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why is diwali in india celebrated
Diwali or Deepawali is the festival of lights celebrated across the country. The festival of lights which is celebrated in the month of Kartik usually lasts five days, starting from Dhanteras, followed by Narak Chaturdashi (Chhoti Diwali), Lakshmi Pujan (Badi Diwali), Govardhan Puja and Bhai Dooj.
Deepawali originates from Sanskrit words deep (lamp) and vali (row). It literally means “row of lights”. The festival is celebrated by lighting earthen lamps
Lakshmi, the goddess of fortune, is the most prominent goddess associated with Diwali, and thus her story is one that has particular significance to the festival.
As the story goes, through a display of arrogance, the god Indra once provoked Lakshmi to leave the divine world and enter the milky ocean. Without the guidance and blessings of Lakshmi, the world then turned into a dark place, and the gods were desperate to bring her back. After churning the milky ocean for 1,000 years, Lakshmi was finally reborn, rising to the surface on a beautiful lotus flower, and once again bringing to the world her blessings of good fortune.
story of diwali in india
Once upon a time there was a great warrior, Prince Rama, who had a beautiful wife named Sita.
There was also a terrible demon king, Ravana. He had twenty arms and ten heads, and was feared throughout the land. He wanted to make Sita his wife, and one day he kidnapped her and took her away in his chariot. Clever Sita left a trail of her jewellery for Rama to follow.
Rama followed the trail of glittering jewellery until he met the monkey king, Hanuman, who became his friend and agreed to help find Sita. Messages were sent to all the monkeys in the world, and through them to all the bears, who set out to find Sita.
After a very long search, Hanuman found Sita imprisoned on an island. Rama’s army of monkeys and bears couldn’t reach the island, so they began to build a bridge. Soon all the animals of the world, large and small, came to help. When the bridge was built, they rushed across it and fought a mighty battle.
When Rama killed the evil Ravana with a magic arrow, the whole world rejoiced. Rama and Sita began their long journey back to their land, and everybody lit oil lamps to guide them on their way and welcome them back.
Ever since, people light lamps at Diwali to remember that light triumphs over dark and good triumphs over evil.
With Diwali around the corner, the festivities are in full swing with people buying gifts, clothes, home decor items and what not. No festival is complete without sweets so how can the biggest Indian festival be celebrated without a lot of mithai. Ditch buying sweets from the market and add a homemade touch to your Diwali party by making mithai yourself. If you too love making sweets at home but don’t want to indulge in tedious recipes, then we have a solution for you. Here are some super easy recipes that you can make in no time with just 3 ingredients! (image credits- istock)Also See: Traditional Diwali RecipesAlso See: Diwali food for diabetic patientsAlso See: Diwali Snacks Recipes
As the exuberance of the festivity can be felt every where, it’s that time of the year when the festive fervour engulfs the soul with the hope of happiness and prosperity.
From beautifully lit up streets to little fairy lights winning our hearts to the encapsulating aroma of desi ghee ladoos and mithai, the preparations for the biggest festival has begun and it is impossible to think of this festival of happiness and harmony without mentioning of some indulgent delicacies that have been a quintessential part of our culinary culture.
Significance of Diwali
Diwali, the ‘festival of lights’, can also be called ‘the festival of flavours’! Yes, that’s right! In India, festival means wearing new clothes, visiting various places, decorating the whole house, having fun with loved ones and relishing tons of food items!
Diwali marks the day on which Lord Rama came back home after spending 14 years in the forest, away from his family. But, apart from that reason, the day is celebrated with joy because he won the battle over the demon king Ravana and brought Sita back. For his arrival, every corner of Ayodhya was decorated with diyas which were lit with ghee. In addition to the Ramayana factor, people also celebrate Diwali as ‘Lakshmi puja’. It is believed that Goddess Lakshmi graces those homes with wealth and prosperity which are brightly illuminated on the big day!
20 best traditional Diwali in india recipes
Talking about the food, there are many items which are specially prepared for Diwali. The festival of Diwali is incomplete without sweets, but except them, there exists a diversity of snacks which are traditionally prepared during this festive season. So, here, in this article, we are sharing the 20 best traditional Diwali recipes which you can enjoy with your near and dear ones!
1. Samosa
A crispy and spicy samosa is something which nobody can say no to! It can be the perfect snack for you for this festive occasion.
- Besan Ladoo
- Rava Ladoo
- Boondi Ladoo
- Karanji
- Shankarpali
- Tikhat Shev (Spicy Sev)
- Chakli
- Chivda
- Chiroti
- Anarase
- Kadboli
And some of these snacks include –
- Namakpare
- Gujiya
- Kachori
- Samosas
Then, there are the sweets as well –
- Kaju Katli
- Pedas
- Gulab Jamuns and Rossogullas
As you can see, these are some of the well-known snacks and sweets from different parts of the country.
But they do get served during the festival of Diwali in Maharashtra.
In the next section, though, I have shared a few more insights on the traditional Maharashtrian Faral delicacies.
In case you’re not familiar with this culture, I’m sure the following details will help you in understanding it a little bit better.
diwali wishes