General Information about Item:

• Verbal folklore: origin story
• Language: English
• Country: India

Informant Data:

Informant is an Indian man who lived in New Delhi and Mumbai and celebrates Diwali with his wife every year. As the ex-editor of an Indian newspaper, he was well-versed in the origin stories for both Diwali and Ganesh Chaturthi.

Contextual Data:

• Social Context: The origin of Diwali stems from the Indian epic ‘Ramayana’ which Hindus read in conjunction with their sacred texts.

• Cultural Context: The Ramayana was written by the sage Valmiki. People celebrate Diwali today to signify the victory of good over evil.

Item:

An interview with our informant about the origin story behind Diwali.

Associated File:

Transcript of Associated File:

“Rama was the oldest son of King Dushrath of Ayodhya. Dushrath’s wife Kaikai wanted her son Bharat to become king so she forced Dushrath to send Rama into exile for 14 years. Rama’s wife Sita accompanied him to the forest and they lived there till Ravan who is the evil king of Lanka came and stole Sita away. Rama enlisted the help of a monkey general and his army and attacked Lanka, killing Ravan and freeing Sita. When he returned home to Ayodhya, the people lit diyas to light his way. So people today continue the tradition and light diyas in their houses.”

Informant’s Comments:

The informant emphasized that this was a very bare-bones version of the story and that it is still much more complex, with different versions.

Collector’s Comments:

The informant gave me a summary of the origin story upon request.

Collector’s Name:

Yohann Curmully

Tags/Keywords:

India, holiday, Diwali, Verbal folklore, origin story