Diwali Calendar / Diwali Date

Diwali day is calculated according to the position of the moon.

According to Hindu reckoning, the date of Diwali falls on 15th day of the dark fortnight in the auspicious Hindu month of Kartik or the month of October/November in English calendar. This Diwali day falls on the amavasya or the no moon day. Diwali date comes 20 days after the popular festival of Dussehra or Vijaya Dashmi.

Diwali Date 2007 – November 9, 2007 (Friday)
Diwali Date 2008 – October 28, 2008 (Tuesday)

Diwali
Diwali, also called Deepavali, is a major Indian festival that is very significant in Hinduism. Known as the “Festival of Lights,” it symbolizes the victory of good over evil, and lamps are lit as a sign of celebration and hope for humankind. Celebrations focus on lights and lamps, particularly traditional di-pa or deeya (earthen lamp, as illustrated). Fireworks are associated with the festival. Diwali is a colloquial name used in North India, while the festival is formally called Deepavali in South India.

Diwali is celebrated for five consecutive days at the end of Hindu month of Ashwayuja. It usually occurs in October/November, and is one of the most popular and eagerly awaited festivals in India. Diwali comes exactly twenty days after Dussehra. Hindus and Sikhs alike regard it as a celebration of life and use the occasion to strengthen family and social relationships. For Hindus it is one of the most important festivals, and beginning of the year in some Hindu calendars. There are several beliefs regarding the origin of the holiday. The most repeated version is that Hindus celebrate Diwali to mark the time when Lord Rama achieved victory over Ravana. Some also view it as the day Krishna defeated the demon Narakasura or in honor of the day Bali went to rule the nether-world, obeying the order of Vishnu. It is also a significant festival for the Sikh faith. In India, Diwali is now considered to be more of a national festival, and the aesthetic aspect of the festival is enjoyed by most Indians regardless of faith.

For Hindus, Diwali (Deepavali) is not only a festival of lights but also is a special occasion to worship Lord Ganesha, Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Mahabali. For Jains, it is an occasion to remember Lord Mahavira.

Also called Translation: Row of Lights; Deepavali, Festival of Lights
Observed by Religiously by Hindus, Sikhs and Jains. Other Indians celebrate the cultural aspects.
Significance Celebrate life and strengthen relationships
Date New moon day of Kartika, although the celebrations begin two days prior and end two days after that date
2007 date November 9
2008 date October 28
Celebrations Decorating homes with lights, Fireworks, Gift-giving
Observances Prayers, Religious rituals (see puja, prasad)

Tradition of Diwali Pooja

Diwali has many legends and religious accounts to it. Lights and diyas are lit to signifying the driving away of darkness and ignorance, as well as the awakening of the light within ourselves. Diwali is a time for family gatherings, food, celebration and pooja. The goddess Laxmi plays a major role in this festival, as do Ram and Sita. This autumn festival is celebrated for five continuous days, of which each one has its own significance.

Houses and Business places are renovated and decorated, entrances are made colorful with lovely traditional motifs of Rangoli designs to welcome Laxmi, the Goddess of wealth and prosperity. To indicate her long awaited arrival, small footprints are drawn with rice flour and vermilion powder (kumkum) all over the houses. Lamps are kept burning all through the nights.

The house is kept clean and rangoli is drawn at the doorstep to welcome Goddess Laxmi. For the best time for puja, a pandit is consulted. The general things needed for a diwali puja are silver and gold coins, suparis, uncooked Rice, paan leaves, kumkum for applying tilak, mithaai (Indian sweets), camphor, agarbattis (incense sticks), dry fruit (almonds, cashews), flower petals and Lakshmi-Ganesh icon.

Deepavali Pooja is performed in the evenings when tiny diyas of clay are lit to drive away the shadows of evil spirits. Bhajans are sung in praise of the goddess and sweets are offered to her. Deepavali Puja consists of a combined pooja of five deities: Ganesha is worshipped at the beginning of every auspicious act as Vighnaharta; Goddess Lakshmi is worshipped in her three forms Mahalakshmi,the goddess of wealth and money, Mahasaraswati, the goddess of books and learning and Mahakali. Kuber, the treasurer of the gods is also worshipped.

The Tradition of Fireworks

The Tradition of Burning Crackers
The Hindu festival of lights explodes into life with a riot of color and noise. A variety show and a fireworks display kicked off the Diwali celebrations. The festivals like Diwali remind us of the brilliant display of colorful fireworks which explode in the dark nights. The cities are famous for these. Nowadays, as a step to curb pollution from firecrackers and save the expenses, common community display of fireworks are becoming increasingly popular. Here, we will see how these fireworks originated. Fireworks and crackers are used the world over, only the occasion differs in different countries.

This festival of fun, frolic and fireworks brings excitement and joy to the hearts of people even before it arrives on the new moon day (Amavasya) of the Kartik month of the Hindu calendar. Diwali is also the festival of Laxmi, the Hindu goddess of wealth and prosperity. Traditionally people use ‘earthen lamps’ with cotton wicks and oil to light up the dark night. As man progresses, tradition gives way to modernity. Similarly, earthen lamps have been replaced by the candles of various colors and forms. Electric lights of different shapes and sizes illuminate the dark, often cold nights of Diwali.

Diwali is incomplete without fireworks. Old and young alike love the splendor and sparkle of fireworks. The earthen lamps that we light on Diwali night are generally placed on balcony and window ledges. So ensure that these are not near any flammable material like wood, cloth or paper. Do not leave lamps and candles burning all through the night long after the festivities are over. This can create a dangerous situation. Hence it is advisable that all lamps and candles are put off when nobody is likely to be around. Twinkling anaars, rockets whizzing past, dazzling fireworks exploding in the skies above… it’s sheer dynamite!

Online Resources

Diwali – Diwali Festival,Diwali Festival 2007,Diwali India
diwali festival 2007, diwali india, diwali festival, diwali in india, diwali 2007, deepavali in india, diwali festival india, festival of lights, …
- Diwali Recipes
- Deep in Diwali
- Tradition of Playing Cards
- Pooja Thali Decorations
- Making Diwali Cards
- Diwali Essay
- Diwali Poems
- Diwali Songs
- Diwali Mela
- Diwali Wallpapers
- Diwali Decorative Items
- Making Deepawali Rangolis
- Rangoli Patterns
- Tradition of Diwali Pooja
- The Tradition of Rangoli
- The Tradition of Burning Crackers
- The Tradition of Lights
- Diwali Calendar
- Diwali Gift Tradition
- Diwali Gift Ideas
www.diwalifestival.org/

Diwali Date,Diwali Day,When is Diwali 2007,Diwali Calendar,Diwali …
Find out when is Diwali 2007 in this exclusive Diwali Calendar. The detailed calendar page clearly points out Diwali Date 2007. Also know about Diwali Date …
www.diwalifestival.org/diwali-calendar.html

Diwali – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For Hindus, Diwali (Deepavali) is not only a festival of lights but also is a special occasion to worship Lord Ganesha, Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Mahabali. …
* 1 Dates in various calendars
* 2 Significance in Hinduism
o 2.1 Esoteric Significance
o 2.2 The Five days of Diwali
o 2.3 Lakshmi Puja
o 2.4 Diwali in Maharashtra
* 3 Significance in Sikhism
o 3.1 Bandi Chhorh Diwas
o 3.2 Martyrdom of Bhai Mani Singh Ji
o 3.3 Uprising against the Mughal Empire
* 4 Diwali in Jainism
* 5 Melas
* 6 Diwali in other parts of the world
* 7 Economics of Diwali
* 8 Firecrackers
* 9 Notes
* 10 External links
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diwali

Bawarchi: Indian Festivals: Diwali
Describes each of the five days of Diwali.
www.bawarchi.com/festivals/diwali1.html

Diwali 2007, Diwali Festival, Diwali India, Diwali Celebrations …
Diwali 2007, Diwali Festival, Diwali India, Diwali Celebrations, Deepawali in India.
festivals.iloveindia.com/diwali/

Diwali 2007
Diwali, information and links. … Wish your family and friends “Shubh Diwali!” here on diwali.nl and mail to info@diwali.nl. Diwali 2007 : Do you organise …
www.diwali.nl/

2005 Happy Diwali, 1412 Diwali Diwali History, Diwali Origin …
Provides the history, origin, celebration, and tradition of this holiday.
rumela.com/events/festival_diwali.htm

Diwali
Includes legends related to the holiday, descriptions of the five days, preparation tips, and recipes.
www.ruchiskitchen.com/festivals/deepavali.htm

Deepavali / Diwali – The Festival of Lights
Deepawali Diwali – The Festival of Lights : IndiaExpress – RANGOLI – Festivals of India.
www.indiaexpress.com/rangoli/deepavali.html

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