Deepavali (disambiguation)

Deepawali or Deepavali is an ancient Indian festival. In the South, Deepavali and modern pronunciation Diwali is generally celebrated in the honor of Lord Krishna's consort Satyabhama slaying the demon Narakasura. So it is celebrated just one day before Diwali which celebrated for the return of Ram from exile in North India, that is considered the actual start of the festival. This is the day generally children wear new clothes, people exchange sweets and there is visiting of relatives. Crackers are also burnt on this day, but again it varies between South Indian states as it varies significantly on the way of celebration. In Tamil Nadu, people generally burn crackers on both the days, while in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, Naraka Chaturdasi is usually associated with oil baths, house cleaning, sweets preparation.

So Diwali down South is essentially Naraka Chaturdasi, followed by Lakshmi Puja, and that makes it seem a day earlier. Generally it falls on Amavasya or the New Moon Day. Families worship Goddess Lakshmi, for prosperity and fortune, light up their homes with diyas.

Deepawali or Dipawali may also refer to:

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