Diwali, the Hindu New Year, was celebrated by Hindus,
Sikhs and Jains very recently. Called the Festival of Lights, Diwali is
celebrated with lighting many lamps in the home, going to temple, visiting
family and friends, and exchanging gifts and sweets. Occuring on the new moon,
Diwali is considered to be the darkest night, after which light returns.
Diwali is a festival celebrating the triumph of light over darkness, the triumph
of good over evil. It is about dispelling the obscurity of ignorance with the
light of wisdom and love. The symbolism of Diwali resonates with many other
cultures’ celebrations of light in this season of increasing darkness.
People around the world, throughout history, have
recognized the need to reawaken to light, clarity and wisdom. With our daily
routine and bustle, we tend to accumulate “inner dust” that carries seeds of
confusion, fatigue, and superficiality. Light festivals, such as Diwali, give us
the opportunity to renew ourselves again, to recentre on the essential, to
clarify our dreams and direction.
Reconnecting with the inner significance of celebrations, which today have been
over-commercialized and banalized by our materialistic culture, opens the
doorway to sacred time, the soul, and the Mystery of Life and Nature.
