buddhism in India.
I was fortunate to be in Nepal one year during Diwali, which local Newar Buddhists celebrate as Tihar. Unlike the first two days of Diwali, the initial days of Tihar focus on animals. The first day honors crows and ravens as messengers of Yama, the god of death, while the second day honors all dogs, strays and pets alike, as loyal companions and guardians of Yama’s realm. If you’ve ever been to South Asia, you know that stray dogs are a fixture of the landscape, and as we wandered around Kathmandu, we saw that every single street dog had been draped with a garland of flowers, had a tilak painted on their foreheads and paws, and was provided with plenty to eat! Later, we visited a pet-sitting facility where we got to celebrate with and adorn all the dogs whose owners were out of town. As a true dog-person, I was captivated by the day’s celebrations and loved honoring the dogs this way. I’ve brought the ceremony home and now celebrate it with my own pups every year.
—Michael
Michael Levin, MA, E-RYT 500, is a non-resident research fellow at the Jindal India Institute and the director of the Konari Vikas Foundation. He leads the YCC’s monthly Satsang, and co-teaches Beyond the Sutras with Kelly Fisher. Click here for more information or to register for the next Monthly Satsang Gathering on November 11th, an online-only gathering for curious souls seeking deeper discussion and exploration of yoga texts, teachings, and practices.
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