The Amazing Science Behind Celebrating Diwali

Diwali is the Festival of Lights, it is celebrated by millions of people across the world. Diwali celebrates the new year, the victory of good over evil, and light over darkness but there are some questions that I had earlier and you may have right now, such as why do we light diyas? Why do we eat so many sweets and deep-fried snacks? Why do we burst crackers, it just pollutes the environment? If you have all these questions you have come to the right place. 

Now coming towards the first belief as well as a tradition of lighting ¨Diyas¨ or Clay lamps. The popular Indian belief is that it attracts the goddess Laxmi which is responsible for bringing wealth to the houses. However, let's understand the science behind the same. Do you know every year mosquitoes kill at least 725,000 people? Hence insect-borne diseases have always been deadly. 

Diwali comes during winters where the temperature and the humidity are low and because of this, the number of insects rises. This is because the insects are cold-blooded. In the olden times, no synthetic mosquito repellent was available. Our ancestors had a simple solution for this. The clay lamp or in India referred to as ¨Mitti ka diya¨. In some cultures, the mixture of 5 oils is used to light a lamp or ¨Diya¨ including coconut oil, Mahua oil, castor oil, neem oil (Azadirachta indica), and ghee. This is called ¨Pancha deepam oil ¨ India.  The lighting of Diya is a natural insect repellent with no side effects and no toxic fumes. These diyas protect us from insect-borne diseases. 

Now coming to the next tradition of eating tons of snacks and sweets. *I know, exaggeration*  But Why do we consume it? All the traditional Indian snacks consumed in Diwali have Ghee in them. Ghee makes us gain weight, right?? No! Pure ghee is called the food of God in Ayurveda. Ghee does not have lactose. Ghee also acts as a catalyst and helps to break down food and thus improving digestion quality and provides essential fatty acids to the body. 

One article by Dinesh C Sharma posted on Mail Online India in 2012, says that ¨A spoon of ghee is full of health, it poses no danger to cardiac health and could protect us from cancer.¨ In the western market ¨Ghee¨ is now sold as ¨clarified butter.¨ After Diwali`is festival winters start. Our bodies need more energy and calories during winters. Pure ghee keeps our bodies warm and it provides us extra energy needed in winters. But eat it in moderation. 

Bursting crackers is a bit controversial. Some say that one of the simplest ways of using it to destroy insects to prevent insect-borne diseases, was to use them in tiny explosives or sparklers, which could release Potassium-Nitrate, which in turn could curb dangerous insects. But the pollution is a serious issue. Traditionally bursting crackers was not part of Indian culture, it originated in China around 2000 years ago. 

As we know Science has cleared out the positive effects of gratitude on physical and mental health. This is a proven fact! Diwali gives us a chance to express our gratitude. 

Our ancestors talk to us through stories because it becomes easy for us to remember, furthermore follow them. If we do not understand the reason behind our culture if we do not respect it how can we expect even others to respect our culture. Let's not be ignorant and ask “why?”, let's light a small diya in our mind. 

Citation: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzymIPCxuNI

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