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Explore the significance and traditions of the Hindu festival Diwali, celebrated with lights and fireworks. Learn about the stories behind each day of the festival, from vanquishing demons to honoring wealth and wisdom. Discover the emotional and cultural importance of this vibrant celebration.
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Background Information: • A worker makes firecrackers at a factory for the upcoming Diwali festival, on the outskirts of the western Indian city of Ahmedabad October 8, 2011. Firecrackers are in great demand ahead of Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, which will be celebrated across the country October 26. • Deepawali or Diwali is certainly the biggest and the brightest of all Hindu festivals. It's the festival of lights (deep = light and avali = a row i.e., a row of lights) that's marked by four days of celebration, which literally illumines the country with its brilliance, and dazzles all with its joy. Each of the four days in the festival of Diwali is separated by a different tradition, but what remains true and constant is the celebration of life, its enjoyment and goodness. • Each day of Diwali has its own tale, legend and myth to tell. The first day of the festival Naraka Chaturdasi marks the vanquishing of the
demon Naraka by Lord Krishna and his wife Satyabhama. Amavasya, the second day of Deepawali, marks the worship of Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth in her most benevolent mood, fulfilling the wishes of her devotees. Amavasya also tells the story of Lord Vishnu, who in his dwarf incarnation vanquished the tyrant Bali, and banished him to hell. Bali was allowed to return to earth once a year, to light millions of lamps to dispel the darkness and ignorance, and spread the radiance of love and wisdom. It is on the third day of Deepawali — Kartika Shudda Padyami that Bali steps out of hell and rules the earth according to the boon given by Lord Vishnu. The fourth day is referred to as Yama Dvitiya (also called Bhai Dooj) and on this day sisters invite their brothers to their homes.
All the simple rituals of Diwali have a significance and a story to tell. The illumination of homes with lights and the skies with firecrackers is an expression of obeisance to the heavens for the attainment of health, wealth, knowledge, peace and prosperity. According to one belief, the sound of fire-crackers are an indication of the joy of the people living on earth, making the gods aware of their plentiful state. Still another possible reason has a more scientific basis: the fumes produced by the crackers kill a lot of insects and mosquitoes, found in plenty after the rains.
Who do you think the audience is? The audience of this piece is definitely to the people of Diwali; all the ones who believe in and participate in the festival.
What do you think the focus is? To me the focus was the pink firework and I believe this is the focus because they have such strong beliefs toward these fireworks once they are fired off during the festival. Also, this is the focus because these fireworks mean a lot to the people of Diwali because this is something that has been going on for millions of years, and it has to be important if they still have not yet to cease this tradition.
Focus! When the picture is altered in this way I think we can see what the focus really is. The light beams from the firework that is put together is the only different colored beam, while all the other beams let off the same shade of color.
Logos What do you think the logical appeal is?
Logos… The logical appeal is the significance behind the tradition, they understand how important the fireworks are to those four days and the significance behind them. Also, you see that they get the pieces of the fireworks but make them their selves, this makes the fireworks even more memorable, significant, and traditional to them.
Pathos What do you think the emotional appeal is?
Pathos… The emotional appeal for this picture really only stands out to the people of Dawali because they have participated in the festival and they have lived through this tradition their whole lives, therefore, to them this is a special feeling to them; this tradition is apart of their lives. The fireworks let of this light that they believe brings love and wisdom and washes away all the bad and ignorance.
Ethos What do you think the epithical appeal is?
Ethos… The epithical appeal is definitely directed to the Dawali people as well. They would know the creditability behind the work of art because they know the tradition, they understand how important the fireworks are to those four days and the significance behind them. Also, you see that they get the pieces of the fireworks but make them their selves, this makes the fireworks even more memorable, significant, and traditional to them.
When there is no color, does it change the entire significance of the picture?
these fireworks mean something, they stand out for something, however, without the color there Is no meaning to the fireworks they are just there. With the color the epithical appeal is the meaning behind the fireworks and the festival, but without the color you don’t even think twice about there being a meaning to the fireworks. You don’t have much of an emotional appeal to the picture at all unless you understand it or you are from Diwali, however, once the color is gone there is definitely no emotional appeal to any of it. Yes, with no color the picture’s significance is most definitely altered. Without the color I don’t think the importance of the fireworks are symbolized anymore. Just looks like a regular picture of someone making fireworks. Also, without the color the appeals are very much different. When the one firework has color you get the logical appeal that
What is being Juxtaposed? The colors are being juxtaposed in this picture. Foremost, you have the pink contrasted with everything else which is black and white. But then you can tell certain parts are darker in the black and white than others. Where the hands are placed, right below them where the shadow of the hands is, the pieces of the fireworks have a darker shade to them. Also, I think that the hands kind of look like one is a dark skinned woman and the other is a white woman because with all the dirt on the hands one still looks darker. I think this could be significant because it could suggest that everyone of their kind is coming together, and no matter color or race they want everyone to join them because they strongly believe in the tradition. They want all the bad, hatred and negativity to go away and want everyone to see there is no reason to hate each other, that is why we should all act as one.
Why do you think the artist did not include the persons body? I think the artist only included the hands, first, because of what I said earlier I believe it is two women's hands. Second, I think the hand with the tie around the wrist is a woman from Dewali and the other hand could just be someone who wants to experience what they do and just check it out. Third, if the bodies were included it would depict the significance of them making their own fireworks because the focus would no longer be on the hands.
Last, I believe hands can show a lot of things about people and here I think these hands symbolize security with each other, friends and family, tradition, bringing in the good and letting go of the bad, and simply quality.
Works Cited: • Dave, Amit. "TIME LightBox." Time Magazine. time photo department, 7 October- 14 October 2011. Web. 16 Oct 2011. <http://lightbox.time.com/2011/10/14/pictures-of-the-week-october-7-october-14/ • Das, Subhamoy. "Diwali: Festival of Lights." about.com. About.com Guide, n.d. Web. 16 Oct 2011. <http://hinduism.about.com/od/diwalifestivaloflights/a/diwali.htm>. • "Diwali Festival 2011." Festival Pig. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Oct 2011. <http://www.festivalpig.com/Diwali-Festival.html>.
