Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Deepavali - Festival of Earthen Lamps


Flames dancing on the tips of earthen lamps. Diyas, or deeps. Deep, which gave the festival the name it is no longer known by– Deepavali.

Time was when cotton wicks soaked in vegetable oil threw the brightest light around. When a row of lighted lamps would catch the eye of even the most harried Goddess doing her rounds of the earth.

They still do. Incandescent bulbs may dispel the gloom much better, but earthen lamps still have a special charm which a LED tea-light can never match. And getting blown out in the breeze is only a part of it.


11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Beautiful! There is something magical and spiritual about candlelight...

Natasha said...

@ Fiona - I always thought so too! Not particularly religious, but there is something to that flickering flame...

Elizabeth Spann Craig said...

So pretty.

And your 'harried Goddess' brings up a great image! Love that...

Elizabeth
Mystery Writing is Murder

Lisa said...

You make me want to visit India something fierce.

Cruella Collett said...

Never ever stop telling us about the Indian festivals, Natasha! I so love hearing about them :) If I had one, I'd light a candle today too, but I guess I can wait one more week and two days...

Charlotte said...

Love the "harried Goddess" image too!

dipali said...

The painted diyas look so pretty:)

Not Hannah said...

I did a wee bit of research after reading this post...what a lovely holiday! I am so enjoying learning from you. Have I said that? Sigh.

Elspeth Futcher said...

Another vote for your wonderful image of the 'harried Goddess'; lovely. There's nothing like a flickering flame, it draws people closer if only to get a better view.

Elspeth

Jan Morrison said...

beautiful pictures! and always a pleasure to hear about your rich and complex home!

Natasha said...

@ Elizabeth - thank you. And yes, I do think Lakshmi must the most harried woman on Diwali day - imagine having to visit so many houses, savour their delicacies, make small talk, and leave her blessings.

@ Lisa - do. You wouldn't regret it.

@ Mari - you can light a candle any Friday evening, and Lakshmi will respond!

@ Charlotte - thank you, and welcome to the blog.

@ dipali - thank you. Kids and I did them on Diwali morn.

@ Heather - yes, you have. And thank you.

@ Elspeth - thank you, and yes, I just adore flickering flames. Why else do I continue to subject myself to them even with two tiny kids running around?

@ Jan - thank you.

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