Lights on! Happy Diwali all

A nice touch at our shala on Tuesday morning was Jörgen Christiansson’s lighting butter lamps and setting them in the corners of the practice room.

Diwali lamps, from diwali.blogspot

He’s even promised sweets on Thursday, which I guess means I have to go to practice. Oh, well.

I’m sure you all know what Diwali (or Deepavali) is about, but here’s a little from UCLA:

This is perhaps the most well-known of the Indian festivals: it is celebrated throughout India, as well as in Indian communities throughout the diaspora. It usually takes place eighteen days after Dusshera. It is colloquially known as the “festival of lights”, for the common practice is to light small oil lamps (called diyas) and place them around the home, in courtyards, verandahs, and gardens, as well as on roof-tops and outer walls. In urban areas, especially, candles are substituted for diyas; and among the nouveau riche, neon lights are made to substitute for candles. The celebration of the festival is invariably accompanied by the exchange of sweets and the explosion of fireworks. As with other Indian festivals, Diwali signifies many different things to people across the country. In north India, Diwali celebrates Rama’s homecoming, that is his return to Ayodhya after the defeat of Ravana and his coronation as king; in Gujarat, the festival honors Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth; and in Bengal, it is associated with the goddess Kali. Everywhere, it signifies the renewal of life, and accordingly it is common to wear new clothes on the day of the festival; similarly, it heralds the approach of winter and the beginning of the sowing season.

I don’t know about you, but I feel like the Lakshmi connection gets the loudest attention here in America. I’m going to be honest and admit I’ll be thinking about Rama’s homecoming, and that warrior vanara who accompanied him.

Posted by Steve