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Diwali
An Indian Festival of Lights By Crystal Patriarche
During Rama's exile, the evil king Ravana of Lanka lured him away from his hut and then kidnapped Sita while he was away. After many years and the help of an army, Rama defeated the evil king Ravana of Lanka and rescued Sita. After he rescued her, his exile was up, and he was able to return home.
Diwali celebrates the victory of good over evil. To celebrate the return of the victorious Rama, the whole city of Ayodhya is believed to have lit up their houses with lamps in an expression of joy.
The celebration also means different things to people across India, according to Vinay Lal, associate professor of history at UCLA. In north India, Diwali celebrates Rama's homecoming, his return home after defeating Ravana and his coronation as king; in Gujarat, the festival honors the goddess of wealth; and in Bengal, it is associated with the goddess Kali. Throughout India, it symbolizes the renewal of life, so people wear new clothes on the day of the festival, and it also signifies the onset of winter and the beginning of the new year.
There are many details of the legend that are too lengthy to concentrate on in a short article, but there are many lessons to be learned from the legend, says Amin. "You could spend a whole day talking about why Rama was exiled in the first place," he says.
Basically, Rama's father, the King, made a promise to one of his wives that he would do anything she asked because she had gone to a war with him, become his confidant and stuck her finger in the wheel of the chariot to keep it moving when a bolt fell off. He was so impressed, he promised her anything.
When it was time, she did ask something of the king – she asked that Rama (the king's oldest son) be exiled so that her son could be next in line to be king. Since he promised her anything, he exiled his oldest son even though he didn't want to.
p> "There are many, many lessons to teach children in the story of Rama," says Amin. "I tell my kids the stories before they go to bed. Eventually
you run out of Cinderella stories, and I wanted them to know the good lessons here. One important thing is that if you make a promise, you keep it. And that good can overcome evil."
