Today, Guyanese across our country join our Hindu brothers and sisters in celebration of Diwali, the Festival of Lights. The tradition, which was brought to Guyana by Indians some 180 years ago, has become embedded in the beautiful tapestry that is Guyanese culture. Diwali is particularly important because of its great significance to the Hindu faith, it is relevant too, to all Guyanese, since, according to Hindu teachings, the celebration symbolises the spiritual victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance. Clearly, all peoples would agree with, and support such noble ideals, perhaps, more than ever now, as the world faces and fights the darkness of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In Guyana, Diwali was first celebrated by indentured immigrants. Determined to maintain their culture and religion, they used whatever limited resources were available to them. Guyana’s first Indians crafted diyas out of mud, and, when the diyas were lighted on the fifteenth day of the Hindu month of Kartik, the radiance given off from these little lights served as beacons of hope as the indentured workers toiled under horrible conditions.
Hindus throughout the world observe Diwali. According to the teachings of the Hindu faith, Diwali, which literally means a row of lights, marks the return of Lord Rama, who was the seventh incarnation of Vishnu, from a fourteen-year exile. The festival is widely associated with Lakshmi, goddess of prosperity and wealth. The celebration, which lasts for 5 days, is a time when Hindus traditionally perform rituals to ensure spiritual and material prosperity.
In the lead-up to Diwali, Hindus prepare by cleaning, renovating, and decorating their homes and workplaces with beautiful and elaborate rangolis, which are coloured tracings on the floor. During Diwali, people wear their finest clothes, illuminate the interior and exterior of their homes with diyas and rangoli, perform worship ceremonies of Maha Lakshmi (Lakshmi Puja), light fireworks, and partake in family feasts, where sweets and gifts are shared. In recent years, the light of the traditional clay-diyas have been supplemented by colourful electric lights. Diwali has expanded from homes and mandirs, and presently, many businesses and public buildings are decorated with colourful lights. The trend of using electric lights as well as diyas creates an aesthetically pleasing appearance that often cause passers-by to gasp in awe.
The Guyanese tradition of a Diwali Motorcade began about 45 years ago. The motorcade, which has grown in size and opulence over the years, has evolved into a magnificent and spectacularly attractive social occasion at which large crowds gather along the route of the motorcade to witness its grandeur. In fact, the Diwali Motorcade is viewed as an event of such splendour that it is being marketed as a cultural tourist attraction of international significance.
Unfortunately, this year, the actual motorcade will not take place owing to the possibility of spreading the COVID-19 virus among the countless attendees. Instead, last month, it was announced by the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha, that there will be a virtual motorcade featuring cultural performances, scenes from previous motorcades, and other attractions. That virtual event will be available via television and the internet.
Guyana is fortunate to have Diwali as part of our country’s cultural fabric. After all, the festival represents the triumph of good over evil. According to Hindu scholar Dr. Vindhya Persaud, the celebration serves to rekindle hopes and expectations, and influences society in a positive direction. Diwali renews the spirit of optimism from which a new beginning can be constructed, based on equity and noble intentions. The Mayor of Georgetown, Pandit Ubraj Narine agrees. The Mayor said, “As Guyanese, as leaders, as community servants, as religious leaders, people that want to see Guyana built, we have to ignite that special light within us so that we can… be like that flame and think positively so that we would [be] able to [not only] eradicate that darkness [from] our own life, but that darkness from others’ lives as well.”
Shub Diwali to all Guyanese.
