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ambience: fireworks, Hindu priest chanting, hand bell, Hindu temple
Across the Asian subcontinent and around the world, many members of the Hindu faith celebrate the arrival of the harvest season with a day of blessing known as Diwali or Dipavali. It’s a celebration of light which involves singing, chanting, prayer, and lots of fireworks. I’m Jim Metzner, and this is the Pulse of the Planet. This year, spiritual leader Swami Brahmananda and hundreds of other Indian-Americans are observing the annual Dipavali festival at the Hindu Temple Society’s Community Center in Flushing, New York. On the night before the new moon, homes, sidewalks and temples are all lit with thousands of small clay lamps. The lamps are meant to signify the triumph of light over the forces of darkness.
“Dipa means ‘lamp’ and Vali means ‘light’. The light is always equated to knowledge. Darkness is equated to ignorance. Dipavali is basically hailing the victory of truth over untruth, hailing the victory of good over evil. On this day they light the lamps and then, they blast firecrackers, hailing the victory.”
Within the temple the statues of Hindu deities are bathed with offerings of milk, oil, and honey. The faithful also undertake a ritual oil bath at home, a purification rite which prepares them to enter the temple.
“They take the oil bath in the morning, they wear new clothes, and then they go to temple, they offer prayers. They distribute among friends sweets, all that.”
We’ll hear more about Hindu deities and the Dipavali festival of light in future programs.
Pulse of the Planet is presented by the National Science Foundation, with additional support provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities. I’m Jim Metzner.
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