Diwali

Diwali

As we all know Diwali is celebrated all over the world by the Hindus, it is also called the festival of lights as it is celebrated by lighting oil lamps all over the surrounding and bursting crackers and lighting fireworks, as the significance of Diwali is to spread light of happiness and joy over the darkness of evil. It is also celebrated by worshiping Goddess laxmi (the goddess of wealth and prosperity)

It is said that lord Ram returned to his kingdom Ayodhya on this day where his people welcomed him by lighting oil lamps all over the Ayodhya which was the first Diwali and since then it is celebrated to mark the significance of the same.

Traditional Earthen Oil lamps at Diwali

        But Goa has a different story to tell about its Diwali celebration, the story goes this way: Mother Earth had a child called 'Narkasur' from Vishnus 3rd incarnation 'Varaha' (wild boar) who turned out to be a demon and was a king of Assam where his people were fedup of his cruelty and torture. He was a egoistic demon who used to trouble women and treat them with humiliation. He meditated for hundreds of years to seek a boon of immorality from Brahma. Impressed Brahma although couldn't grant him the boon of immortality but asked him to ask for something else. As Narkasur considered women to be very low and powerless his ego made him ask a boon where he will not be killed by anyone else but only by human women, considering her powerless and cannot kill him anyways.

         It was later that the 8th incarnation of lord Vishnu i.e. Krishna had to make one of his 5 main consorts 'Satyabhama' to kill Narkasura.

 Making effigies of Narkasur Dance on the previous night of Diwali

Burning of the Narkasur effigies early morning of Diwali before the sunrise 

Therefore the effigies of narkasur are made in houses as well as in public where competitions are held where the killing of Narkasura by Sri Krishna and his consort Satyabhama is depicted and the effigies of narkasura is burnt on the pervious night of the diwali and thus Diwali here in Goa is signified as the Victory of Good over the Evil. Next day continues to be the same manner in which Diwali is celebrated in other parts of the world.