In India, there are many religious celebrations throughout the year. One of the most famous however is the Hindu festival of celebrations called “Diwali”.
The Hindu festival of Deepavali is also often referred to as the “Festival of Lights.” It celebrates the victory of truth over evil and reminds people of how to maintain their faith. It is a traditional and cultural festival that is celebrated by every Hindu all around India and in other countries too. Corresponding with the autumn season, it typically falls in October or November every year according to the Hindu calendar.
People start getting ready for this auspicious occasion weeks prior as they clean and decorate their homes, shops and offices. The five-day long holiday begins by shopping for decorative items like diyas (lamps), candles, puja materials (statues of Lord Ganesha and Goddess Lakshmi), decorative lights/lamps, etc. Also get new clothes, sweets and crackers to use during celebrations occurring on each day throughout Deepavali.
How is Diwali Celebrated?
On this festival, people worship Ganesha and Goddess Lakshmi for getting wealth, prosperity, and health in their life. People perform Lakshmi puja by following the rituals so that the Goddess Lakshmi will bless them for all their efforts.
People celebrate Dhanteras on the first day, Naraka Chaturdashi on the second day, Diwali on the second day of this festival, Govardhan Puja on the fourth day, Bhai Dooj on the fifth day. These five days are announced as a guest holiday in India.
Diwali is the festival of lights as it is celebrated by lighting up diyas and candles. People light up their homes with lots of candles and small clay oil lamps indicating the victory of truth over evil.
After the puja Friends and neighbors gather in the evening, wish each other “Happy Diwali” and enjoy lots of delicious Indian dishes, burning crackles, and dancing, all through the night. People make rangolis at the entrance to their home to welcome Lakshmi goddess, who blesses everybody throughout the coming year.
Significance of Diwali
There are many stories and myths told about celebrating this great festival. The spiritual significance of this festival is to commemorate the victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and the honouring of wealth and prosperity symbolized by the Hindu God Ganesha.
According to Hindu lore, it is believed that on this day Rama returned with his wife Sita and brother Lakshmana after a long period in exile and all the people in Ayodhya were happy to welcome him back with great joy! The city was lit up brightly with people bursting firecrackers everywhere – they couldn’t have been more overwhelmed by their favorite king’s return.
Diwali marks the start of a new year for Hindus. It’s also sometimes referred to as Naraka Chaturdashi and it is celebrated by Sikhs with a festival called Bandi Chhor Divas. Jains too celebrate Diwali as part of the Nirvana festival. They wear new clothes, clean their homes and light lamps everywhere in their neighbourhood.
Diwali & Environmental Degradation
Diwali is the most celebrated Indian festival. However, there are some downsides of this mega festivity. The main reason behind these adverse effects are certainly the use of firecrackers , which cause pollution all over the nation. Not only this, the festival of Diwali ends up with a lot of garbage. The streets get filled with the burnt up crackers, plastic & other chemicals.
Types of Pollution on Diwali
Air pollution certainly is the biggest type of pollution on Diwali, particularly because there are so many fireworks that get set off during this festival. However, what most people fail to take into consideration while burning these crackers is the fact that not only does it lead to air pollution but also to other types of pollution like water and noise. Not only this but there are harmful effects observed in the animals and birds because of both air and noise pollution.
Another type of pollution that occurs every Diwali is Land pollution. This is caused by the remnants of the burned crackers. Additionally, it can take many weeks to clean this up. It’s notable that the remains are non-biodegradable in nature, so they can’t be disposed of too easily. Furthermore, they become toxic over time.
Noise pollution is a significant problem during Diwali. Firecrackers add to the noise pollution to quite a high extent, and it really is damaging for hearing. Apart from hearing loss, noise can be bad for many other conditions – potentially hurting pet dogs or cats, disturbing old people who are finding it hard to sleep, students who may have college exams ahead of them and patients who may be sick in hospital.
Eco Friendly Diwali
We can avoid this pollution and garbage accumulating on streets by celebrating Diwali in an environmentally friendly way.
Eco friendly decorations: Say “no” to plastic flowers and other decoration time. Instead use real flowers. Use organic rangoli colors to make beautiful rangoli instead of the chemical ones available in the market. Buy eco friendly idols.
Make Diwali cards: Make Diwali cards for your near and dear ones to wish them Happy Diwali or you send Diwali wishes on WhatsApp.
Use fewer or no firecrackers: Air pollution is a serious concern. We should cut down on crackers completely or burn fewer crackers.
Earthen lamps: Instead of electrical/Chinese diyas decorate your home with earthen diyas.
Donate things: Do the good thing by donating things like toys, sweets, clothes to those in need. Visit places like orphanages, old age homes & bring smiles on the faces of people.
Avoid plastic wraps: For wrapping gifts use handmade/recycled paper.
Limit your celebration: Fix the time for celebration. For babies, toddlers and senior citizens, high levels of noise or air pollution can be harmful to their health. They are most susceptible to potential hazards that might befall them. Also, look out for animals around you. Humans tend to forget how stray animals get affected because of the celebrations.
Conclusion
We should celebrate Diwali in an eco-friendly manner with our loved ones. Diwali is round the corner so gear up for the festivities and celebrate Diwali.