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Choti Diwali is the second day of
Diwali festival. It is the day after
Dhanteras. This festivity also has
a religious significance. It is celebrated
to mark the end of evil and the victory
of good. Also known as Narak Chaturdasi,
it falls on the 14th day of the month
of Kartik. Choti Diwali celebrations
mark the death of demon Naraksura
by Lord Krishna. Hence, this festival
ends evil and marks the beginning
of the New Year with lots of fun,
joy and laughter.
Choti Diwali is celebrated all over
India but on a small scale as the
name suggests. The rituals and proceedings
of puja remain the same. People deck
up their entire house with small twinkling
lights and diyas. They worship Goddess
Lakshmi for good luck, health and
wealth. Children burn crackers and
skyrockets. The whole night people
spend in entertainment. On this day
too, people come over to their relative’s
place and exchange sweets and wishes.
Most of the states of India follow
certain religious rites and rituals
on the day of Choti Diwali. They take
a bath on the day of Narak Chaturdashi
early in the morning. They mix marigold
petals in water for bath. It is also
customary for the people of Maharashtra
to take oil and uptan massage prior
to bath. In some other parts of South
India, people break a bitter fruit
and apply ‘kumkum’, oil and fruit
on their forehead. Actually, the bitter
fruit stands for the head of the demon
that they happily break.
Like any other festival, Choti Diwali
also has a mythological story behind
its celebration. On the day of Choti
Diwali, Lord Krishna killed the demon
Naraksura and liberated the earth
from his tyranny. People believe that
after the Lord returned, he was smeared
in the blood of the demon. Hence,
all the women massaged aromatic oil
on his body and gave him a special
bath. Henceforth, it became a ritual
to take a scented bath on the day
of Choti Diwali celebrations. Moreover,
the Goddess of Earth—Bhudevi declared
that the death of demon should be
celebrated in a grand way instead
of mourning. Therefore, the celebration
of Choti Diwali initiated.
offers you brief insight into the
celebration of Choti Diwali, the history
of Choti Diwali and the festivity
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