Reclaiming Diwali
by Jai Patel
The holiday season is upon us. Many people in the U.S. are looking forward to eating huge meals and watching football on Thanksgiving and shopping and opening presents on Christmas. Oh, and let’s not forget about National Pickle Day on Nov. 14 (mark your calendars). For South Asian Americans, though, many of us are getting ready for Diwali. Diwali is a widely celebrated Indian holiday, not just in America and India, but around the globe and it is a holiday that means more to me now as an adult Christian than when I was a kid.
Diwali, or Deepavali, literally translates to “series of lights.” Traditionally it is a five-day celebration of light triumphing over darkness. There are a few mythological tales associated with Diwali. Some say Diwali is a celebration of Lord Rama and his wife Sita returning to northern India from exile. To celebrate their return, villagers lit up their path with diyas, or oil lamps, to overcome the darkness. Others believe that Diwali falls on Lakshmi’s birthday, the goddess of wealth and prosperity, and others celebrate Diwali as a way of worshipping Lord Krishna, who defeated an evil prince to bring peace on earth. Whichever story people believe, Hindus, Jains, and Sikhs get into the streets to light fireworks, pray to their gods, eat lots of food and experience a sense of happiness, while celebrating the ultimate victory of good over evil.
My memories of Diwali as a kid include watching my cousins and other kids in the community perform dances, eating classic Desi sweets like jalebi, gulab jamun, and barfi, and playing football. Yes, playing football. As Indian Americans our cultural celebrations have always been a confluence of Indian and American elements all mixed together, and like the other kids my age I loved competitive American sports (and still do). However, growing up, I never considered the cultural or religious implications of Diwali. Now that I’m older I’m starting to ask myself questions such as: Can I celebrate these cultural holidays as a Christian? How do I differentiate between religion and culture when they seem so intertwined? How can I stand in solidarity with my non-Christian Indian friends and relatives, while holding true to my faith in Jesus?
As culturally embodied beings, we are faced with the task of learning and analyzing our histories and cultures, while discerning what are appropriate faith expressions and what are not. Knowing Diwali is a Hindu holiday can deter many South Asian Christians from celebrating this holiday. It’s a personal choice and one that every Indian Christian is free to make. I’ve been heeding the words of the Apostle Paul who said, “Therefore do not let anyone condemn you in matters of food and drink or of observing festivals, new moons, or sabbaths” (Col. 2:16). To the church in Corinth he also said, “Hence, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that ‘no idol in the world really exists,’ and that ‘there is no God but one.’ Indeed, even though there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth — as in fact there are many gods and many lords — yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist” (1 Cor. 8:4–6). In speaking to these churches, Paul references the freedom each individual has in relation to who they are in community with. This freedom is not a worldly, hyper-individualistic freedom where we only consider ourselves, but is a heavenly freedom meant for the good of others and to serve our neighbor well.
Christians know that light over darkness runs through the heart of the biblical narrative and is celebrated through the victory of Jesus (the light of the world) triumphing over sin (darkness) through his death, burial, and resurrection. As an Indian American Christian, I’m learning to exercise my freedom in Christ to celebrate meaningful Indian holidays with loved ones. My faith in Jesus affords me the opportunity to redeem cultural holidays and festivals as an expression of my love for God and others and as a means to point back to Christ. It is also a way in which I can find a beautiful expression of my faith and culture. This year, because of the Covid-19 pandemic, my wife and I won’t be able to dress up in Indian garb and celebrate with our friends and family like we hoped, but we will light candles around our apartment and consider the opening passage of John’s gospel: “In him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.”
Diwali does not have to be another holiday we have to set aside for the sake of the gospel. Instead, we can celebrate a true and mighty victory of eternal light overcoming eternal death through Jesus Christ. This is not Western Christianity’s attempt to hijack something that does not belong to them, but is a way for South Asian American Christians to learn from people who look like us that we may dine with them, participate in celebration, and perhaps even spark faith conversations with those who believe differently than us.
Jai Patel (B.A. in Business, Communication and Philosophy, University of Texas San Antonio) is a first generation Indian American who is passionate about helping people experience their newfound identity in Jesus Christ and unpack the beauty and complexity of their cultural and ethnic heritage. He has served on staff with Cru, an international campus ministry, as well as a local church, discipling and equipping college students to rest in the finished work of Jesus, thrive in their walks of life, and usher in God’s Kingdom to a lost and broken world. Jai currently works as an editorial assistant for Pax, is getting his MBA at Louisiana State University at Shreveport, and lives in Houma, LA with his wife, Priyanka.
