Diwali

Diwali, the festival of light, is a Hindu holiday that occurs on (I think) the first new moon in November. There are many stories in Hindu history that are said to be celebrated by this festival – the one I’ve heard the most is the homecoming of the god Rama after he was exiled for 14 years for killing the demon Ravana. The “lights” of Diwali (fire, firecrackers, Christmas-like lights on houses, candles) are supposed to represent the triumph of good over evil, and the inner light that symbolizes the force which is larger than our physical beings (does it sound like I learned that from Wikipedia? Because I did).

I was really excited to get a chance to celebrate Diwali this year. My roommate, Santhi, took me to her extended family’s house in a village not far from Chennai for a traditional Indian experience. Many of you may recall the episode of The Office, called “Diwali,” when Michael invites the office to Kelly’s family’s Diwali celebration and thinks it’s a costume party. So, there was no Diwali party exactly like that this time, but it was still an occasion to dress up. As must happen in India though, we started off the trip with a bit of a mishap: we hit two hours of (easily foreseeable but not avoidable) holiday traffic on the way out of Chennai, and got a flat tire on the way to Tindivanam, so we didn’t arrive there until 12:30 am and went to bed even later. Santhi’s cousin joked that they would be waking us up at 5 am to light firecrackers. He wasn’t joking. We were, in fact, woken up at 5:30 am, when it was still dark out, and given new clothes (a traditional Diwali gift), which we went to go and get blessed at another relative’s house. Then it was time for firecrackers! Unfortunately, by this time the sun had already risen so it wasn’t much of a light show but more of a sound spectacular. Santhi lit the first firecracker, which was actually a string of hundreds of little firecrackers, and almost lost a limb in the process! Needless to say, after that experience we entertained ourselves with sparklers that were quiet and could be held at a comfortable distance from our bodies.

It was really great to get a chance to visit a temple with a Hindu family. Usually, most of the more famous temples in India are off-limits to non-Hindus, so it was special to get to go inside one (actually, I got to go to two). I was surprised that there was no service, but rather you go into a small room and are blessed by the priest with flowers, incense, and oils. The whole visit takes about ten minutes! At the second temple we went to, there were very many gods, and Santhi’s cousins prayed very quickly to each one. One was a god who was in meditation, and you have to clap and say your name so he knows you’re there! I find Hinduism and the mythological history of the gods really interesting, and I feel like if I just read up on it more I would understand the Indian psyche better. It’s interesting because I feel like India developed on this whole other cultural and philosophical plane that’s so different than what we (in the boring western world) know almost instinctively, and I think that may be the reason why so many things seem to not make sense here!

Santhi and I rested (because of our short night’s sleep) for most of the day – well, as much as we could with the firecrackers outside! We arose for the nighttime festivities (more fireworks, temple, and visiting relatives) and dressed in our saris, which was a highlight for me. I’d never worn one before, and the previous weekend I had purchased my first, a piece of clothing I have never been so excited about! I’m not sure why I love saris so much, but I just feel like they automatically bring such beauty and regality to their wearer, no matter what. And no doubt, while wearing a sari, I felt as beautiful as I ever have.

The highlight of Diwali weekend was returning to Chennai the following night and watching the fireworks light up the city from the rooftop of a hotel. It was like the fourth of July, except an endless show, and in 360 degrees. Though spectacular up close, I have to say that I much prefer to watch the fireworks from afar, with a cold beer in hand.