Post Diwali Wishes

Diwali is over now as well as the sweets, but not the spirit. We from our whole heartily make sweets and favorite dishes on Diwali for our family and friends. On Diwali night, we burn crackers and go for " Diwali Milan" to our family and friends house to give them Diwali wishes.

What is Diwali?

Diwali, also known as "Festival of Lights". It is a 5 day festival, starting on Dhanteras. It falls in between the months of mid-October and mid- November. On Diwali, whole India gets an official holiday.

Diwali is one of the most important festivals of the year and is celebrated in families by performing traditional activities together in their homes

Why we celebrate Diwali?

 Diwali is just not celebrated only for sweets and crackers, there are few legends and reasons behind celebrating Diwali. 

1. Goddess Lakshmi’s Birthday: It is said, that The Goddess of wealth, Lakshmi incarnated on the new moon day (amaavasyaa) of the Kartik month during the churning of the ocean (samudra-manthan), hence the day is associated with Goddess Lakshmi.   
2. Lord Vishnu Rescued Goddess Lakshmi: On this very day, Lord Vishnu in his fifth incarnation as Vaman-avtaara rescued Lakshmi from the prison of King Bali and this is another reason of worshipping Goddess Lakshmi on Diwali.
3. Lord Krishna Killed Narakaasur: On the day preceding Diwali, Lord Krishna killed the demon king Narakaasur and rescued 16,000 women from his captivity. The celebration of this freedom went on for two days including the Diwali day as a victory festival. 
4. The Return of the Pandavas: According to the great epic ‘Mahabharata’, it was ‘Kartik Amavashya’ when the Pandavas appeared from their 12 years of banishment as a result of their defeat in the hands of the Kauravas at the game of dice (gambling). The subjects who loved the Pandavas celebrated the day by lighting the earthen lamps.  
5. The Victory of Lord Rama: According to the epic ‘Ramayana’, it was the new moon day of Kartik when Lord Ram, Goddess Sita and Lord Lakshman returned to Ayodhya after vanquishing Ravana and conquering Lanka. The citizens of Ayodhya decorated the entire city with the earthen lamps and illuminated it like never before.
6. Coronation of Vikramaditya: One of the greatest Hindu King Vikramaditya was coroneted on the Diwali day, hence Diwali became a historical event as well.  
7. Special Day for the Arya Samaj: It was the new moon day of Kartik (Diwali day) when Maharshi Dayananda, one of the greatest reformers of Hinduism and the founder of Arya Samaj attained his nirvana.
8. Special Day for the Jains: Mahavir Tirthankar, considered to be the founder of modern Jainism also attained his nirvana on Diwali day.  
9. Special Day for the Sikhs: The third Sikh Guru Amar Das institutionalized Diwali as a Red-Letter Day when all Sikhs would gather to receive the Gurus blessings. In 1577, the foundation stone of the Golden Temple at Amritsar was laid on Diwali. In 1619, the sixth Sikh Guru Hargobind, who was held by the Mughal Emperor Jahengir, was released from the Gwalior fort along with 52 kings.
10. The Pope’s Diwali Speech: In 1999, Pope John Paul II performed a special Eucharist in an Indian church where the altar was decorated with Diwali lamps, the Pope had a ‘tilak’ marked on his forehead and his speech was bristled with references to the festival of light.

Diwali is over, but since it is still fresh in little ones mind. It will be easy to explain 1-2 legends to them and associate the legends to the festival, discuss with them the way whole family celebrated the Diwali. The live example will register the festival into their mind, permanently.