Deepawaali ki Shubhakaamnie!
This week was the most famous and widely celebrated Hindu festival in India, Diwali! Diwali is a festival that symbolizes the victory of good over evil, awareness over ignorance, light over darkness, and hope over despair. The festival is 5 days long but the main day of the whole festival is on no moon day (the day of the new moon) or the 15th day of the lunar calendar. Each day has a special name and typical celebrations that follow. Day one or Dhunteras is typically celebrated by purchasing something new. This usually manifests itself in form of new clothes or new utensils. The second day, Choti Diwali or Narak Chaturdasi, is meant for self adornment with mhendi and perfumes. Day three, Lakshmi Puja, is the main day of Diwali and on this day doors and windows are kept open to welcome in Goddess Lukshmi and fireworks are set off to ward off evil. The fourth day or Padwa is a day dedicated to celebrating the love of husband and wife. The fifth and final day of the festival is Bhai Duj and is dedicated to siblings so that brothers and sisters may meet and exchange gifts; it’s very similar to Ruksha Bundhan. All 5 days those who celebrate Diwali will wear new clothes, light diyas (small clay bowls with oil wicks), keep the diyas at the entrance and surroundings of their home, and play cards (also in line with bringing wealth and luck into your life in the coming new year). Leading up to this 5 day period you can greet people with a “Happy Diwali!” or, if you want to be really cool, “Depawaali ki Shubhakaamnie!”. Diwali/Deepawali means row of lights which embodies this holiday perfectly!
One of my favorite parts of Diwali that's downplayed a little bit is rungoli. Rungoli is an art form made entirely from sand. Rungoli is typically done next to the entrance of one's home. My family didn't make rungoli but instead purchased sticker rungoli decorations. Luckily several other people in our apartment building were sitting outside of their apartments working on their rungoli so I was able to see how it's done. You first start by imagining your design and drawing it on the ground in chalk. Then depending on your design you go crazy with the colored sand. Typical rungoli designs are in mandala form so you can use a sifter to get a even textured background color. Then for the more intricate sand swirls and waves you use your hands to pour varying amounts of sand at a point then manipulate your sand pile by smashing it with a finger, sliding it in one direction, or making small swirls with your knuckle. It's a time consuming process but the results can be breathtaking.
One of my favorite parts of Diwali that's downplayed a little bit is rungoli. Rungoli is an art form made entirely from sand. Rungoli is typically done next to the entrance of one's home. My family didn't make rungoli but instead purchased sticker rungoli decorations. Luckily several other people in our apartment building were sitting outside of their apartments working on their rungoli so I was able to see how it's done. You first start by imagining your design and drawing it on the ground in chalk. Then depending on your design you go crazy with the colored sand. Typical rungoli designs are in mandala form so you can use a sifter to get a even textured background color. Then for the more intricate sand swirls and waves you use your hands to pour varying amounts of sand at a point then manipulate your sand pile by smashing it with a finger, sliding it in one direction, or making small swirls with your knuckle. It's a time consuming process but the results can be breathtaking.
My host family has been preparing for Diwali for a long time. Four months ago when I arrived I heard about all the wonderful festivals but Diwali was emphasized the most. A month ago we hired painters to come and whitewash our entire home before Diwali. During this 2 week period I think every orifice of our home was scrubbed and organized, our drawers were given fresh newspaper linings, old clothes were given away, and dust was cleared from remote corners of cupboards. At the time, of course, it was very inconvenient because each family member had to essentially move out of their room for at least 2 days at a time but I’m glad my family did these preparations when we did. When I image procrastinating those cleaning rituals until actual Diwali it gives me a headache.
For some odd reason Daly College only made the last 3 days of Diwali a holiday and still had school on Monday and Tuesday, the first two days of the festival. I spent the first day of the Diwali festival with my school counselor Jaya Mam. Day one of Diwali is called Dhunteras and it is the 13th day of the lunar calendar. I was tasked with making sandalwood paste which involved me scraping sandalwood on a grinding plate with water. Jaya mam did this was grace and control while she was demonstrating for me but as soon as the sandalwood torch was passed over to me I got the water everywhere and managed to not even make a pinch of paste. Whatever, who thought it was a good idea to try and keep liquid on a flat surface anyways?? With whatever sandalwood paste I managed to make Jaya mam, her husband, Akaash (her son), and I gathered in her room for a Bengali pooja. It involved placing 14 dots on her wall with vermillion powder, my sandalwood paste, and black kajhal (eyeliner). She explained the 14 dots was supposed to symbolize the 14th day of the lunar month but I got lost somewhere in my lunar calendar and regional Indian Diwali celebrations so I don’t completely understand the significance. But what I do know is that Bengalis make good fried fish and know how to have a good time with fitaake (fireworks) both of which I experienced later that evening!
The second day of Diwali is called Choti Diwali. The first half of Choti Diwali I spent at school passing out various Diwali cards my Americans and I were forced into making, despite having the artistic craft of an American 4 year old and I say American 4 year old because the Indian 4 year olds at Daly College still produce better art than us. Although we had to deal with the embarrassment of handing over a piece of card stock with paper flowers and mirrors pasted onto pastel rocket designs to important school officials they seemed to appreciate our effort and that we took a few minutes out of our day to wish them a Happy Diwali. The second half of Choti Diwali was spent at home and I celebrated accordingly. This day is solely dedicated to beautification. Ranjana, my older host sister, and I painted our finger nails and our “feet fingers” (hehe Indian English) while simultaneously watching the first Pitch Perfect movie. Acculturation of Indian and American culture at its finest.
The third day of the festival and the most important we brought out the real party gear. This day is dedicated to worshiping Goddess Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth.We started the morning (12PM…so Indian morning time) with puja in my host dad’s office. It is conveniently right across the street from out apartment so we made several trips back and forth carrying all the necessary items for puja (worship). We spend nearly 30 minutes in my dad’s office sitting Indian style on the floor chanting and taking turns performing aarti (moving a plate with oil lamps) in circles around the gods and goddesses in front of us. After office puja we celebrated with some fitake(fireworks)!! This was what I was most looking forwards to about Diwali because as most Texans know shooting off fireworks, actual big ones, is illegal within city limits where I spend new years eve and the 4th of July. This whole situation got ten times better when we set up the fireworks in the middle of our street which is 5 feet away from a busy intersection. Those driving by on two-wheelers weren’t phased, they simply went around the mountain of sparklers and bombs. It was totally something you would expect to see in India, something crazy in the middle of the day in the middle of everyone’s daily life.
For some odd reason Daly College only made the last 3 days of Diwali a holiday and still had school on Monday and Tuesday, the first two days of the festival. I spent the first day of the Diwali festival with my school counselor Jaya Mam. Day one of Diwali is called Dhunteras and it is the 13th day of the lunar calendar. I was tasked with making sandalwood paste which involved me scraping sandalwood on a grinding plate with water. Jaya mam did this was grace and control while she was demonstrating for me but as soon as the sandalwood torch was passed over to me I got the water everywhere and managed to not even make a pinch of paste. Whatever, who thought it was a good idea to try and keep liquid on a flat surface anyways?? With whatever sandalwood paste I managed to make Jaya mam, her husband, Akaash (her son), and I gathered in her room for a Bengali pooja. It involved placing 14 dots on her wall with vermillion powder, my sandalwood paste, and black kajhal (eyeliner). She explained the 14 dots was supposed to symbolize the 14th day of the lunar month but I got lost somewhere in my lunar calendar and regional Indian Diwali celebrations so I don’t completely understand the significance. But what I do know is that Bengalis make good fried fish and know how to have a good time with fitaake (fireworks) both of which I experienced later that evening!
The second day of Diwali is called Choti Diwali. The first half of Choti Diwali I spent at school passing out various Diwali cards my Americans and I were forced into making, despite having the artistic craft of an American 4 year old and I say American 4 year old because the Indian 4 year olds at Daly College still produce better art than us. Although we had to deal with the embarrassment of handing over a piece of card stock with paper flowers and mirrors pasted onto pastel rocket designs to important school officials they seemed to appreciate our effort and that we took a few minutes out of our day to wish them a Happy Diwali. The second half of Choti Diwali was spent at home and I celebrated accordingly. This day is solely dedicated to beautification. Ranjana, my older host sister, and I painted our finger nails and our “feet fingers” (hehe Indian English) while simultaneously watching the first Pitch Perfect movie. Acculturation of Indian and American culture at its finest.
The third day of the festival and the most important we brought out the real party gear. This day is dedicated to worshiping Goddess Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth.We started the morning (12PM…so Indian morning time) with puja in my host dad’s office. It is conveniently right across the street from out apartment so we made several trips back and forth carrying all the necessary items for puja (worship). We spend nearly 30 minutes in my dad’s office sitting Indian style on the floor chanting and taking turns performing aarti (moving a plate with oil lamps) in circles around the gods and goddesses in front of us. After office puja we celebrated with some fitake(fireworks)!! This was what I was most looking forwards to about Diwali because as most Texans know shooting off fireworks, actual big ones, is illegal within city limits where I spend new years eve and the 4th of July. This whole situation got ten times better when we set up the fireworks in the middle of our street which is 5 feet away from a busy intersection. Those driving by on two-wheelers weren’t phased, they simply went around the mountain of sparklers and bombs. It was totally something you would expect to see in India, something crazy in the middle of the day in the middle of everyone’s daily life.
In preparation for home puja that evening my sisters and I took a long nap and my parents labored for the following 10 hours decorating the entrance to our home and mandir (temple) with malas (flower garlands). One wardrobe change later our whole family was squeezed inside of our home mandir and we repeated the whole puja process all over again only to be followed by more delicious prashad (sweets).
We ended the night with more fireworks. I was the one having the most fun because like all teenagers my host sisters didn’t appreciate this particular tradition as much as a fireworks deprived foreigner. I only burnt one hole in my skirt which is a feat considering I almost lit myself on fire at several points through out the night from the combination of sparklers, shooting flames, and diyas lining the street and entrance to my dad’s office. When we went back home, after exhausting our firework supply, the Diwali celebrations didn’t stop. Of course family and friends came over to play cards but what I will remember the most about my first Diwali in India was a never ceasing pops, crackles, and thundering. The constant use of fireworks all day gave the impression of a thunder storm on a sunny day. It was my favorite thing about Diwali because everyone could hear regardless where they were.
Two summarize the last two days of Diwali in one word you could say Punjabi, very Punjabi if you want to use two. Punjabis, my dad’s side of the family is from the Punjab, are typically the party people of India. They are known for talking, laughing, and arguing loud, having good food, and visiting. We called on and were called upon in return by every extended family member I had ever met and those family friends and mysterious Aunties and Uncles I had never met. Ranjana and I prepared dried fruit (nuts) trays a bajillion times and served countless cold drinks on trays. I never went to sleep before 2 AM at least, diverting from my usually boodhiya (grandma/old lady) bedtime of 10:30 PM. After consuming enough food for twice the people who were actually present the whole family sat down for cards. If the game got big enough (more than 10 people) the uncles and aunties split up by gender and competed in different rooms. Hindus are crazy about cards, at least Punjabis, and they played every day of the Diwali festival and leading up to it as well. I’m not a huge fan of playing cards because I have an innate talent for getting my losses handed to me time and time again so I preferred to watch and keep mental note of who the top dog was. One evening or morning I should say, it was 5 AM, I was woken up, disillusioned by Ranjana who informed me that I had fallen asleep in my heavy Diwali garba skirt on the couch with everyone playing cards in the next room. Yup, these people are crazy but I’m lucky to be in a family with them.