Dr. K. Jamanadas Holi – What is it and how did it originate? It is well known that Holi forms one of the important festivals among the Hindus. It is supposed to be festival of Shudras, and is one of the three most important ones in India, the others being Dasera and Diwali. The …
Diwali and Bali Pratipada
Gail Omvedt Diwali, or the “Festival of Lights,” comes in the period after the harvest, as days begin to get shorter. The first day is for honoring cows and buffalos. The second day, in Brahmanic culture, commemorates the killing of Mahisasura: this symbolizes the struggle between “devas” and “asuras.” In the legends, both are …
This Diwali, think why we celebrate death
Kancha Ilaiah There are two prominent stories around the celebration of Diwali. One, this is the day on which Ram returned to Ayodhya and coronated himself as king after killing Ravan. It is also the day when Krishna and his wife Satyabhama killed Narakasur, known as the evil rakshasa. It’s the death of the …
Say a Big No to Diwali
[Received this article (slightly edited) via Karthik Navayan. Its original author is unknown. If any of our readers know about her/him, please let us know so that we can give due credit to her/him] Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them. ~ …