Culture

The light of hope

- Taanyaa Kapoor

India is not only a land of rich heritage and culture but also a home to many festivals that are celebrated in different ways because of the diversity. The traditions and customs for these festivals vary from state to state. This month will see the celebration of Diwali, also known as Deepawali across India.

The significance of Diwali is the victory of light over darkness. The celebrations go on for almost a week that starts with Dhanteras, Diwali, Govardhan puja, and Bhai Dooj. In South India itself, the customs vary from state to state and the same follows in North India. In Tamil Nadu, folks pray to lord Krishna whereas in states like Punjab, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, they pray to lord Lakshmi.

Illustration : Mario Sharan

In Tamil Nadu, the tradition to celebrate is by waking up early in the morning at 4 am and taking a oil bath in a big vessel.

After the oil bath, it’s mandatory for everyone in the family to consume an age-old herb called ‘Legiyam’. The reason why the people in Tamil Nadu believe in consuming this herb is because it helps in digestion. The day follows for the people by praying to the lord and bursting crackers the entire day.

In Delhi and Punjab, Hindus pray to lord Lakshmi and celebrate Dhanteras, Diwali, Govardhan Puja and Bhai Dooj very grandly. In states like Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andra Pradesh Hindus pray and do their puja early in the morning but states like Maharashtra, Delhi, Punjab pray in the evening.

During the same time, folks residing in states like Haryana, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Delhi, Punjab, and West Bengal celebrating Bhai Dooj is quite famous. This festival is also known as Bhaubeej, Bhai Tika or Bhai Phonta in other states. The significance behind the celebration lies in the bond that is shared between a brother and sister. It’s somewhat similar to Raksha Bandhan but the only difference here is that the sister does not tie rakhi to the brother and instead just puts a tika on the brother’s forehead which is made with grains of

While rest of the country is celebrating Diwali, states and towns like West Bengal, Sikkim, Darjeeling and Kalimpong the people celebrate a very famous and important festival called Tihar.

Families who celebrate Tihar don’t worship the lord in particular. They believe in worshipping animals. The celebrations go on for five days and during this time the

people worship animals like dogs, crows and cows to honour Laxmi. The first day is devoted to worshipping crows who are also known as the messenger of death, whereas the second day is dedicated towards dogs who are considered as the guardian for the god of death. On the third day, the people welcome goddess Laxmi, and on the fourth day, it is dedicated to thank cows. The fifth day is the last and final day where brothers and sisters celebrate Tihar Tika, that’s the same as Bhai Dooj.

Even though the people in the country do not celebrate the festival with the same traditions and culture, the thought and meaning does not change. This is what makes Indian festivals and its people very unique from each other!