92. festival
brate Divali with the bursting of crackers and by lighting up their houses with
earthen diyas or other lamps in the grandest style, year after year.
The thirteenth day of the dark fortnight—that is, two days before Divali—is
known as Dhan Teras. On this day a new utensil is bought for the house. The house
has to be cleaned, washed, and whitewashed. On this day the children are taken out
to buy crackers, candles, earthen diyas, and a hatri (a small houselike structure made
of mud, in the middle of which sits a small idol of Lakshmiji). A pair of earthen
Lakshmiji and Ganeshji are a must for Divali pujan. (Ganeshji is to be worshipped
before any other god or goddess in all pujas.) Lakshmiji, the goddess of wealth, is
supposed to visit everyone during Divali; therefore she must also be fussed over.
Earthen katoris (dishes) known as kulris and chaugaras, lots ofkheel (puffed rice),
toys made out of candy (known as khand ke khilone), batashas (hollow sugar-cakes),
and so on are required for the puja. The markets are extremely well decorated and
full of items that one can buy for the home.
Special foods likepaprianddeevlasare made at home. The day prior to Divali is
known as Chhoti Divali. On that day Hanuman (Pavanputra or son of the God of
Wind), the greatbhakta(worshipper) of Lord Ram, had come flying to Ayodhya to
inform the family and the kingdom that Ram, Sita, and Lakshman were coming
back the following day so that arrangements to welcome them could be made (of
course in a great hurry). Today, we have more time at our disposal, and so we start
the celebrations much earlier. On Chhoti Divali,mithai(sweets) are displayed by
gaily decorated and well-lit shops, and they do very brisk business. Many business
houses and individuals distributemithaito their associates, families, and friends. A
lot of visiting is done on this day. The business community begins its new year from
this day.
One word of caution—one must remain within a budget. Almost everything
bought during Divali time is of little use later on, except utensils, and a few other
durables, so please do the buying by your own standards and not the neighbors’!
One should remember that twenty-one or fifty-one diyasare bought (although can-
dles are much in use these days). This is just to keep the old tradition alive and main-
tain a continuity from time immemorial right up to this very day. In case one is in
another country, where one cannot get diyas, then one just has to make do with can-
dles. One big diyais definitely required for the center and can be made with atta
dough. The diyasare filled with oil (ordinary mustard oil), and wicks are made from
old cottonwool. Please soak the diyas in water for a couple of hours and dry them
before use, as they will soak up the oil very fast if used absolutely new.