DĪVĀLĪ

DĪVĀLĪ Dīvālī (the modern contraction for Sanskrit dīpāvalī, "garland of lamps") is a very popular festival, celebrated annually in most parts of India. It takes place at the end of the "dark" half of the month of Kārttika (October–November), thus beginning just before the new moon and lasting from three to five days, when the sky is the darkest. Rows of bright candles and lamps in the temples, halls, on roofs and in windows of houses, hanging in small baskets from poles, and lined up along roads and in parks, contrast with the dark sky, and firecrackers are set off. Tiny rafts carrying earthen lamps are sent sailing down the rivers. People celebrate mythological victories of the gods over evil, as well as the reunion of brothers and sisters who had been separated when the girls left their parental homes after marriage.

Dīvālī is actually a cluster of several events, some of which have been attested for nearly two millennia. Among these is the propitiation of Yama, the god of death, so as to ensure a long life, and the lighting of a lamp for naraka (hell), that is, for the avoidance of hell. The propitiation of Yama is now generally omitted, though a lamp is still lit for naraka. There is also the celebration of the slaying of the demon Naraka by Krishna, and an oil bath is taken to ward off hell. Noise making at midnight is thought to drive out bad luck, and the worship of the goddess Lakshmī ensures good fortune; a small clay lamp, filled with clarified butter (ghee), is lit in her honor. In some regions the worship of the good demon Bali, who has been banished to the netherworld, is included in the festivities; since Shiva is believed to have been defeated in gambling on that day by his wife Pārvatī, men (and even women) are encouraged to gamble that morning.

In some provinces, houses are cleaned and painted and metal vessels are polished during Dīvālī. Shops are decorated and illuminated, and merchants worship their books of accounts and host friends, customers, and other traders. Indeed it was sometimes alleged that divine Brahmā granted Dīvālī especially to the traders as their festival; but it is enjoyed by all with new clothes, sweets, socializing, and a sumptuous feast.

Hartmut E. Scharfe

See alsoHinduism (Dharma)

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Sharma, Brijendra Nath. Festivals of India. New Delhi: Abhinav Publications, 1978.