Diwali in Maharashtra

Diwali is the most important festival in India and is celebrated all over the country with much aplomb. However, the beauty lies in the fact that India is so diverse in its culture that the every same festival is celebrated uniquely in different regions. Diwali celebrations in Maharshtra is decidedly different from what is seen in other parts of the country and yet so very familiar at the same time. In a traditional Maharashtrian household, Diwali celebrations commence with 'Vasu-baras' that comes on tithi 'Ashwin krushna dwadashi'. Vasu-Baras is a celebration in honor of the Holy cow which is revered by Hindus all over the country and is considered a mother figure of sorts. Married women worship and perform a puja of a cow who is expecting a calf. This symbolizes the gratitude of the women towards the cow for providing for their children.

Narak Chaturdashi

While Dhanteras is celebrated in Maharshtra much like it is elsewhere in the country; the celebrations for Choti Diwali do differ considerably. Chhoti Diwali is popularly known as Narak-Chaturdashi in Maharashtra. On this day people celebrate Lord Krishna’s victory over the evil demon king, Narakasur. They wake up early in the morning and massage their bodies with scented oil. And as a custom they use 'utane' or 'utanah' for bath instead of soap. This special bath is referred to as 'abhyang-snan'. It may be noted that 'Utane' is not the same as uptan. Utane is made of several things having ayurvedic properties like 'chandan' (sandalwood), 'kapoor' (camphor), manjistha, rose, orange skin and haldi (turmeric).

Lakshmi Puja

Lakshmi-pujan is celebrated on the Diwali evening. It is believed that the Goddess Lakshmi, the Goddess of wealth and prosperity visits every house that evening. So prayers are held in order to invoke her blessings for a prosperous New Year. A variety of mouth-watering delicacies such as chivda, chakali, shankar-pale, anarse, kadaboli, karanji, shev, chirote etc are prepared to mark the festival. Throughout Diwali, Marathi people hang 'Akash-kandil' / 'Akash-dive' and light up 'panti's outside their houses. Tradition of marking the entrance to a house with colorful 'Rangoli's is also followed in Maharashtra as in rest of India.

Diwali Cha Padva

Many people also celebrate the third day of Diwali as ‘Diwalicha Padva’. This is a celebration of togetherness as a husband and wife and the love shared by them. To mark the occasion the wife performs an 'aukshan' (aarti) of her husband and the husband in turn presents a special gift to his wife.

Tulsi-Vivah

In Maharashtra, end of Diwali celebrations marks the beginning of Tulsi-Vivah. Under this people organize marriage of sacred tulsi (a basil plant) in their house. In Maharashtra the tradition is that people start organizing the marriage ceremonies of their sons/daughters only once Tulsi-vivah starts. Celebration of Diwali in Maharashtra ends with Dev-Diwali.