தீபாவளி பண்டிகை
ஒவ்வொரு ஆண்டும் இலையுதிர் காலத்தில் ஒவ்வொரு இந்துக்களாலும் சிறப்பாக கொண்டாடப்படுகின்ற பண்டிகையை தீபாவளி பண்டிகையாகும்.
தீபாவளி பண்டிகையானது இந்துக்களின் முக்கிய பண்டிகைகளில் ஒன்றாகும். இவ்வருடம் இப்ப பண்டிகையானது அக்டோபர் 31ஆம் திகதி கொண்டாடப்படுகிறது. இப்பண்டிகையானது ஆன்மீக முக்கியத்துவத்தினையும் தீப ஒளியான் வெற்றியையும் குறித்து நிற்கின்றது. அதாவது இருளின் மீது ஒளி, தீமையின் மீது நன்மை, அறியாமையின் மீது அறிவு என்பவையின் வெற்றியைக் குறிக்கும் ஒரு சிறப்பு வாய்ந்த கொண்டாட்டமாகும்.இது தொடர்ச்சியாக ஐந்து நாட்களைக் கொண்டு பல சம்பிரதாயங்களை உள்ளடக்கிய திருவிழாவாக மக்களால் கொண்டாடப்படுகின்றது. பல்வேறு காரணங்களுக்காக கொண்டாடப்படும் இப்ப பண்டிகையானது தீபங்களை கொண்டு வீடுகளை ஒளிரச் செய்வது மற்றும் லக்ஷ்மி தேவி, விநாயகப் பெருமானை வழிபடுவதனை முக்கிய சடங்காக கொண்டுள்ளது.
இப்ப பண்டிகையானது பல்வேறு காரணங்களுக்காக கொண்டாடப்படுவதாக வரலாறு குறிப்பிடுகின்றது. இராமன் சீதை இலக்குமணன் ஆகியோர் அயோத்திக்குத் திரும்பியதில் மகிழ்ச்சி அடைவதற்காக தீபாவளி கொண்டாடப்படுகின்றது என்றும் இன்னும் சிலர் இதனை அறுவடைக்கான பண்டிகை என்றும் குறிப்பிடுகின்றனர். அதாவது நெல் அறுவடை செய்யப்படும் அக்டோபர் நவம்பர் இந்திய விவசாயிகளின் முக்கியமான காலப்பகுதி ஆகும். எனவே இது விவசாயிகளுக்கு சிறப்பு வாய்ந்த பண்டிகையாக கொள்ளப்படுகிறது.
மகாவிஷ்ணு மற்றும் லக்ஷ்மி தேவியின் புராணக் கதைப்படி பாலி மன்னனால் சிறை வைக்கப்பட்ட லட்சுமி தேவியின் வருகையை கொண்டாடும் விதமாகவும் இப்ப பண்டிகை மக்களால் கொண்டாடப்படுவதாக குறிப்பிடப்படுகிறது. செல்வச் செழிப்பின் தெய்வமான லட்சுமி தேவியின் பிறந்த தினத்தை முன்னிட்டு இப்ப பண்டிகை இந்துக்களால் கொண்டாடப்படுவதாகவும் வேறு சிலர் கூறுகின்றனர். தீபாவளி நாளில் லட்சுமி தேவி மற்றும் விநாயகப் பெருமானை வழிப்படும் சடங்கினை ஒவ்வொரு இந்துக்களும் பின்பற்றி வருகின்றனர். வெவ்வேறு காரணங்கள் காணப்பட்டாலும் அனைத்து இந்துக்களாலும் சிறப்பாக கொண்டாடப்படுகின்ற பண்டியாக தீபாவளி காணப்படுகின்றது.
Deepavali: The Festival of Lights
Deepavali, also known as Diwali, is one of the most significant and widely celebrated festivals in India and across the world. Known as the “Festival of Lights,” it symbolizes the victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance. Celebrated by millions of Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, and Buddhists, Deepavali is marked by vibrant customs, radiant decorations, and festive gatherings, making it a memorable occasion for all.
The Origins and Significance of Deepavali
Deepavali’s origins vary across religions and regions, each carrying its unique legends and symbolism. In Hinduism, the festival commemorates Lord Rama’s return to Ayodhya after a 14-year exile and his victory over the demon king Ravana, symbolizing the triumph of good over evil. It is also linked to the goddess Lakshmi, the deity of wealth, as people pray for prosperity and fortune in the coming year. For Sikhs, Diwali marks the release of Guru Hargobind Ji, the sixth Sikh Guru, from imprisonment, while Jains observe it as the day Lord Mahavira attained Nirvana. Buddhists, particularly those in Nepal, honor it in celebration of Emperor Ashoka’s conversion to Buddhism.
Traditional Celebrations and Customs
Deepavali celebrations last five days, with each day holding special rituals and practices:
1. Dhanteras: The first day is dedicated to Dhanvantari, the god of health and medicine, and involves buying precious items like gold or silver to bring good luck.
2. Naraka Chaturdashi (Choti Diwali): This day symbolizes Lord Krishna’s victory over the demon Narakasura. People clean their homes, set up oil lamps, and light small fireworks.
3. Lakshmi Puja: The third day, Diwali proper, is when people worship Lakshmi and seek her blessings for prosperity. Homes are adorned with rangoli (colorful patterns), lights, and candles, creating a festive and welcoming atmosphere.
4. Govardhan Puja (Padwa): Devotees honor Lord Krishna for lifting the Govardhan Hill to protect the villagers of Vrindavan from torrential rains.
5. Bhai Dooj: The final day celebrates the bond between brothers and sisters, where sisters pray for their brothers’ well-being and receive gifts in return.
Symbolism of Lights and Diyas
The hallmark of Deepavali is the lighting of diyas (oil lamps) and candles, symbolizing the inner light that protects from spiritual darkness. Streets and homes are illuminated with beautiful displays of light, turning entire communities into glowing, lively celebrations. Fireworks are also an essential part of the festivities, symbolizing the joy and exuberance that comes with the festival.
Exchanging Gifts and Sweets
Deepavali is a time for sharing joy, often through the exchange of gifts and sweets. Families and friends exchange traditional Indian sweets like laddoos, barfis, and gulab jamuns. Gift-giving extends to items such as clothes, jewelry, and household items, reinforcing bonds and creating cherished memories.
Environmental Awareness in Celebrations
In recent years, there has been a growing emphasis on celebrating Deepavali in an eco-friendly way. Many people now opt for minimal fireworks, which can create pollution, and choose environmentally friendly decorations. The use of clay diyas and natural colors in rangoli are becoming popular as people balance celebration with environmental responsibility.
In conclusion, Deepavali is more than a festival; it is a celebration of culture, tradition, and the spirit of humanity. It brings people together, reminding them of the power of light and love in a world often marked by darkness. Through every lamp lit, every prayer offered, and every sweet shared, Deepavali strengthens the values of harmony, joy, and gratitude in communities around the globe.
හින්දු ජනතාවගේ අතිශය වැදගත් ආගමික උත්සව දිනයක්වන දීපවාලි දිනය අදට දිනට යෙදී තිබේ.
දීවාලි නැතහොත් දීපාවලී උත්සවය හින්දු භක්තිකයන්ගේ ප්රධාන උත්සවයක් ලෙසයි හැදින්වේ.එමෙන්ම අයහපත පරදා යහපත ජයගත් දිනය ලෙසයි ඔවුන් අද දිනය සලකෙයි.
අද දින ලොව පුරා හින්දු බැතිමතුන් දීපවාලී උත්සවය සමරනු ලබන්නේ අඳුර දුරලා සියලු සිත්සතන් තුළ ආලෝකය පැතිරේවා යන්න ප්රාර්ථනා කරමිනි.
චන්ද්ර දින දර්ශනයට අනුව හින්දු නව වසරේ ආරම්භය සනිටුහන් කෙරෙන්නේ දීපවාලි දිනයෙනි.හින්දු භක්තිකයන්ට අනුව දීපාවලි උත්සව සැමරුම වසර 35000 කට පෙර සිට පැවත එන්නක් බව සදහන් වේ.මෙම උත්සවය දින 5ක් පුරා පැවතෙන අතර මෙය පැවැත්වීමට පාදක වූ පුරාවෘත කිහිපයක්ම හින්දු ජනයා අතර ප්රචලිත වේ.විෂ්ණු දෙවිදුන් නරගාසුරන් නමැති අසුරයා පරාජය කිරීම සිහිපත් කරමින් හින්දු බැතුමතුන් දීපාවලී උත්සවය සමරයි.
මෙම උත්සවය තුලින් තමන් ආලෝකය ලබා ගත් අයුරින් ලොව සියලු දෙනාටද ආලෝකය දැකීමට ඉඩ සලසන්නැයි පරාජයට පත් නරගාසුරන් අසුරයා විෂ්ණු දෙවියන්ගෙන් ඉල්ලීමක් කර තිබේ.එහිදී හින්දු බැතුමතුන් පහන් දල්වා ආගමික වතාවත්වල නිරත වන්නේ පහන්වල ආලෝකය පරිද්දෙන් සියල්ලන්ගේ සිත් සතන් තුළ ආලෝකය පැතිරේවා යන ඒකායන ප්රාර්ථනය පෙරදැරිකරගෙනයි.
ඒ අනුව දීපවාලී යනු සැබවින්ම ආලෝක පුජාවකි.මෙහි නිවෙස් තුළ මෙන්ම නගර මුළුල්ලේ ම දහස් ගණන් පහන් දල්වා ආලෝකවත් කිරීම මෙම උත්සවයේ ප්රධානතම අංගයක් බවට පත් වේ.
දීපවාලී උත්සවය ජාතික උත්සවයක් ලෙසත්, එය ලොව අඳුර නසා ආලෝකය උදා කරවන්නක් ලෙසත්, අඥානය නැති කොට ඥානය පහළ කරන උත්සවයක් ලෙසත් හින්දු භක්තිකයින් සලකයි.
හින්දු බැතිමතුන් මේ විශේෂ දිනයේ රාමා දෙවියන්ටත්, සීතා දේවියටත් තම ජිවිත දුෂ්කරතාවලට නිසි ලෙස මුහුණ දී ඔවුන් ආශීර්වාද කර නිවැරදි මඟපෙන්වන ලෙස යාතිකා කරනු ඇත.
ඉතින් අපිත් අපගේ සහෝදර හින්දු බැතිමතුන් සමඟ දීපවාලී උත්සවය සමරන්නට ආදරයෙන් එක් වෙමු.
Article by
Leo Nifla Najeem
Leo Binaramali Wickramasinghe
Leo Tharushika Sewwandi