Bengali Diwali or Diwali is a five-day Hindu religious festival. However, Jain-Sikhs also celebrate similar festivals during this time. The festival of Diwali begins with the Dhanteras or Dhantrayodashi ceremony on Krishna Troyodashi in the month of Ashwin. The festival culminates with the Vaifonta ceremony on Shukla Dithya Tithi in the month of Kartik. Diwali begins 18 days after Navratri festival or Durgo Festival of Bengalis ends. According to the Gregorian calendar, Diwali takes place between mid-October to mid-November.
Foreign countries celebrate Bengali Diwali
Diwali is a public holiday in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Mauritius, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Suriname, Malaysia, Singapore and Fiji. In Bangladesh, holidays are given in educational institutions on this day.
Historical Background of Bengali Diwali and fire lantern
For Hindus, Bengali Diwali is an important festival. On this day all Hindus organize various events at home. This day is celebrated as Kali Puja in Bengal, Assam, Odisha and Mithila. Indian society strongly believes in the principle of ‘suppression of evil and observance of virtue’ or ‘defeat of injustice by justice’. Through Diwali, the Upanishad dictates this saying very strongly as “Asato Ma Sat Gamay. Tamso Ma Jyotirgamay. Mityorma Amritang Gamay. Om Shanti: Om Shanti: Om Shanti:”. That is, “Take from dishonesty to truth, from darkness to light, from death to immortality. Let the message of peace spread everywhere.
Bengali Diwali vs Non-Bengali Diwali ideas
“According to North Indian Hindus, Sri Ramachandra returned to Ayodhya after fourteen years of exile on Diwali. After getting back their beloved king, the people of Ayodhya decorated their capital by lighting ghee lamps. On this day, Lakshmi-Ganesh Puja is practiced in all of India except Eastern India. According to Jains, Mahavira attained Moksha or Nirvana on Diwali in 527 BC. Sikhs also celebrate this festival as Hargobind, the sixth Guru of Sikhs in 1619 AD, and 52 princes were liberated on Diwali. Arya Samaj also celebrates this festival on this day. Dayananda observes the death anniversary of Saraswati. They also observe this day as “Sharadiya Nav-Syashesti”. Besides, the enthusiasm for this festival can be observed among the people of all communities of Nepal-India-Bangladesh.
Religious Perception of Bengali Diwali
The name “Diwali” means “collection of lamps and lights”. On this Bengali Diwali day, Hindus light small earthen lamps from house to house. Lighting this lamp is a symbol of warding off evil. North Indian Hindus believe that if the house is cleaned and the lamp is kept burning all night, Lakshmi will come to the house. Dipanvita Kali Puja of Bengal is especially popular. This festival is celebrated with pomp and illumination. But this worship is not ancient. The first mention of this worship is found in Syamas Parya Vidhi written by Kashinath in 1777 AD. It is said that King Krishnachandra Roy of Nadia forced all his subjects to perform Kali Puja in the 18th century with the threat of punishment. Since then, Kali Puja gained special popularity in Nadia. Krishnachandra’s grandson Ishanchandra also spent a lot of money to organize Kali Puja. Fireworks are also lit to ward off evil spirits.There is also the custom of wearing new clothes and distributing sweets among family and friends during Diwali, especially in northern India.
Bengali Diwali cum Business Grow Light
Bengali Diwali means the light of business for the businessman. Dhanteras marks the beginning of the financial year for many Indian business communities; People also buy new ornaments, utensils, jewelry etc. on this day. However, the financial year of most of the Bengali businessmen starts on Baisakh. The second day is called Bhoot Chaturdashi. On this day, Bengalis come to the corner of the house and light fourteen lamps and wipe the black to make the house bright. It is said that by doing this the ghost can no longer move near the necks of relatives; It is also said in folklore that through this lamp-lighting, an invitation is sent to the patriarchs of the family to enter the ceremony, so that they may attend the annual arrival of the mother and wish everyone good luck and gain moksha by the mother’s blessings. On the third day of Kartik Amavasya where Lakshmi is worshiped in North India, Kali Puja is celebrated with great pomp in West Bengal.
Conclusion: It can’t be concluded the discussion Bengali Diwali festival by writing some sentences.
However, on that day the original West Bengal residents, the Ghatis, also worshiped Lakshmi at home. But the original Bangladeshi Hindus, the Bengalis, do not have this rule; Many people also perform Kali puja at home, although this puja is more popular in the Barwari style. Sometimes the day of Kali Puja and Diwali may be different; It is possible to read Diwali date one day later or earlier. Because, Lagna of Kali Puja is fixed on the midnight of Amavasya, while the Lagna of Lakshmi Puja of Diwali is confirmed on the evening of Amavasya, so according to the Lagna of Puja, there are occasional intervals between the dates of the two Pujas. On the day of Diwali, the houses sparkle with the light of lamps. The sky is also glittering with different colors. Diwali is the festival of welcoming the gods of heaven to the house of mortals in the light of lamps. Fourth day Kartik Shukla Pratipada. On this day Vaishnavites perform Govardhan Puja. The fifth day is Yamadvitiya or Bhratdvitiya or Bhaiphonta. On this day sisters fast for their brothers and invite them to their homes.
