Last week the Indian community in and around Athlone celebrated Diwali, the Festival of Lights, in Monksland Community Centre. Around 100 people from both the Indian and Irish communities gathered to mark the auspicious occasion. Diwali, which marks the biggest Indian festival is celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs, and Jains all over India and the world. This festival is almost equivalent to Christmas in its importance to the celebrants. The date of Diwali is decided by the lunar calendar, in much the same way as the date for Easter is decided. Every year, Diwali is celebrated on the 14th lunar day when there is no moon, in late October to mid November. Again, like Christmas, it is a very happy occasion for all.
The central theme of all legends behind the celebration of Diwali, is the victory of good over evil. The manner in which the festival is observed, varies by religion, tradition, and geographic location; however a common theme is the lighting of lamps within a house. This represents the lighting of the lamp of knowledge within each of us, encouraging us to understand and reflect upon the significance of each of the days of festivities, and bringing those thoughts into our day-to-day lives.
Diwali is illuminated by lighted diyas (lamps ) bring supernatural brightness and joy with the hope of finding light in darkness, achieving knowledge where there is ignorance, and spreading love amidst hatred. Light is significant in Hinduism because it signifies goodness. So, during the Festival of Lights, lamps are burned throughout the day and into the night, to ward off the darkness and evil.
Homes are filled with diyas (lamps ), candles and lights. Some people use decorated lighted candles, some decorated diyas or clay lamps, and other decorative lights, and put them in their windows for the festival. Traditionally, people use diyas with cotton wicks and oil to light up the dark night. As humankind progresses, tradition gives way to modernity; earthenware lamps and candles of various colours and forms have been replaced in places by electric lights of different shapes and sizes, which illuminate the dark, autumnal nights of Diwali. But although the form of lighting changes with time, the general tradition and customs are carried on through the generations.
On the days around Diwali, people wake at the crack of dawn to conduct the customary religious traditions around the festival. Dressed in brilliant silks and glittering gold jewellery, families gather and light fireworks to usher in the holy evening. They then visit friends and relatives, bringing sweets and savouries to enjoy together. Even today, Diwali is such a wonderful festival, a time of giving and sharing, a time to catch up with people - in other words, it’s a time to catch up with the little joys that we keep overlooking during the rest of the year.
