Happy Diwali!
Nov 9, 2007, 9:07 am
#6
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Shub Diwali to you all, as well.
I want to shout out a big "Shubh Diwali!" (Happy Diwali!) to my FT colleagues.
Well, I am non-Hindu in culture or religion, but have learned from my friends and visits to India, Bali etc. what is being said and meant here, so I will take the liberty to expand a bit. (My personal belief is we are often taught to fear diversity, but when we seek to understand we can learn and enrich ourselves as we truly celebrate diversity - and FT is a place where we welcome and respect diversity; it's even in the TOS.)
So as I have been taught:
Prefatorily, the Hindu "namaste" greeting, made with the hands pressed together over one's heart, symbolizes an acknowledgment of the light / godloness within you, and a greeting from the heart; the slight simultaneous inclination of the head is indicative of humility. Namaste, all.
Diwali is the Hindu Festival of Lights, which also celebrates the arrival of the Hindu New Year. Today is the third day of Diwali's five days (though it isn't unusual in Hinduism to have some varied dates and ways of celebrating as well, often with significant regional variations,) is the last day of the year in the lunar calendar, and lamps are lit in every home celebrating Diwali. The lamp symbolizes knowledge, and encourages reflection of the purposes of each day in Diwali.
Day one celebrates Laksmi, the goddess representing wealth. During Diwali, houses are cleaned and windows opened so the good influences may come into the home, candles or lamps are lit for Laksmi, and gifts are given. (Wealth is not thought to be corruptive of itself in Hindu culture, but rather a reward for what one has done in previous lives, and of course, has obligations as well.)
Day two is dedicated to Kali, goddess of strength, and is a day for banishing laziness, sloth and evil from our lives.
Day three - see above. It's today.
Day four is the first day of the lunar New Year. Old accounts are settled, new books opened, and participants are encouraged to banish anger, hate, jealousy and negative feelings from their life.
Day five is a day to focus on seeing the good in others - even in one's enemies, and commemorates Bali, a king who was destructive, but also a generous person.
As I say, I am not Hindu (so if I got any of this wrong, feel free to add / correct,) - but I believe all cultures and religions offer lessons to us, and my HIndu friends have been most willing to share. On FlyerTalk, with so many giving members, we get to see so many facets of diversity we have to work hard not to learn from each other. Shubh Diwali and Happy New Year!
(Maybe next year I'll post about Día de los Muertos... a day we celebrate in my natal country.
)
Well, I am non-Hindu in culture or religion, but have learned from my friends and visits to India, Bali etc. what is being said and meant here, so I will take the liberty to expand a bit. (My personal belief is we are often taught to fear diversity, but when we seek to understand we can learn and enrich ourselves as we truly celebrate diversity - and FT is a place where we welcome and respect diversity; it's even in the TOS.)
So as I have been taught:
Prefatorily, the Hindu "namaste" greeting, made with the hands pressed together over one's heart, symbolizes an acknowledgment of the light / godloness within you, and a greeting from the heart; the slight simultaneous inclination of the head is indicative of humility. Namaste, all.
Diwali is the Hindu Festival of Lights, which also celebrates the arrival of the Hindu New Year. Today is the third day of Diwali's five days (though it isn't unusual in Hinduism to have some varied dates and ways of celebrating as well, often with significant regional variations,) is the last day of the year in the lunar calendar, and lamps are lit in every home celebrating Diwali. The lamp symbolizes knowledge, and encourages reflection of the purposes of each day in Diwali.
Day one celebrates Laksmi, the goddess representing wealth. During Diwali, houses are cleaned and windows opened so the good influences may come into the home, candles or lamps are lit for Laksmi, and gifts are given. (Wealth is not thought to be corruptive of itself in Hindu culture, but rather a reward for what one has done in previous lives, and of course, has obligations as well.)
Day two is dedicated to Kali, goddess of strength, and is a day for banishing laziness, sloth and evil from our lives.
Day three - see above. It's today.
Day four is the first day of the lunar New Year. Old accounts are settled, new books opened, and participants are encouraged to banish anger, hate, jealousy and negative feelings from their life.
Day five is a day to focus on seeing the good in others - even in one's enemies, and commemorates Bali, a king who was destructive, but also a generous person.
As I say, I am not Hindu (so if I got any of this wrong, feel free to add / correct,) - but I believe all cultures and religions offer lessons to us, and my HIndu friends have been most willing to share. On FlyerTalk, with so many giving members, we get to see so many facets of diversity we have to work hard not to learn from each other. Shubh Diwali and Happy New Year!
(Maybe next year I'll post about Día de los Muertos... a day we celebrate in my natal country.
)
Last edited by JDiver; Nov 9, 2007 at 12:44 pm Reason: add little bit
Nov 9, 2007, 12:19 pm
#8
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Shubh Diwali!
(We were planning to go to an Indian restaurant tonight, I wonder if that's a bad idea since I assume this is a big family night and Indian restaurants will close for the holiday?)
(We were planning to go to an Indian restaurant tonight, I wonder if that's a bad idea since I assume this is a big family night and Indian restaurants will close for the holiday?)
Nov 9, 2007, 12:42 pm
#9
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Nov 12, 2007, 6:12 am
#12
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: PHL, PA, USA
Posts: 839
Rather than "lucky", I would call it "auspicious". You are referring to "DHAN TERAS", which is usually 2 days before Diwali. This year, it was on Wednesday November 7th.
Hope that answers your question.
Oct 28, 2008, 5:43 am
#14
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Merry Diwali
"Diwali is one the most well-known Indian festivals and is often referred to as the Festival of Lights. The word itself means "rows of lighted clay lamps." It is a five day celebration marked with bright colors, oil lamps, feasts, and sparklers. Diwali occurs on the 15th day of the Hindu month of Kartika (during October/November in the Gregorian calendar). Homes, courtyards, and rooftops are commonly decorated with small oil lamps (called diyas). Rangoli, a form of colorful sand painting, adorns doorsteps."
---from Yahoo
---from Yahoo