KIDPROJ MCC: Deepavali // Deepawali

A Page From the KIDPROJ Multi-Cultural Calendar
Deepavali // Deepawali - India
by K.V.Rao

Floating Date in November

Annual Date: 94/11/03 : 95/10/23 : 96/11/10

More about our Festival Deepavali

Here are more details of Deepawali ( means row of lights ). There are records of when this festival came into being. But, there are a lot of legends about the origin.

As one story goes, a demon once defeated all gods and started ruling people very cruelly. So all gods requested Lord Krishna ( have you heard of Hare Krishna movement in Western Countries? The devotees of this movement worships Lord Krishna) and he attacked the demon. He took his wife SatyaBhama also to the war. In the middle of the war, the lord fell unconscious. But his wife took over the weapons and killed the demon. The victorious couple came back. People and gods ( according to Hindu mythology, there are 3 crore gods and they include all possible living creatures.) praised him. As the day was a no-moon day, people placed array of lights before their houses to show the victorious couple, way to their palace. The couple were welcomed with scintillating fire works also.

Since then, the tradition of placing lights before houses on the no-moon day of a particular month in Hindu calendar ( which normally falls either in october or november.

We have more than one festival related to light and fire. Deepawali (means row of lights in sanskrit) is the biggest festival for indians. We have celebrated it on 3rd this month.

Ancient aryans here always revered Agni ( fire ) as a life giving god. In Vedic period, rushis ( scholars ) used to perform yagnas( preaching other gods along with Agni, the god of fire). They believed that it brings them good.

K.V.Rao

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                           |
K. Venkateswara Rao        |       email : <lm90w@pacific.wipsys.soft.net>
Systems Engineer,          |                Subject : To KVRAO
Wipro Systems Limited,     |                        ( or )
Bangalore     INDIA        |                <ssi@wipsys.soft.net>
Phone : 5588613 Extn 204   |
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(File was sent by David Lloyd as part of the KIDPROJ "LIGHT" project.)

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