Celebrating Diwali
Diwali or Dīpĝvali is a significant faith festival in Hinduism, Sikhism, and Jainism. It is also popularly known as the "Festival of Lights" and is a lunar-calendar based event that occurs between mid-October and mid-November. The word "Diwali" is a contraction of "Deepavali" which translates into "row of lamps".
The festival of Diwali symbolizes the victory of light over dark, good over evil and knowledge over darkness.
Hindu tradition: Diwali is one of the biggest festivals in the Hindu calendar and there are multiple reasons why Hindus celebrate this festival. The most popular narrative, based in the ancient Sanskrit epic Ramayana, is of Lord Rama, his wife Sita and brother Lakshmana returning to their kingdom Ayodhya after defeating demon king Ravana.
Jain tradition: Diwali marks the attainment of enlightenment by Lord Mahavira, the 24th Tirthankara of Jainism who laid down the central tenets of the Jain religion as it is practiced today.
Sikh tradition: Diwali commemorates the release of Guru Hargobind, the sixth Sikh Guru, who was imprisoned by the Mughal emperor Jahangir. When Guru Hargobind arrived in Amritsar, his devotees lit thousands of oil lamps to celebrate his return. For Sikhs, this day is known as Bandi Chhor Divas (day of release from prison.
Celebrate Diwali by lighting lamps, distributing sweets and practicing acts of charity. Diwali is on Monday 24 Oct 22.
Karan Gupta, Co-Chair of our BASW Cymru Anti-racist Group shares his Diwali with us.