Choti Diwali is the 2nd day of the 5-day Diwali festival. It is also known as Naraka Chaturdasi. It falls on the day before the main Diwali. In 2011, Choti Diwali will be celebrated on October 25. The festivities on this day are held on a small scale. Read on to know how this festival is observed every year
Choti Diwali Celebrations
On this festive occasion, people worship Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Rama in the evening. They sing bhajans and aartis in praise of Lakshmi and Rama. In Maharashtra, people take an early-morning bath on this day with oil and Utpan which is a paste of gram flour and fragrant powders. They follow the tradition of having puffed rice with curd. As a custom, they also savor steamed vermicelli with milk and sugar.
In South India, people wake up early in the morning of Choti Diwali and prepare a paste of Kumkum in oil. Then they break a bitter fruit and apply the mixture on their forehead. Next, they go for an oil bath using sandalwood paste
Legends of Choti Diwali
An interesting legend associated with this festival is the story of Lord Krishna and Narakasura. The demon king Narakasura had defeated Lord Indra and taken away the earrings of Aditi, the Mother Goddess and a relative of Satyabhama, wife of Lord Krishna. Aditi was also the ruler of Suraloka.
Narakasura had taken sixteen thousand daughters of gods and saints into captivity. When Satyabhama came to know about it, she requested Krishna to allow her to destroy the demon who was given a curse that he would face death in the hands of a woman. When Satyabhama proceeded to fight the demon in the battlefield, Krishna, who was her charioteer, tried to empower her with his divine strength. When Narakasura was killed and beheaded, the women in captivity were released. Krishna promised that he would marry all of them.
Lord Krishna applied the demon king’s blood on his forehead and returned to his kingdom in the morning of Naraka Chaturdasi. The women who were released by Krishna treated him with a massage of scented oil so that he could take a good bath and get rid of any dirt from his body. Since then, people have been taking an early-morning bath with special oil and other ingredients on Choti Diwali.
On Narakasura’s death, his mother had announced that the day of her son’s demise would actually be the day for celebrations and enjoyment. So, Choti Diwali is observed with joy and enthusiasm by one and all.