Choti Diwali is the other name for Naraka Chaturdashi. It is celebrated a day before the main Diwali festival in India. While the festival of Diwali is popularly known as the “Festival of Lights,” Choti Diwali too has its importance and customs, which serve as a precursor to the grand celebration that follows. This day is full of myths, spirituality, and cultural symbols, and rituals, prayers, and festivity have marked it. So, in this blog, we will get into the history of Choti Diwali, discuss its traditions, and understand why this day is celebrated with such great regard.
Historical Significance of Choti Diwali
Choti Diwali is Naraka Chaturdashi, a day of celebration to mark the victory of Lord Krishna and his consort, Satyabhama, over the demon king Narakasura. According to legend, Narakasura was a powerful demon who was terrorizing both the Earth and the heavens, inflicting suffering upon the people. He had even imprisoned 16,000 women whom he intended to marry forcibly. Unable to tolerate his atrocities, the gods approached Lord Krishna, who, along with Satyabhama, set out to free the world from Narakasura’s tyranny.
Narakasura was finally defeated in a fierce battle by Krishna and Satyabhama. In some versions of the story, Satyabhama is said to have delivered the final blow to Narakasura, symbolizing feminine power and resilience. Narakasura’s death is considered the triumph of good over evil, symbolizing the destruction of darkness and the bringing in of light and hope. Choti Diwali is, therefore, celebrated as a victory over evil forces, symbolizing the cleansing of negativity and the triumph of righteousness.
Chhoti Diwali and Deepavali: Relating it to the Context
Choti Diwali is directly associated with the Diwali celebrations that come next. Diwali itself is the return of Lord Rama to Ayodhya after a 14-year exile and his victory over Ravana, another symbol of victory over evil. Choti Diwali, in this respect, prepares people spiritually and mentally for the main Diwali festivities. It encourages people to cleanse their homes, minds, and souls, readying them for the new beginnings that Diwali promises.
Though Diwali is celebrated by the grand light and fireworks display, accompanied by elaborate rituals, Choti Diwali is an intimate affair related to purification and simplicity. Families sit together to clean up their houses and perform rituals to chase away evil forces and prepare a space for the blessings of the new festival that is going to arrive.
What is the Difference Between Choti Diwali and Badi Diwali?
Choti Diwali and its Customs and Traditions
The customs of Choti Diwali differ throughout all of India, but common undertows exist among all the cultures: cleansing, purification, and preparation.
Early Morning Ritual Bath
On Choti Diwali, people wake up before sunrise and take a ritual bath; fragrant oils and herbs applied during the bath remove impurities and negative energy from the body. People in some parts of South India apply a kumkum paste made of a mixture of vermillion, sesame oil, and sandalwood to the body. They believe that purification would not only cleanse their body but also their minds and souls.
Lighting of Lamps
The lighting of diyas or oil lamps is also another important ritual on Choti Diwali. Smaller earthen lamps are lit and placed both within the house and outside the house in courtyards, just near the entrance of a house. The evil spirits are believed to flee due to the lighting of the lamps, and this opens doors for positive energy inside the house. The lighting of lamps on Choti Diwali marks the starting point of the eventual culmination of illumination on Diwali.
Praying and Puja
The puja rituals form the special part of Choti Diwali in almost all houses. There is the offering of flowers, fruits, and sweets to their deities or ancestors. Then the mantras start being chanted to pray for the well-being of their family members. Some people make offerings to Goddess Kali or Yamraj, the god of death, to get protection and prosperity.
Preparing and Sharing Sweets
Choti Diwali is also a celebration to make sweets and nibbles within families to be gifted to the dear ones. Traditionally, laddoos, barfis, and halwa are prepared and offered as prasad during the puja. Giving sweets to neighbors and friends builds bonds of love and harmony that define the core message of the Diwali season.
Meaning of Choti Diwali
n short, Choti Diwali symbolizes the greater spiritual journey, representing the inner removal of darkness, negativities, and enlightenment of the inner soul. It symbolizes the slaying of one’s Narakasura by Lord Krishna, fighting out one’s evils, like anger, hatred, and greed. The rituals of the day reflect a desire to purify oneself and get ready for the auspicious day of Diwali, which brings peace, prosperity, and happiness to the home and heart.
Regional Variations in Celebrating Choti Diwali
Choti Diwali is celebrated in various variations across the different regions of India, with each region giving its own cultural flavor to the festival.
Maharashtra and Gujarat
In Maharashtra and Gujarat, Choti Diwali is celebrated with the ceremony of “Abhyanga Snan,” an oil bath taken early in the morning. Tasty sweets such as karanji and chakli are prepared and exchanged with family and friends.
South India
In the southern states, Choti Diwali is observed with so much enthusiasm and is often held as the major Diwali celebration. In Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, one wakes up early, applying a paste of sesame oil, and then takes an ablution bath before lit lamps around the house.
In West Bengal, Kali Puja is celebrated around Choti Diwali. Here, one offers prayers to Goddess Kali-the force of destruction of bad. The city of Kolkata and the homes are decorated by lighting lamps and lights to welcome good fortune from the goddess.
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Chhoti Diwali Today
Though the spirit of Choti Diwali has been preserved, most of the rituals of today have evolved. Most families just focus on making the festival simple by performing some basic rituals such as lighting lamps and preparing sweets and then on the day of Diwali, mainly follow grand traditions. Yet the value and meaning behind Choti Diwali still thrives in the hearts of people where they still clean up their homes, offer food, and share glee with those close to them.
With growing environmental sustainability awareness, most people are now choosing environment-friendly diyas and fireworks. They want to celebrate this festival with a bit more consciousness. This also is a manifestation of a deeper understanding that Diwali is not just a festival but a reflection of values like community, purity, and inner peace.
The Spirit of Choti Diwali
Choti Diwali is not just a day before Diwali. It is a festival that gives people time to reflect, prepare, and cleanse both external and internal worlds. People are prompted to remove darkness within them in the form of the victory of the demon Narakasura so that the bright light and hope that Diwali promises can dawn.
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Choti Diwali is the one that brings unity, love, and compassion between a family and community with the rituals by lighting the lamps and praying. Joy indeed depends on simplicity in the act of giving, and in the effort to maintain purity of heart and soul. Let’s, therefore celebrate this Choti Diwali by remembering its inner cleansing message and relating the light to the inner self, spreading warmth and kindness about. Follow our culture page for more!
Excellent presentation blended with rich culture of Hinduism n modernity.