Diwali is the festivals of lights. A very Indian festival that owes its origin to our epic named Ramayana. Now it is an eternal part of our culture and traditions. It is impossible to find a house in India that does not celebrate this festival. The magic is such that even Christians and Muslims celebrate it with the Hindus. Perhaps that what festivals are meant for, they are just means to unite this very diverse country. Well as we know that India is a diverse country with many languages and cultures. This makes Diwali and its traditions different in different part of the country. Each region celebrates it in their very own style, in this article we will discuss about how Diwali traditions are in south India and how it is celebrated in this part of the country. I hope this will help you to understand the culture of south India better and also help you to compare the Diwali in south to the other parts of India.
Well South India is considered to be simple compared to North when it comes to festivities. They like to keep it simple and traditional. They meet friends and families and enjoy homemade delicacies. A day before the main festival like all other parts of the country the house is washed and heavy cleaning is done. Old and useless things are thrown away. The kitchen is particularly given more importance. The stove is washed and is decorated with lime and kumkum. This is a very popular custom in Tamil Nadu. A huge vessel of water is kept on it and boiled next day for bath. Rangoli is applied all over the house. The puja room is especially decorated. New dresses and crackers are bought for the family. On the day of the festival people wake up early take bath and they start the puja. After bath they apply (deepavali lehiyam) it is a medical and aurvedic paste that is made in the houses this is a very old custom and is religiously followed. The time of the puja keeps changing from year to year. Puja is done mostly of lord Krishna. It is believed on this day lord Krishna fought with the king of Assam naraka and successfully set free about ten thousand prisoners. After the puja is over lavish breakfast is prepared and the whole family eats together. The elders bless the younger ones. In the evening lamps are lit. Music is played and later crackers are burnt. All this is followed by a lavish dinner that is arranged by the family. Sometime people also visit each other’s house and wish each other. Well this is the traditional way of celebrating the festival. However, in modern Tamil Nadu too the same rituals are followed.
South India’s another prominent state is the state of Karnataka. It has developed a lot when information technology is considered. We will now discuss how Diwali is celebrated in this part of India. It is celebrated here as people believe that on this day lord Vishnu defeated Bali and saved the universe. Here too the celebrations are more or less the same. People wake up early make sweets in their house. Family and friends come over. A small puja is done in the evening and later crackers are burst. People wear new clothes. They go to temples and seek divine grace. This day is also celebrated by donating to the orphanages and the less fortunate ones. People worship lord Lakshmi mostly on this day. Some also believe it to be a good day to buy gold. Gifts are exchanged and elders bless the younger lot. The traditions have been more or less the same for years. Hopefully, the traditions will continue to remain the same for many more years to come.
When we are discussing about Diwali in south India then how can we forget to mention the state of kerala. God’s own country as it is known as. Well Kerala traditionally don’t celebrate this festival. There are no stories that they have to relate to this festival. Nevertheless, people who have come from other states to Kerala do celebrate this and with time people in kerala have also adopted the rituals. They do pujas, seek blessings, gift others and buy new clothes. They also light lamps in the evening and burst crackers too. The kerala tourism has a lot of guests coming there during this time. This is exactly why the celebrations are even grander.
Andhra Pradesh the oldest state of India. The state has a rich history and has also done economically very well in the past. Diwali in Andhra Pradesh is a festival that is primarily celebrated all over the state. They worship lord Lakshmi. In the morning people wake up go to the temples and offer pujas. In the evenings they have a small puja at home. Homemade sweets and other goodies are made. The evening sky is filled with crackers. Lamps are lit. It is perhaps the grandest Diwali in South after Tamil Nadu. In Hydrabad especially there is this custom of giving bath to buffalos and decorating paper figures. The shops are full. It is a good business time for the retailors as people indulge in heavy shopping. It is the biggest shopping time in Andhra Pradesh. Everything from house hold items to heavy machinery is sold during this time. It is considered as an auspicious time to buy. Gold jewellery is sold a lot as people gift each other old. The women in the family are gifted gold as it is considered to be a good omen.
We can go on and on with the traditions and customs that are associated with south India and Diwali. However, these are the basic points that we thought should be covered when discussing about the traditions of Diwali in South India. I hope this will help you to understand Diwali is south better. It is mostly a holiday in south India. People like to spend time with family and friends. Now a days people also prefer to travel during this festival.