Diwali 2019: Importance & Significance of Deepavali festival in India

The five-day celebrations of Diwali will begin with Dhanteras and end with Bhai Dooj. On the third day, people come together to celebrate Diwali.

By: Lifestyle Desk

New Delhi | October 26, 2019 12:20 PM IST

2 min read

Diwali 2019: This year it will be celebrated on October 27. </span>(Source: File Photo)

Diwali, which is the festival of lights, stands for the triumph of light over darkness, good over evil and falls on the day of ‘amavasya’ or new moon in the Hindu month of Kartik. This year it will be celebrated on October 27 (Sunday).

The festival begins at the end of the cropping season and is linked with happiness and prosperity. As per mythology, there is a mention of the festival in the seventh century Sanskrit play Nagananda as Deepapratipadutsava. In it, newlyweds were gifted lamps in memory of Lord Vishnu and goddess Lakshmi’s marriage.

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The day is also celebrated by many to mark the return of Lord Rama and Sita after 14 years of exile. For some, it stands for the return of Pandavas after 12 years of vanvas and a year of agyatvas. However, for many the festival is associated with the story of Yama and Nachiketa on Kartika amavasya. It narrates the tale of true wealth, knowledge and right versus wrong. This is considered as one of the main reasons why Diwali is celebrated as the festival of prosperity, wisdom and light.

Deepavali is also referred to as Dipamalika in the famous Sanskrit poet Rajasekhara’s ninth century work Kavyamimamsa, where traditions of homes being cleaned and decorated with lights are mentioned. Hence, during this time, it is a ritual to clean rooms and offices and adorn houses with lights.

The five-day celebrations of Diwali will begin with Dhanteras and will end with Bhai Dooj. On the third day, people come together to celebrate Diwali.

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