Category: Did You Know

Interesting Facts: Diwali Special

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Happy Diwali

It’s interesting to know that Diwali is a universal festival. From the name to the practices, celebrating Diwali differs from state to state and country to country. Yet they all have the lamp that lights to bind them into a family.

1. As the knowledge of Sanskrit diminished, the word Deepavali was popularly modified to Diwali, especially in northern India

2. It is believed that Diwali is the day Lord Shiva accepted Shakti into the left half of the form and appeared as Ardhanarishvara (half man, half-women)

3. There is a legend that Diwali commemorates the killing of Narakasura, an evil demon by Lord Krishna’s wife Sathyabhama

4. Did you know that Sikhs also celebrate Diwali to commemorate the laying of the foundation stone for the Golden Temple in 1577. It is also known as Bandi Chhorh Divas and they illuminate their gurdwaras and homes with Deewé (earthen oil lamps) or candles

5. Lord Mahavira, the last of the Jain Tirthankaras, attained nirvana on Diwali day at Pavapuri. According to Jain tradition the chief disciple of Mahavira, Ganadhar Gautam Swami, also attained complete knowledge on this very day, thus making Diwali a really special occasion for the Jains to celebrate

6. In Malaysia, Diwali is known as ‘Hari Diwali’(except in Sarawak & Federal Territory of Labuan). The festival is also celebrated in the Caribbean, especially in Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana. Believe it or not, Diwali is a public holiday in these countries like in India

7. In Nepal, Diwali is known as Tihar and celebrated during the October/November period. Interestingly, on the fourth day Yama, the Lord of Death, is worshipped and appeased

8. Thailand celebrates Diwali under the name of Lam Kriyongh during the same time. Diyas (lamps) made of banana leaves are made and candles are placed on it along with a coin and incense

9. According to the great epic ‘Mahabharat’, it was ‘Kartik Amavashya’, the time Diwali is celebrated, when the Pandavas returned after twelve years of banishment

10. It is also said that on this very day Lord Vishnu rescued Goddess Lakshmi (and married her) from the prison of Demon king Bali and for that reason Goddess Lakshmi is worshipped on the day of Diwali

11. In Mauritius, Diwali celebration is an age-old tradition. It holds special significance for the natives, who believe that Diwali has been celebrated even long before the return of Lord Rama from 14 years of exile and his coronation as the king

12. Diwali celebrations were held in the White House in 2004, the first festival to be marked after US President George W Bush’s re-election

13. On the auspicious day of Diwali, Swami Dayanand Saraswati, founder of Brahma-Samaj, took Samadhi

14. Kashmiri Pandits have been celebrating Diwali for ages now. It is one of their oldest rituals, and in the scripture (Nilmat Puran) Diwali was called Sukhsuptika (means to sleep with happiness)

15. One of the unique rituals that makes Diwali in Orissa different from other parts of the country is the practice of calling upon the spirits of one’s dead ancestors

Interesting Fact: August 2008

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There has never been a dearth of facts…

1. Saturn is the only planet in our solar system that is less dense than water. If you could build an imaginary gigantic bathtub, Saturn would float in it says NASA

2. Basenji, smallish dog with a silky copper coat, does not bark. Instead, it yodels when it gets excited

3. Fossilised tree sap or resin must be at least 30 million years old to be recognised as Amber. Interestingly it is considered as one of the most popular gemstone in jewellery

4. The 4 minutes 33 seconds (4’33”) musical piece is famous for its no sound at all. Written by the American composer John Cage, it is a piano piece where a pianist sits at the piano and plays nothing for exactly 4 minutes and 33 seconds

5. One of the most important inventions in history was the rubber band-powered airplane, the planophore. French scientist Alphonse Penaud astounded everyone by flying a rubber band-powered aircraft for 131 feet. Indeed it was the first recorded flight of an inherently stable aircraft

6. Nepal is the only country without a rectangular flag as theirs look like two pennants glued on top of the other

7. The most filmed story of all time is Dracula followed by Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and and Oliver Twist in the second and third position

8. Libra, the Scales, is the only inanimate symbol in the zodiac signs

9. Pingu a swiss animated children’s television serial has adventures that are suitable for broadcast in any language, because the closest thing it has to a dialog is in a non-language called “Penguinese”

10. Nasturtiums have long been prized for their nutritive value. A nasturtium leaf is as high in vitamin C as a lettuce leaf

By Deeya Nayar-Nambiar, Published in SigningOff column, btw of Chitralekha Group

Interesting Fact: July 2008

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It has been a great experience in reading and collecting these facts. Hope you enjoy too.

1. In the aftermath of World War II, Japanese biologist Shinya Inoue used a tin can and a discarded machine gun to build the first polarised light microscope

2. Europe’s red-barbed ants form colonies that are either entirely male or female. Believe it or not, the two sexes can never live together!

3. Half of the oxygen in the atmosphere comes from microscopic life in the world’s ocean

4. A statue of Vladimir Lenin stands at the South Pole of Inaccessibility, the point on Antarctica that is furthest from the ocean

5. Policemen in Tijuana equipped themselves with slingshots in January 2007 after the Mexican government took away their guns

6. Austria has a series of postage stamps that contains real meteorite dust. The stamps issued in 2006 had the dust collected from a 19 kg meteorite found in Morocco

7. Red-billed Quelea (Quelea quelea) from south of the Sahara in Africa is one of the most common wild bird in the world. These birds are so prolific that they are serious pests and millions are killed at roost sites every year in a vain attempt to control their numbers

8. British sailors used to be called “Limeys” because they ate citrus to prevent scurvy on long sea voyages

9. Zorro is the most filmed cartoon character and featured in 69 films. Created by Johnston McCully, he was the first comic strip character to be the subject shown in a major film, The Mark of Zorro (USA 1920).

10. Widow is the only female form in the English language that is shorter than its corresponding male term (widower)

By Deeya Nayar-Nambiar, Published in SigningOff column (April 2008), btw of Chitralekha Group