Deepavali means a row of lamps (Sanskrit dipa = lamp and awali = row, line). In many modern languages, the popular name has shortened to Divali. In Hinduism, across many parts of India and Nepal, it is the homecoming of Rama after a 14-year exile in the forest and his victory over the Ravana.
In the legend, the people of Ayodhya (the capital of his kingdom) welcomed Rama by lighting rows (avali) of lamps (dipa), thus its name: Dipawali. Over time, this word transformed into Divali in Hindi. Divali occurs on the new moon between October 13 and November 14 depending on the lunar calendar of Hindus.
On the day of Divali, many wear new clothes and share sweets and snacks. Hindus light diyas (cotton-like string wicks inserted in small clay pots filled with coconut oil) to signify victory of good over the evil within an individual. Diwali is also celebrated through festive fireworks, lights, flowers, sharing of sweets, and worship.
The festival, which coincides with the Hindu New Year, celebrates new beginnings and the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness.
In Guyana, Hindu families and friends share sweets and gifts. They give food and goods to those in need. It is traditional for homes to be cleaned and new clothes to be worn at the time of the festival.
All over the country, the customary displays of diyas are witnessed by thousands of admiring observers of all religions.
There is a heart-warming practice of exchanging sweetmeats with neighbours, friends and extended family. This kind act is to strengthen bonds. It brings the community together. It also inculcates in participants the sense of joy associated with giving. It brings together people of all religion to enjoy the celebration.
The food most closely associated with the festival is Indian sweets, which come in a range of colours and flavours.
Phagwah the Festival of Colours
Phagwah or Holi as is called by Hindus, is not only celebrated by Hindus in Guyana, but of recently, it has become a national festival in which Guyanese of all races, ages and religious backgrounds join in the frolic of sprouting water and smearing powder on each other with grinch-like smiles on their faces.
For Hindus it is considered the end of the year and beginning of a new one as it occurs on the last day of the last Hindu calendar month of Phalgun.
On the eve of Phagwah, Hindus get together to light bonfires either at the mandirs (Hindu’s temple) in which prayers and songs are sung to their god; immediately after this the celebrations would begin.
Phagwah is based on a story of Hiranyakashipu who was the king of demons, and he had been granted a boon by Brahma (The creative aspect of god), which made it almost impossible for him to be killed.
The boon was due to his long penance, after which he had demanded that he not be killed “during day or night; inside the home or outside, not on earth or on sky; neither by a man nor an animal. Consequently, he grew arrogant, and attacked the Heavens and the Earth. He demanded that people stop worshipping gods and start praying to him.
Despite this, Hiranyakashipu’s own son, (Prahlada), was a devotee of Lord Vishnu (preserving aspect of god). In spite of several threats from Hiranyakashipu, Prahlada continued offering prayers to Lord Vishnu. He was poisoned but the poison turned to nectar in his mouth. He was ordered to be trampled by elephants yet remained unharmed. He was put in a room with hungry, poisonous snakes and survived. All of Hiranyakashipu’s attempts to kill his son failed. Finally, he ordered young Prahlada to sit on a pyre on the lap of his (Hiranyakashipu’s) sister, Holika, who could not die by fire by virtue of a shawl which would prevent fire affecting the person wearing it.
Prahlada readily accepted his father’s orders, and prayed to Vishnu to keep him safe. When the fire started, everyone watched in amazement as the shawl flew from Holika, who then was burnt to death, while Prahlada survived unharmed, after the shawl moved to cover him. The burning of Holika is celebrated as Holi.
Food preparations for this festival in Guyana also begin many days in advance, with assemblage of dhal puri, curries and sweetmeats such as peera, mittai, prashad (mostly made with sugar, milk, ghee and coconut) etc. This day is considered to be the happiest and most colorful day of the year promoting the brotherhood among the people.
Various Hindu organizations such as the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha organize an annual mela (fair) that allows the unique opportunity of bringing Hindus from all parts of the country at one venue (the Sanskritic Kendra) to climax in fun and true feeling of brotherhood that Phagwah evokes.
The mela would have live performers on a stage with a local band doing most of the singing as everyone else dances and plays in harmony.
EID-UL-ADHA:
The Feast of Islam in Islam
Eid-Ul-Adha is observed on different days in various areas of the world. This is usually at sunset on the day when the lunar crescent appears after the new moon, and can be sighted by the unaided eye.
Because the date of the Feast of Sacrifice is determined by a lunar calendar, it is observed about 11 days earlier each year. The celebration of Eid-Ul-Adha is in commemoration of the command given by Allah to Prophet Abraham to sacrifice his first born son Ishmael to Him. The fulfillment of this noble command of Allah by Abraham signifies his faith in Allah. Eid-Ul-Adha is a day of remembrance.
Even in the most joyful times, the Muslim makes a fresh start of the day by a session of congregational prayers to Allah in an open space. Muslims use the occasion to pray to Allah and to glorify His name to demonstrate the remembrance of His grace and favours. Muslims also remember the deceased by praying for their souls to rest in peace.
The needy and vulnerable in society are also remembered by showing them sympathy and consolation.
How Eid-Ul-Adha is celebrated in Guyana
This feast of commitment, obedience and self-sacrifice is dedicated to Allah. Muslims wear their nicest clothing and attend Salatul-Eid (Eid Prayer) in the morning. This is followed by a short sermon, after which everyone socializes. Next, people visit each other’s homes and partake in festive meals with special dishes, beverages, and desserts.
Children receive gifts and sweets on this happy occasion. In addition, like the pilgrims in Makkah (Mecca), the Muslims, who can afford to do so, offer domestic animals, usually sheep and cow, as a symbol of Ibrahim’s sacrifice. Some of the meat is given to the poor, often one third. The rest is shared among the family, relatives and friends.
In addition, Eid-Ul-Adha is a time when Muslims pray for forgiveness from God and strength of faith. They, in turn, forgive others, releasing any feelings of enmity or ill feeling towards others. Many Muslims exchange greeting cards at this time.
YOUMAN NABI (The Birth of the Prophet Mohammad)
This Muslim festival commemorates the birthday of the Holy Prophet of Islam, Mohammad. Muslims in Guyana celebrate this day with great piety. There are special services in the masjids in which there are readings and teachings about the Phrophet and the virtuous way he lived his life.
At the time of the Holy Prophet’s birth, Arabia was steeped in the worse form of immorality. Ignorance prevailed among the high and the low. There was no moral code, and vice was rampant. The strong trampled upon the rights of the weak, widows and orphans were helpless, and slaves were cruelly treated. It was into this kind of society that Mohammad, the Prophet, was born.
He came from a noble family and his high morals distinguished him from his compatriots. The vice and evil around pressed heavily upon him, and for several days he retreated to a cave at the foot of Mt. Hera, there to pray and to meditate. It was there that he was given the first revelation of the Holy Quran by Allah.
It is to be noted that this is also the date on which the Holy Prophet died. He died at the age of sixty-three, an exemplary Prophet, Statesman, Husband and father.
Muslims across Guyana would normally visit their masjids to listen to lectures on the life of Prophet Muhammad and will partake in a day of togetherness by feasting and reflecting. A special sweetmeat that is made and is enjoyed by all is ‘sirnee’, which is made from butter cream soda and flour. This is usually shared with neighbours friends and families.
Indian Arrival Day
May 5, Indian Arrival, has officially been declared a National Holiday. This day was initially observed as Indian Arrival Day by the Indo-Guyanese community in commemoration of the first Indian emigrants who landed in the then British Guiana aboard the “Whitby” and the “Hesperus” on May 5, 1838.
The Indians kept their culture alive through oral and artistic forms of story-telling; thus their history and religious philosophies were kept alive and vibrant from generation to generation by elders and religious heads on the various plantations to which they were assigned.
However, despite the fact that they were displaced from their homeland in India and forced to work as labourers in the sugar cane fields of the British colonizers, various researchers and historians believe that many of the Indian immigrants had been professionals in various fields in India.
Writer Harry Hergash notes in a study that “Rev. Bronkhurst, in 1883 (The Colony of British Guiana and its Labouring Population), posits: “All the immigrants in the colony are, of course, looked upon as coolies or day labourers, and so they are…
“In their own native land, they were doctors or physicians, clerks, schoolmasters, teachers, sirdhars, shop or bazaar keepers, etc…”
History and time evolved, and the Indian immigrant has come into his own. Today the Indian Diaspora straddles the globe, proud and strong in super-achievements in every area of endeavour.