The Story and Spread of Hinduism

Hinduism has a continuous history which extends back to over two thousand years. Hinduism consists of a colossal number of branches. However, the majority of the Hindus belong to the branches of religion whose belief and practices are majorly focused on either of their gods.

These gods are worshipped at various times and their faith compelled them to believe that their prayers are answered through belief. They also observe numerous sacred days, holidays and festivals. The festivals are primarily celebrated by different sects of people and the event determines the nature of the celebration. This research paper discusses the authorship of the festival known as Diwali, the festival of the lights.

Origin

The origin of the festival is traced in the Indian subcontinent. The festival days and the rituals of Diwali vary among Hindus. The variance is based on the region of India. Basically, the celebrations always fall eighteen days after the Dussehra, and in many parts of India, the preparation of the festivals commences before the actual day. These celebrations fall eighteen days after the Dussehra.

The day is observed in almost all parts of the country and western, central, eastern and the northern Indian communities observe the main Diwali on no moon day, which is the darkest night of the traditional month. Some Indian communities mark the last day of celebration as the Bhai Dooj, a special dedication to bond between sister and brother. Other communities, however, mark the day as Vishwakarma Puja. They do this by maintaining their workspace equipment and they offer special prayers to the gods.

Celebration

Diwali, also known as Deepavali is prevalently known as the “festival of lights” is a five-day celebration which basically starts on Dhanteras. It is celebrated on the thirteenth lunar, the day of Krishna, which according to the Hindu calendar; it is the month of Ashwin. The celebration ends on Bhaubeej. Before Diwali, people clean, renovate do a lot of decorations in their houses, homes, and offices. On the evening before the day, people dress in their new and best outfits. They then light up the lamps and candles in and out of their homes. They then participate in the family prayers.

The prayers are carried out through the goddess of prosperity. In so doing, the families invite their friends where they celebrate by sharing meals together. They also exchange gifts between the family members and close friends who were invited. During this period, children are put down and taught ancient stories, legends concerning the battles which took place between the good and the evil. On the other hand, youths and adults alike help with the preparation and lighting of the fireworks. In fact, Diwali celebrations mark a major shopping period in India.

Significance

Ideally, there is significant variation in regional practices and rituals. Often, prayers are usually offered before one or more deities, depending on the region. The prayers are carried out through the goddess of wealth and prosperity, Lakshmi. The stories told to the young children also vary from region to region. S they are important in the sense that they all point to the joy and the celebration of Diwali. They act as a reminder of the importance of knowledge, and improvement.

The myths also help then young ones in knowing and seeking the right path for them to follow. Basically, the Diwali celebrations signify the inner light that comes over the spiritual darkness of knowledge over ignorance and light that is brought about through the wrong done. It is a festive rewording of the Hindu belief that the good at the end of the day triumphs over the evil. Through this celebration, everyone is cleansed and gets reenergized to face the life thereafter.

The significance of this festival today in our life is that we should remove all sorts of the darkness of ignorance and the hatred from our hearts and be filled with the knowledge of light and love. We should take care of other people irrespective of race, social status and gender. The celebration also reminds us to take good care of the wealth that we have in life, developmental strength in order to get rid of the evil thoughts and become better people in the society and also to have the courage of building the existing relationships as well as forming a new friendship.

Conclusion

The celebration is reflected in our lives today. Wearing new clothes, distributing sweets and giving gifts to everyone is an ultimate expression of joy and love for one another. Lights that are lit at night bring a lot of cheer to the atmosphere, which is a sign of the removal of evil in our lives. As a human, we should try at all levels to live a life that pleases God and remove all aspects of darkness in our lives. We should live as children of one God who is the creator of everyone. God protect and love us always, and so we should.