Honestly, I was kind of excited to be able to celebrate Diwali at home this year, because I was hoping things would have gotten better by the time this sacred holiday came around. I thought my family and I would be celebrating the same way we have for years. But sadly, the COVID situation has not gotten any better, and so much of what we did in previous years is off the table this time around.
What is Diwali?
Before getting into how everything has changed and what Diwali will look like this year, let me give a little background information. Diwali is known worldwide as the “Festival of Lights” because of the deepas (lamps that are made out of clay) that many Hindus light up outside of their homes. This practice is done to symbolize inner light protecting spiritual darkness. The word “deepas” actually comes from the Sanskrit word “Deepavali,” which means rows of lighted deepas or lamps.
This holiday celebrates Lord Rama’s (the seventh avatar of Vishnu — who is one of the three most important gods in Hinduism) return to his home after 14 years of exile because he fought and defeated Ravana, the demon king. Diwali is also seen as the new year and the time of harvest, which is why it is the festival of new beginnings and symbolizes light over darkness for some.
Many people wear either new clothing or their best clothing, and will also decorate the inside and outsides of their homes with things like deepas and rangoli (an art form in which patterns are drawn on the ground with colored powders). People also go to the temple, have pujas (the act of worship), light fireworks, and enjoy spending time with friends and family.
What Diwali looked like before
In previous years, Diwali has always been one of the most significant events of the year, consisting of many parties, functions, and get-togethers in the weeks leading up to Diwali (and sometimes even after the actual date). In the past, my family and I would dress up to light lamps outside of our houses, light a few small firecrackers, and, depending on the day, go to the temple. On the weekends, we would generally attend various events that our community hosted. One of my favorite parts of the Diwali celebrations would be the fireworks and live performances. These events would always include good food, loud music, and a lot of fun!
What Diwali will look like this year
Because Diwali technically hasn’t happened yet (November 14 this year), we don’t know what will happen. But like most of the big holidays this year, it will not be at all like it was in previous years. Most of the Hindu temples across America have closed down due to the risks of spreading COVID. And this holds true to the temples that are around my home — but in an effort to try and keep things normal, many temples are live streaming pujas and bhajans (devotional songs with religious themes in Indian religions). So I guess that more people will watch the live streams on the days leading up to and on Diwali. The major events planned for this year were all either adjusted to the CDC guidelines, moved to online, or canceled altogether.
What I plan on doing
I think that my family and I will continue to do what we have done at home in past years, with a few more additions. We will continue to dress up, make tasty Indian food, light deepas while also watching live streams from our neighborhood temples, and lighting a few more firecrackers in lieu of the fireworks we missed out on this year!
This is not at all what I thought Diwali would look like in 2020, but I completely understand and support the idea of having a COVID-19 free holiday! Hopefully, everyone has a wonderful Diwali — stay safe and mask up!