உகாண்டாவில் தீபாவளி கொண்டாட்டம்

உகாண்டாவில் தீபாவளி கொண்டாட்டம்
Uganda: Diwali - Festival of Purity, Love, Thanks-Giving
New Vision (Kampala)

29 November 2007
Posted to the web 30 November 2007

Pidson Kareire
Kampala

INDIA is a land of all-year-round colourful festivities and the food festival, a Hindu way of thanking God after a good harvest, is one of the most vibrant, fun-filled and glamorous. It is a social and spiritual festival that calls for meditation, upright, and honest lives and hours of service to others.

During this season, Hindus are not supposed to take alcohol, engage in adultery, eat meat, nor are they expected to be involved in any act s of impurity of body and mind. These are their five lifetime vows. Such purity forms the foundation of over 160 humanitarian services performed by believers of Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS).


In Uganda, the festival was celebrated at the B.A.P.S Swaminarayan Mandir, Kampala aka Buwologoma opposite Shoprite last Saturday evening.

A variety of food brought by Indian women was exhibited, and Indian cultural dances were performed.

It coincided with the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, and all the delegates from India attended.

Patel Rahul, an official at BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir said the function was part of Diwali, which was extended to signify India's uninterrupted traditional heritage.

"Many people ask themselves how Indians have managed to keep their culture intact, yet, like Africans, they too were colonised. The fact is that such festivals keep us together," Patel said.

According to him, the festival comes after the harvesting season. It symbolises the importance of thanking God for the good harvesting season. It also emphasises the appreciation and affection of God's power and love.

It is commonly known as 'Diwali,' among the Hindu, meaning 'a row of lights'.

It is a five-day festival that falls in October or November (the dates vary according to the lunar calendar). There are numerous myths about the origin of the festival.

Some Hindus believe that Diwali marks the homecoming of the much-idolised King Rama, who returned after defeating the evil Ravana in a battle that lasted for 14 years.

Others believe it is the day on which the beautiful goddess, Lakshmi, was rescued from an evil king. Yet others insist that it is the day on which the blue-skinned god, Krishna, destroyed a much-despised demon.

Whatever beliefs people in different parts of the sub-continent hold about Diwali, all agree that it symbolises the triumph of good over evil - a central theme in all Indian stories, from ancient Hindu mythology to modern-day Bollywood movies.

The world over, Diwali is celebrated with joy and optimism, as the period marks new beginnings. Houses are thoroughly cleaned or redecorated. In India, courtyards are swept and decorated with 'rangoli' - patterns created with powdered or wet paint.

Doorways are festooned with 'torans' - decorative garlands made with golden marigolds and fresh mango leaves. Private and communal worship is a major feature of the festival, and devout Hindus wake up early and bathe at the crack of dawn to go to temple.

According to Hindu beliefs, the goddess Lakshmi, who is believed to bring wealth and fortune, only visits homes that are clean and brightly lit, so every home is lit up with dozens of flickering hand-painted terracotta lamps.

Fireworks and fireworks displays, which represent the loud, fiery weapons used in ancient mythology to fight the forces of evil, are immensely popular.

As the day after Diwali is New Year's Day according to the Hindu Vikram calendar, debts are cleared, new accounts books opened, new crops sown, and old adversaries embraced in a spirit of reconciliation. Children touch the feet of adults to receive blessings and monetary gifts.

Everyone, young and old, dresses up in new clothes and goes on a shopping spree, as the buying of new household goods, particularly kitchen utensils, is considered auspicious.

Diwali dishes

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Everybody buys the best ingredients they can afford. The festival is synonymous with long, sumptuous, elaborate feasts, the preparations for which begin several days in advance.

Women get together and spend several days preparing sweets, snacks and savouries - although these days they are more likely to buy them from specialist shops.

Indian sweets, known as 'mithai', are made with semolina, wheat flour, chickpea flour or thickened milk, to which freshly grated coconut, carrots or white pumpkin is sometimes added.