Festivities are in the air and the mood is celebratory. But, there is more to Diwali than it being just a festival of lights, writes Navneet Mendiratta, as she traces some old customs and beliefs
Deepavali or Diwali is perhaps the biggest Hindu festival that celebrates the victory of the good over the evil and light over darkness. A five day festival that begins on Dhanteras, two days before the main Diwali and culminates on Bhaiduj, two days post Diwali, the Festival of Lights commemorates the return of Lord Rama to Ayodhya after 14-years of Vanvas, marks the killing of Narakasura and the return of Pandavas after 12 years to their kingdom in different eras. In fact, there are several lores that find culmination in the days marked as Diwali, making it a big reason for the Indians to celebrate it.
Celebration of the lore
“Diwali finds celebrations in different sets for different reason — all happy. Many of these reasons or rituals are not known outside the communities they are celebrated,” says Dr Ipsita Chatterjee, Ayurvedic scientist, trainer and researcher. She is also a great storyteller. For instance, Dhanteras has a special symbolism for the Ayurveda practitioners and believers. “The auspicious day is also known as Dhantrayodashi or Dhanvantri Jayanti as it is believed that Lord Dhanvantri, the Lord of Ayurveda, descended on earth on this day after the churning of the milky ocean.”
As the legend goes, during the cosmic battle or the Samundra Manthan, Gods and Demons both churned the ocean (Kshira Sagar) to gain the divine nectar of immortality. God Dhanvantri emerged out of the water with the pot of elixir in his hands. Thus, the name of this day Dhanteras comes from the name Dhanvantri (The Physician of God).
“To celebrate his appearance, people who pray for Arogyam or health, perform Dhanvantri Puja with a vandana. 108 medicinal herbs are offered in the prayer. Some unique ingredients are also contributed to the Lord of Ayurveda. These include: Shevanti (White Chrysanthemum), Vakula (Spanish Cherry Flower), Champaka (Plumeria/Frangipani/ Magnolia), Lotus, Punnaga (Tamanu or Sultan Champa), Malti (Mogra or Jasmine buds), Kanera (Yellow Oleander), Coral (Munga), Tulsi Leaves, Jasmine Leaves and Tabulam (Betel Leaf),” she shares. Every year, Dhanvantari Trayodashi is also celebrated as “National Ayurveda Day”.
More of Ayurvedic symbolism
The 14th day of Kartik month or chhoti Diwali is also known as Narak Chaturdashi, Kali Chaudas and Bhoot Chaturdashi (India’s own Halloween)
According to a legend, Lord Krishna killed the demon Narkasur with his Sudarshan Chakra on this day. As a ritual, symbolical killing of Narkasur, a ‘Kareet’ (an extremely bitter green berry also called Narkasur) is crushed under the foot by each member of the family. Its bitter juice is then consumed. Symbolism aside, this ritual has great health benefits as the Tikta Rasa (bitter taste) of the berry is known to pacify Pitta, which is on a high during this season.
“Several rituals that are performed during this season address the balancing of doshas in the body by keeping the Pitta down,” says Dr Chatterjee. For instance the celebration of autumnal harvests in south and west in India is marked by preparing of special delicacies with sesame seeds, fresh jaggery, Poha along with ghrita and sugar and the pujan is generally performed with fragrant oils, flowers and sandalwood paste. Many of the ingredients uses, and especially the Sandalwood tika, on the forehead is meant to cool your Pitta, she explains.
Similarly, ritual of Anjanam or Kajal is popular during this day to ward off evil spirits. A unique herb called Daruhaldi is boiled with goat’s milk to create Rasanjanam. It is then applied as Kajal with a silver stick to prevent inflammatory eye conditions, which are on th rise due to Pitta during this season, she adds.
Equally interesting is the celebration of Bhoot Chaturdashi in Bengal. This day is believed to open the veiled world of darkness to the earth. It is said the ghosts roam freely on this night and 14 forefathers (Choddo Purush) visit your house. To guide their journey homewards, 14 diyas are lighted and placed in every dark corner of the house.
A special delicacy is known as Choddo Saag (A green leafy vegetable preparation is made with 14 edible leaves including the bitter ones like Shiuli leaves and all Cucurbitaceae family leaves). The Ayurvedic benefits lie again in the Tikta Rasa of the saag, that helps cleanse and detoxify the system and prepares the gut for the onset of winters.
Celebrating Soundarya Lakshmi
Puranas list the legend of Goddess Rati as the most unusual one that goes with the celebration of Diwali. Goddess Rati, the consort of Kamadeva was an ordinary woman. It is believed that Goddess Lakshmi’s Soundarya avatar or Soundarya Lakshmi first gave her the 16 adornments of beautification or Solah Shringar, making her the most celebrated beauty across the universe. These 16 embellishments were — Bindi, Sindoor or Vermillion, Maang Tika, Kajal, Nath, Haar, Karn Phool, Mehendi, Bangles, Bajuband, Arsi or Haathphool, Keshapasharachana or hair accessory, Kamarbandh, Payal and Bichuas, Ittar and the Bridal Attire.
Hence, on the evening of Diwali, women of the house wear their gold ornaments and also complete the Solah Shringar to seek the blessings of Goddess Soundarya Lakshmi. Kajal is prepared with Camphor and Almond Oil Diya and then applied after midnight to all the family members.
“Shringar — the art of beauty and adornment — is an intrinsic part of Indian festivals. To celebrate is to adorn. And come Diwali we adorn not only our homes but ourselves. Clothes and jewellery are as much a part of the celebration of Diwali as are diyas. At Paro, we celebrate all our traditions — of knowledge, of Shringar and Saukhya in all that we do and offer. For example, with our jewellery we have looked towards our traditional practices and sense of aesthetics for inspirations and recreated pieces like perfume pendants and lockets, hair adornments and bejewelled buttons,” says Simran Lal, Co-founder Paro, a beautiful concept space that promotes ancient Indian traditions and knowledge.
Paro recently hosted ‘Rituals of Shringar’, a workshop by Dr Alka Pande, where Dr Pande took the participants through the significance and meaning of Solah Shringar, the traditional 16 adornments. “According to the principles of Solah Shringar, each part of the female body should be decorated, since the overall image of beauty can be created only in totality. Solah Shringar, in Hindu philosophy, corresponded with the sixteen phases of the life of the moon, which in turn was connected with a woman’s menstrual cycle,” she shared in the workshop.
Beauty through shringar, or adornment, she pointed out, operates at more than one level. “In Indian literature the 16 traditional adornments of a woman do not merely enhance her beauty, they are also an arpana (offering) for her beloved. This is an important part of the shringar rasa,” she said. Every piece of jewellery speaks a metaphorical language, communicating through its symbolism different meanings that travel between the wearer and the viewer. Jewellery and ornaments were initially born out of a cultural ethos where shringar takes centre stage and where each part of the body is associated with layered meanings. The ornaments express multiple narratives of desire, beauty, femininity, and sensuality, she shared.
Taking shringar to another level is some beauty pampering. Nature care expert, Suparna Trikha, suggests a great recipe making use of the dry fruits of the season. “The onset of winter causes dryness of the skin. You want to glow but cannot spend hours beautifying yourself,” she says as she hands out the recipe of a skin ubtan made with dry fruits that would bring you an instant glow.
“Take one handful almonds, half a handful of walnuts and grind in mixer. Add to it three tsp of oatmeal. If you have chironjee, add 2 tsp to the mix. Mix well. Throw in some rose petals and milk. Apply this pack to your face and body. Leave it for about 5-7 minutes and scrub off gently. Not only would the ubtan exfoliate the skin, you would also get to benefit from the natural oils of the dry fruits that are so rich in Vitamin E,” she shares.
Celebrating space
Though diyas be customary, choose lights that would continue to light up your home the year around. Prateek Jain and Gautam Seth of Klove say the lighting of a home should be an extension of your character. “Good lighting can always change the appearance of a room. The biggest factor to consider while deciding the lighting is to access the purpose of the room,” they say, adding, “And every time we think of light (design), we first think of its functionality, and what form we would like to represent it in. That is how lights are meant to be.” Some of their products are so beautiful that they pass off as work of art!
Flowers are the other essentials. A home that is fragrant with flowers is always the most beautiful and happy. “Use seasonal and local flowers to bring cheer to the space,” says Jhelum Biswas Bose, author and Bach Flower remedies practitioner. “Bring in the fragrance of Parijat or Shiuli that is in bloom this season, desi gulab, marigold, or even tuberoses. You will instantly feel the difference,” she points out. To infuse some positivity in the space, she suggests, you mix water with back flower remedies and mop the house. Add a citrusy fragrance such as lemon, orange or Holy basil or even Neroli for cleansing effect.
No celebration is complete without mithai. For all those who don’t want the regular mithai, adding contemporary twist to the traditional flavours is Nihira, a bespoke mithai brand. “Sweets are a consequential part of the Indian culture and hold a significant meaning in our society for every occasion. Nihira brings to the market traditional Indian sweets with a contemporary twist, making it different from other sweet brands on the market,” says Subha Aggarwal, co-founder of Nihira.
So instead of your regular mithai, what you have is a variety of delicious Indian sweets with aesthetic edge and cultural shapes. Spirited Laddoos; Cheesecake, Bubblegum, Oreo and Blueberry Barfi, as well as a variety of savoury snacks such as Peri-Peri Namkeen Paare and Snickerdoodles Meethe pare, the selection is very unusual here.
Whatever way you choose to celebrate the festival, the most important thing to keep in mind is that a happy space warms the heart. May you all have a very happy and festive Diwali.
