Diwali Trivia...

Every year, the advent of Diwali brings with it a new exhilarating feeling…an anticipation of joy…a sheer celebration of life.

The spirit of Diwali…a celebration of Truth and Light. It symbolizes that age-old purpose and desire to vanquish ignorance that subdues humanity and defeat the darkness that engulfs the light of knowledge. And therefore, this festival symbolizes what we do every single day of our lives…

* Why do people gamble after the Lakshmi Puja on the third day of Diwali?

It is believed that goddess Parvati played dice with her husband- Lord Shiva on this day and she decreed that whosoever gambled on Diwali night would prosper throughout the next year.

* What is the significance of Dhanteras– the first day of Diwali?

A very interesting story about this day is of the 16-year-old son of King Hima. As per his horoscope, he was doomed to die by a snake-bite on the fourth day of his marriage. On that particular day his young wife laid heaps of ornaments, gold and silver coins at the entrance of her husband's boudoir and lit innumerable lamps all over the place. She then began narrating stories and singing songs. When Yam, the god of Death arrived in the guise of a Serpent his eyes were blinded by the dazzle of brilliant lights and he could not enter the Prince's chamber. He climbed on top of the heap of the ornaments and coins and sat there the whole night listening to melodious songs. In the morning he quietly went away. Since then Dhanteras came to be known as the day of "Yam Deepdan" and lamps are kept burning throughout the night in reverential adoration to Yam, the god of Death.

* Why do people take early morning oil baths on the second day of Diwali?

The story goes that after defeating Lord Indra, the demon king- Narakasur, ruler of Pragjyotishpur snatched away the magnificent earrings of Aditi, the Mother Goddess and imprisoned sixteen thousand daughters of the gods and saints in his harem. It was Lord Krishna who killed the demon, liberated the imprisoned damsels and recovered those precious earrings for Aditi. As a symbol of that victory Lord Krishna smeared his forehead with the demon king's blood. When he returned home at dawn, the womenfolk applied scented oil on his body and bathed him to wash away the filth from his body. Since then the custom of taking bath before sunrise on this day has become a traditional practice especially in Maharashtra.

* What is Bhai-duj?

As the legend goes Yamraj, the God of Death visited his sister Yami on this particular day. She put the auspicious tilak on his forehead, garlanded him and fed him with special dishes. While parting, Yamraj gave her a special gift as a token of his love and in return Yami also gave him a lovely gift, which she had made with her own hands. Since then this day is being observed as a symbol of love between sisters and brothers. It also became imperative for the brother to go to his sister's house to celebrate Bhai-duj.

Contributed by Bhaskar Das (bhaskar.das@timesgroup.com)