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5 hours ago · Samhain was a time when people would honour the deceased and attempt to protect themselves from harmful spirits. To celebrate, they built large bonfires, wore costumes, and performed rituals to ...
3 days ago · Hindus celebrate a myriad of such festivals, or utsavas, throughout the year. These joyous times celebrate in various ways the exploits of the Hindu deities, the changing of the seasons, and the bonds of community. Many Hindu festivals are celebrated across India, while others are localized within specific regional communities. The festivals are filled with mirth and merriment, music and dance ...
Oct 31, 2023 · Samhain meant the conclusion of the harvest season and the beginning of winter. The Celts believed that on the night of October 31, the barrier between the realm of the living and the dead was ...
Oct 31, 2023 · Its roots extend more than two millennia, tracing back to the Celtic festival of Samhain. Samhain signified the conclusion of the harvest season and the onset of winter. The Celts held the belief that on the night of October 31st, the barrier between the realm of the living and that of the dead was at its most porous, allowing spirits to return to Earth.
- Overview
- The meaning of Diwali—and its many legends
- How Diwali is celebrated
Observed by more than a billion people across faiths, this five-day festival of lights brings prayer, feasts, fireworks and, for some, a new year.
Diwali is India’s most important festival of the year—a time to celebrate the triumph of light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance, and good over evil. Widely observed among more than a billion people from a variety of faiths across India and its diaspora, the five days of Diwali are marked by prayer, feasts, fireworks, family gatherings, and charitable giving. For some, Diwali is also the beginning of a new year.
But Diwali is perhaps best known as a festival of lights. Derived from the Sanskrit dipavali, which means “row of lights,” Diwali is known for the brightly burning clay lamps that celebrants line up outside their homes. (See dazzling pictures of Diwali, the festival of lights.)
The dates of this festival are based on the Hindu lunar calendar, which marks each month by the time it takes the moon to orbit Earth. Diwali begins just before the arrival of a new moon between the Hindu months of Asvina and Kartika—which typically falls in October or November of the Gregorian calendar.
Diwali is so widely celebrated—it’s an important religious festival for Hindus, but is also observed among Jains, Sikhs, and Buddhists—that it has no single origin story. But while each religion has its own historical narrative behind the holiday, they all ultimately represent the victory of good over evil.
(Parents and educators: Learn about Diwali with your kids.)
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Diwali: Festival of Lights
In India, one of the most significant festivals is Diwali, or the festival of lights. It's a five-day celebration that includes good food, fireworks, colored sand, and special candles and lamps.
In Hinduism alone—which is considered the world’s oldest living religion, dating back to the second millennium B.C.—there are several versions of the Diwali story that vary among geographic communities. These, however, are all epic tales of victory won by men who were considered incarnations of the Hindu god Vishnu, regarded as the sustainer of the universe, and whose role it is to restore the balance of good and evil in times of trouble.
Just as the legends of Diwali differ from region to region so, too, do the holiday’s rituals. What most have in common, though, are the abundance of sweets, family gatherings, and the lighting of clay lamps that symbolize the inner light that protects each household from spiritual darkness.
Left:
A potter arranges earthen lamps, which are used to decorate homes and temples during Diwali, at a workshop in Ahmedabad, India, on November 9, 2020.
Photograph by Amit Dave, Reuters
Right:
During Diwali, many people decorate their floors with rangoli, or intricate and colorful designs made from powder, rice, flower petals, or sand.
- Amy Mckeever
- 3 min
Apr 22, 2024 · Global harvest festivals are a universal concept deeply rooted in agricultural traditions and the natural cycle of the seasons. Amongst these, Samhain stands out as a festival with ancient Celtic origins, traditionally marking the end of the harvest season and welcoming the darker half of the year. This time-honoured festival is famed for its ...
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The study has been analyzed by dividing this topic into four parts, 1) Name Similarities between. Samhain and Diwali, 2) Dates similarities between Samhain and & Diwali, 3) the similarity in the ...
