What is Diwali?

Diwali is an ancient Hindu festival (now also often celebrated in Sikhism and Jainism).  This festival of lights is a celebration of life, honoring the marriage of Lakshmi and Lord Vishnu, and dedicated to the worship of Lord Ganesha.  In nations outside of India, the gods honored by the four- to five-day festival sometimes vary, but the general idea is the same.

We don’t worship these foreign gods, but we thought their celebration sounded like fun, so in late October when the Hindus are enjoying this holy festival, we will celebrate it, too.  It just won’t mean anything.

Each day of the festival has its own legend, from the vanquishing of demons, to the return of tyrants from hell, to hospitality.  The common thread of celebration uniting all of these is the lighting of lamps — hence the “festival of lights.”

Traditions we will enjoy at this time:

• lighting candles
• setting off fireworks
• playing dice
• exchanging gifts
• painting red dots on each other’s foreheads

These are all rooted in the worship of false gods, and Hindus celebrating Diwali around the world are honoring those gods through these things  during this time, but we don’t mean anything by it — it’s just fun — so it’s fine.  As long as we’re not participating in the most overtly idolatrous elements, there’s no reason not to participate in the fun, innocuous parts of this holiday.

Um…no

I hope you’ve figured out by now that we are not actually celebrating Diwali.  Rather, I’m using satire to make a point: context matters.  Activities that are neutral in and of themselves, are invested with meaning when they’re part of a larger celebration.  We see this at play, for instance, with the sacraments (the Lord’s Supper/communion and baptism).

Eating bread or drinking wine are not inherently religious activities.  Most people eat bread daily, or nearly so, and many drink wine on a regular basis with dinner or while winding down in the evening.  The context of that action imbues it with meaning.  Getting wet is not inherently baptism.  But the ritual with which we carry it out attaches it to its meaning.  And even if you go about it wrongfully, going through the rituals connected with these sacraments, and/or carrying them out in their original context, communicates a meaning in those activities beyond the mere consumption of bread or wine, or getting wet.

Holidays Are Rituals

Holidays, too, are rituals.  Certain activities carried out at certain times or in certain ways have had meaning attached to them by the cultures which created those holidays.  If you set off fireworks in the United States the week of July 4th, you might just be enjoying that fireworks are available, but the people around you are going to associate those fireworks with Independence Day.  Why?  Because that activity at that time has been established as a celebration of American independence.  If you set off fireworks on November 4th, no one will think you’re celebrating Independence Day.  Why?  It’s the same activity.  But the context is different.

What About Halloween?

I imagine you’ve already guessed where I’m going with this.  Halloween, regardless of how much of the hype is or isn’t true, is inherently a celebration of things Christians have no business celebrating.  Death.  Darkness.  Ugliness.  Evil.  Fear. 

Don’t believe me?  Just take a drive around town, and really look at the decorations used for this holiday.

We can say all we want that we’re not really celebrating those things; we’re just enjoying the fun parts, but if we’re engaging in the same activities as everyone else at the same time as everyone else, we’ve embedded ourselves in the context that gives those activities their meaning.  Regardless of our intent, we are communicating to everyone around us that we are just like everyone around us.

The Bible says that we ought to have nothing to do with the unfruitful deeds of darkness but, rather, expose them. (Eph. 5:11)

It says that we should be in the world, but not of it. (Jn. 17; which shouldn’t mean that we hide from it, but should mean we don’t look like it)

How can we engage with our neighbors while being so different it’s unquestionable that what we value is not what the world values?

Leave a comment; let’s brainstorm together.
References:
http://hinduism.about.com/od/diwalifestivaloflights/a/diwali.htm
http://www.diwalifestival.org/