An Indian Festival - Diwali
Introduction-
India is the land of festivals. There are many festival in India like Holi,Rakshabandhan,Dashahara, Diwali etc.
Diwali is certainly one of the biggest festivals in India. It is probably the brightest festival in the world.
People of different religions celebrate Diwali.
The Diwali festival signifies the victory of light over darkness. This also means the triumph of good over evil and knowledge over ignorance.
It is known as the festival of lights.
Diwali also called “Deepawali” is a major Hindu festival of India.
The Religious Significance of Diwali-
The religious significance of diwali festival varies from one region to another in India.
According to the Ramayana, Diwali is the day of the return of Rama. This day Lord Rama returned to Ayodhya along with his wife Sita.
This return was made after Rama defeated demon King Ravana.
Hindus believe that his return was welcomed by the people of Ayodhya by lighting up the streets and houses by small earthen oil lamps; therefore, the Hindus celebrate the day as the festival of lights.
Association of Diwali to Goddess Lakshmi is the belief of many Hindus.
Lakshmi is the wife of Lord Vishnu. She also happens to be the Goddess of wealth and prosperity.
According to a legend, Diwali is the night of Lakshmi wedding. This night she chose and wed Vishnu.
Eastern India Hindus associate Diwali with Goddess Durga or kali.
Diwali is all about worshiping the deities, burning crackers, having sweets and making merry with the loved ones. It is considered to be one of the most auspicious days in the Hindu calendar.
Preparation & Worship-Diwali festival is 5 day festival, it start with Dhanteras and ends on Bhai Dooj.
On the day of Diwali, people light up their houses with diyas, candles and lights. They also make rangoli and decorate their houses with flowers.
Diwali is also known as Deepawali meaning a row of diyas.
Houses decorated with lights of different colours and sizes, earthen lamps glittering at the entrances and over the boundaries and railings make the view mesmerizing.
People come out of their houses in new clothes and burn crackers and fireworks.
The ritual of worshipping Goddess Lakshmi and Ganesha is followed during evening hours in every Hindu household on the occasion of Diwali.
People wear new clothes and offer prayers to the deities. It is believed that worshipping Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Ganesha on this day brings in wealth, prosperity and good luck.
Advantage-
As per the Hindu calendar, Diwali falls on the new moon (amavasya) during the Kartik month.
This is considered to be one of the most auspicious times in the Hindu religion.
People begin with the preparations by cleaning their houses and shops.Every nook and corner of the houses, shops and offices is cleaned before Diwali.
Cleaning the house kills mosquito and gems and it makes your home healthy to live.
People shops for new clothes, home decor items and gifts for their loved ones on this festival.
Hindu merchants open new account books on Diwali.
This beautiful festival brings prosperity. This light festival brings peace to people.
It brings the light of peace to the heart.It is also a good time to bond with our near and dear ones.
People visit each other around this time and exchange gifts as a part of the celebration.
Pollution on Diwali
Fire crackers are also burnt as a part of Diwali celebrations. Large numbers of crackers are burnt on this day each year.
While it offers momentary pleasure, its repercussions are extremely harmful. It adds to air, noise and land pollution. Many people suffer due to the pollution caused.
There is indirect increase in the environmental pollution all over the world because of the bursting of various types of firecrackers during this festival.
Such firecrackers are very dangerous as they release toxic pollutants like sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and so many etc
which gets intermingled into the air and causes variety of ailments like asthma, bronchitis, hypertension, etc.
It affects the people of all age group however those people who already suffer any type of ailment.
Together with the human beings, it also affects the lives of animals, birds and other living beings due to air and noise pollution.
Air and water pollution is also caused by the decay of remnants of fireworks and deluge of garbage like empty bottles, papers used to light off rockets, gift wrappers, dried flowers, etc at the nook and corners of the city. We all should practice celebrating the pollution free Diwali every year in order to save and enjoy the natural beauty of environment forever.
Conclusion-
People await Diwali all year long and the preparations for its celebration begin almost a month before the festival.
People wait for this time of the year to start a new business, shift to a new house or purchase a big asset such car, shop, jewellery, etc.
Diwali, is a mark of the Hindu tradition. It is celebrated with joy and enthusiasm by the Hindu families year after year.
It is time to spread joy, love and laughter and not pollution.
Diwali without fire crackers would be much more beautiful. The newer generations must be sensitized about the harmful effects of burning crackers and should be encouraged to celebrate this festival without fireworks.
Now-a-days, there is a campaign run by the government to celebrate pollution free Diwali all over the country. Schools and various organizations also organizes various demonstrations prior to the celebration to educate and aware students for pollution-free festival.
Environment and pollution departments also do many efforts by publishing pollution free news in the various newspapers to aware people and curb noise and air pollution because of firecrackers. Bursting sound-emitting firecrackers has been banned by the Supreme Court especially during 10 pm to 6 am.