So let’s enjoy both the festivals together: Halloween and Deepavali

Today is 31 October. 31 October means a lot in the United States, Canada, or UK or wherever people believe in the festival of Halloween. Though last year I was in the US, I did not learn that much that year about this holiday as I come to know this year, four days before Indian holiday, Deepavali. What!

Here is a blog seeing these two festivals simultaneously; I wonder Ancestors have been so alike in their thinking and approach to life.

History

Halloween has its roots in the Celtic Festival of Samhain/ Samhuin and the Christian holiday of All Saints’ Day but now has come to be a secular annual holiday, primarily  in the US, Canada and the UK. The festival of Samhain having its roots in Celtic polytheism and meaning the “Summer’s end” denotes the end of the one season of the harvest and also the end of the "lighter half" of the year and beginning of the "darker half." All Saints’ Day, on the other hand, which in the Roman Catholic Church officially meant Solemnity of All Saints and also called All Hallows or Hallowmas is observed in honor of all saints known and unknown.

Deepavali, popularly known as the festival of lights, is a five day festival in Hinduism (Sikhism and Jainism) and is a national holiday in India, Guyana, Trinidad & Tobago, Mauritius, Malaysia, Nepal, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Fiji and Surinam. In Hinduism, Deepavali marks the return of Lord Rama to his kingdom of Ayodhya after killing demon king Ravana, the ruler of Lanka and all other bad spirits (demons). It also marks the end of the 14 years of the banishment of Rama and beginning of a new life, the end of the one season of summer and the beginning of winter, the end of the one harvest and the beginning of other. In Jainism, Deepavali marks the attainment of Moksha by Mahavira in 527 BC. Again a beginning of a new existence if you call it so.  In Sikhism, Deepavali commemorates the return of Guru Har Gobind  to Amritsar after freeing 52 Hindu kings imprisoned in Fort Gwalior by Emperor Jahangir; thus again denoting beginning of a new life.

Both festivals seem to mark two things: 1. the defeat of evil by good. 2. Beginning of a new life.

Time of the Festivals

Though the festival of Samhain was observed on 31 October – 1 November and All Saints’ Day on 1 November, the festival of Halloween is observed on 31 October every year. As opposed to this, the most important day of Deepavali is celebrated on Amavashya of the month of the end of Ashvin and beginning of Kartik every year according to the lunisolar Hindu calendar. This year it is on 5 November.

Reasons to Celebrate

In my sense, abstractly, defeat of evil by good or the celebration of the good in both. You have every right to disagree :)
 

Festivities

Deepavali: Lights, new clothes, sweets and snacks, special dishes (oh they are so tasty!!), worship of gods and goddesses, especially goddess Lakshmi in Hinduism etc.

Halloween: Costumes, Masks, costume parties, carving Jack-o-lanterns (lantern means “Light in a transparent protective case” according to the word web dictionary), ghost tours, bonfires, apple bobbing, visiting haunted attractions, committing pranks, telling ghost stories or other frightening tales, and watching horror films etc.

The “trick-or-treating” by children in the Halloween is so similar to “Tesu” before Deepavali in which we as a child used to go at neighbor’s house and used to sing songs or tell some stories and would get rewarded in the form of grains which we used to sell in the end or money.
 

Spiritual Significance

It seems from the story and rituals that both the festivals in their core symbolize the spiritual awakening of the self/ inner light against the darker self.

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Since it is a blog and not a research paper, this is enough to express the idea which struck my mind. Sometimes mind gives such a crazy thing; excuse me don’t think in psychological terms: it will spoil all aesthetic/poetic sense!!

So let’s enjoy both the festivals together: Halloween and Deepavali. Happy Halloween and Deepavali to all.

And of course, those who are offended by this suggestion, they are free to enjoy one: happy one to them.
 

Hakuna Matata; it means no worries.

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