CONVERGENCE SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2016

Deepavali:
October 29
Chronicles
Deepavali:
A Divine Celebration
October 29 is an auspicious day for
Hindus all over the world. The day
often begins with an oil bath,
dressing up in new outfits, seeking
the blessing of elders within the
family, tucking into delicious Indian
dishes and snacks and celebrating
the day with family and friends. The
day is synonymous with stories of
good triumphing over evil. That day
is also known as Deepavali.
Why the Oil Bath?
It suggests a new beginning. A physical cleansing of the body and
a spiritual cleansing of the mind by removing all ego, anger, pride
and jealousy and filling it instead with hope.
Dress Up!
Wearing new clothes signifies good luck and attracting prosperity
in the coming years. Traditional outfits during this festival include
saree, punjabi suits and the lengha for women while men can often
be seen in a dhoti, jippa or veshti.
Happy Belly, Happy Family
Just like any other religious celebration, food is an important
aspect. Families gather and cook together or rather just eat
together. Indian sweetmeats are a common sight on dining tables
and this include laddus, palkova, payasam which is a rice pudding
and fried dumplings soaked in rose-scented syrup known as gulab
jamun.
The Long and Short of It
There are many variations to the reason Hindus celebrate the
festival of lights. Here are some of them:
The return of Lord Rama after his victorious war against Ravana
as depicted in the epic Indian poem, Ramayana
The celebration of marriage between goddess Lakshmi and Lord
Vishnu after she was churned out from the cosmic ocean of milk,
an episode from Hindu mythology.
The day commemorates the vanquishing of demon Narakasura
by Lord Krishna and people all over the world rejoicing that good
triumphed over evil.
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