Everyone knows that Malaysia is a country where Multicultural folks stay in. Every culture has its own tradition and celebrations such as Islam celebrating Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Chinese celebrates the Chinese new year and we Indians celebrate Deepavali.
Deepavali is a festival celebrated by all Hindus around the world and is a holiday in Malaysia. Deepavali or better known as the 'light festival' is celebrated by the Indian and Hindu Sikh community in our country.
Through this article I'm going to share about my 2019 Deepavali celebration. What is Deepavali? Why Indians celebrate Deepavali?
Deepavali was celebrated with lamps which were made using clay as a symbol of the Hindus symbolizing the success of good over evil based on the story passed down to them about King Narakasura and Lord Krishnan.
According to that story, King Narakasura who was cruel and persecuting his people were defeated and killed by Lord Krishnan. Before his death, King Narakasura asked all people to celebrate the day of victory as a reminder to their good people about the temptations of ghosts and demons, a warning to those who forgot to do good and abstain from doing evil to others.
Therefore, lamps were installed and lit in Hindu homes to symbolize the success of good over evil which is celebrated as the festival of Deepavali.
Now I want to share my 2019 Deepavali celebration . A night before the Deepavali all my family members who're staying far away came back. My sister and I design “kolam” and fill it with colorful rice.
Kolam is a traditional floor-made decoration made of rice or flour that is colored. Normally Hindus decorate their house with kolam before the sunrise. They are the main 2 reasons to make Kolam in front of the house firstly symbol of the honor of the god Lakshmi, the God of Wealth who is believed to only visit their home with "Kolam" decoration at the entrance of their house. Another reason is food for animals such as ants, birds. Also can mean by Deepavali celebrated not only by Hindus but also by other beings in the world.
On the Deepavali morning, my whole family gets up early before the sunrise. Each and every family member must take an oil bath before the sunrise. Hindus will carry out the ritual of bathing oil for the purpose of purification of body and spirit. So each and every one of my family members takes an oil bath and cleans themselves.
After the oil bath, everyone wears a new traditional dress and goes to a nearby temple for prayer. My dad hung a garland of flowers on the statue of the gods for our family's own well-being and to commemorate our deceased family members. After going back to the house Me, my sisters, and brother take blessings from parents.
Around 10 am my sisters and mother prepare the breakfast of the day where I prepare the Murukku and biscuit inside a small jar. After eating a delicious dosa with curry chicken. Later all my siblings start to watch the television program while eating murukku.
Then all friends and relatives start to visit our house. Visiting one another house is a key part of the festivities where all my family and friends gather to foster friendships and say hello. Friends, relatives were treated to a variety of traditional Indian dishes and sweets which had been cooked by my mother.
In the evening my mother and I pack some murukku and biscuits for the neighbors. We all plan earlier for a BBQ night. So we gave rest to my mother from cooking duties. My brother in law cooked marinade bbq chicken for us. We all sit together outside the house and start to share our thoughts and old stories while some of my nieces play firecrackers with me. That's my 2019 Deepavali which ends amazing with my family members and relatives.
Author: Punitha Narayanasamy
Fiesta
ReplyDeleteYes it is
DeleteNice celebration you have sis
ReplyDeleteThank you
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