Diwali, also known as Deepavali to South Indians, Sri Lankans, and Malaysians, is the celebration of the triumph of good over evil and is one of the most celebrated holidays in India, according to National Geographic. The reason for this is that it is celebrated by Hindus, Jains, and Sikhs, which make up the three major religions in the country.
The article goes into detail how the holiday is celebrated over five days. On the first day, people shop for gold to bring good fortune and clean their houses. The second day is dedicated to making rangoli-colorful floral patterns made of sand, and lighting diyas -traditional clay lamps. The third day is the most religious and auspicious as it is dedicated to the worship of Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, beauty, and prosperity. The fourth day is the new year in which money is exchanged within your family.. On the final day, brothers often visit or host their married sisters to treat them with a hearty meal and start the new year off connected. These days, the most well-known aspects of the festival are those celebrated by North Indians, which are also the ones most written about. However, many of the traditional days are not observed,and in fact, most countries combine multiple days into one or two celebrations. Additionally, this period does not mark the New Year for many, as people from different countries who celebrate may have their own New Year celebrations. One interesting thing most people miss is the difference between Deepavali and Diwali. Sinar Daily expertly describes the difference as it mentions that Diwali is not an Indian holiday, but it is a religious one, meaning a huge group of people that celebrate it do not have Indian origins. People from North India call it Diwali, whereas South Indians, Malaysians, Burmese, Singaporeans and Sri Lankans call it Deepavali, which has different origins phonetically. This explains why one can see people celebrating in a bunch of other East Asian countries.
While Diwali is the triumph of good over evil, there are still problems that come with it. One of the biggest problems that comes with it is that there is a lot of air pollution. In India, fireworks are customary, but because of the sheer amount of fireworks and the lack of public disposal services, as well as the lack of willingness to clean up after the holiday, the streets of the country are often left in disarray. There is garbage littered everywhere and the air quality is so bad that living in the area shows correlations with cancer, according to The New York Times’s article on the subject. Many of these streets stay unclean for months, and the pollution often sticks in the air for weeks following the event. All of these effects hurt the people who live in majorly populated cities like New Delhi, as the cramped conditions mean being exposed to these effects.
Diwali, in all its forms, names and practices, remains a symbol of hope, renewal, and unity. Whether called Diwali or Deepavali, it connects millions across cultures through the shared belief that light will overcome darkness. While the celebrations are meaningful, it is important to remember to protect the spaces we celebrate because they make up the beautiful world we live in. Celebrating sustainability can ensure that the triumph of good and evil extends beyond our lifetimes and lasts for generations to come.
