Of death, lights and delight

Halloween and Deepavali may seem like they are poles apart. But they do have a lot in common, like death, celebration and lamps.

WHAT the Devil! It’s the end of October already, and the denizens of the underworld are in our midst. It’s Halloween, the time when witches, wizards and costumed fiends roam the streets.

And in a week, it will be Deepavali, when Hindus celebrate the Festival of Lights.

The two celebrations have been at crossroads, at least in Malaysia, with many complaining that the ancient Celtic festival is taking precedence over that of two million-odd locals – at least in the malls or shopping centres.

It’s true. The creepy Halloween décor – largely in black – seems to be everywhere, overshadowing the colourful kolam and peacocks of Deepavali. But the trend seems to be changing, at least this year.

The strange thing is, the two celebrations do have some things in common. Both involve death, celebrations and lights.

During Halloween, people wear costumes, light bonfires and make light of ghosts. They also go trick and treating, apparently to blend in with wandering spirits.

For the ancient Celts, it was the witches’ new year’s eve, a day when they believed the boundary between the living and the dead blurred, much like the Chinese Hungry Ghost Festival.

Poor people would go from door-to-door praying for the homeowners’ departed relatives. In return, they would receive sweet “soul cakes”.

Then, the children took over. Instead of prayer, they dressed up in costumes, and performed “tricks” – like singing a song, telling a joke or reciting a poem in exchange for fruit, nuts, coins or treats.

Then, there was Stingy Jack. He tricked the Devil into a trap after a drink. When Jack died, God would not let him into heaven, and the pissed-off Devil would have nothing to do with him either.

The Devil gave him a piece of burning coal, which Jack put into a hollowed-out turnip to light his journey into eternal purgatory. Thus, Stingy Jack died and the Jack O’Lantern was born.

Deepavali commemorates death, too; but death in the Hindu pantheons always mark a new beginning. It’s like the waning of the moon, which always leads to a new moon. And Deepavali is celebrated on a moonless night.

Oh, and we also have lights (not in turnips or pumpkins, though).

For many, Deepavali marks the death of Narakasura, an evil demon, at the hands of Lord Krishna – an avatar of Vishnu, one of the Hindu trinity – and his consort Sathyabhama.

Narakasura’s death was then celebrated, with lights to symbolise the victory of good over evil.

Like Halloween, the festival started off seriously enough. At first, it was all about prayers and thanksgiving. Over time, the element of fun and festivity was added.

In another tradition, it is said that the benevolent King Mahabali was seen as a threat to the lesser gods (the lesser gods often have more human frailties than most of us humans) who then went to Lord Vishnu. Mahabali, though kind, apparently had a bit of an ego.

Vishnu then took on the avatar of Vamana, a dwarfish priest. Vamana asked Mahabali for land covering three strides.

Seeing the size of the person before him, the king haughtily agreed. Vamana then took on his real form, covering the earth with one stride and the heaven and all of the universe with his second.

For the third stride, he looked to the king. Humbled, Mahabali knelt and offered his head. And with one step, Vamana sent the king into the netherworld.

Once a year, though, Mahabali returns to be with his subjects, who light up his path home.

There are also other tales about Deepavali. Another tradition speaks of the return of Lord Rama, the rightful ruler of Ayodhya, to his nation after 14 years of exile imposed on him due to a jealous stepmum. The people, overjoyed at his return, lit up the entire route.

The Jains mark it as the day the religion’s founder Lord Mahavira passed on, with lamps representing Mahavira’s wisdom dispelling the darkness of ignorance.

Many Buddhists also celebrate it as Dhamma Deepavali with lamps to symbolise the light of the Buddha’s wisdom and teachings dispelling ignorance. It also marks the day Emperor Ashoka embraced the religion.

The Sikhs, meanwhile, celebrate it as the day their sixth guru Hargobind won freedom from Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, along with 52 Rajput kings and princes. The Sikhs also light up the Golden Temple to mark the return of the Guru.

Whatever the tradition, the symbolism is always about this: that the light of wisdom will always prevail over darkness, and good will always triumph over bad.

For the citizens of India, Deepavali and Halloween both hold a different, modern significance. They mark the beginning of their battle for independence.

It was on Oct 31, 1929 that then Indian Viceroy Lord Irwin came out with his Deepavali Declaration, promising dominion status for the colony.

It was a declaration that had made sides unhappy. The English did not want to let go of the Empire’s “crown jewel”. The Indians did not want dominion status – they wanted purna swarajya (total independence).

And on Jan 28, 1930, the Congress announced the fight for purna swarajya. That day is celebrated as India’s Republic Day even now.

In March that year, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi embarked on his Salt March to mark the fight. On Aug 15, 1945, India became independent.

That was also a case of good triumphing over evil. Yes, some British officers were evil. During one Deepavali, they arrested revolutionaries end executed them by blowing them from cannons.

Deepavali has seen many deaths. And Halloween is also about the dead. Yet, Deepavali is about more than death.

It’s about life – and the belief that things can always be better in the future. Happy Deepavali everyone.