Light of the world – what I learned from Diwali

Happy Diwali, friends! Over the past few weeks, I’ve been anticipating the arrival of this traditional holiday from India and trying to learn as much as I can about it. The abundance of colors and sensory details, the symbolism of light triumphing over darkness and good over evil, is absolutely stunning to me! And of course, me being me, I automatically looked for the Christian/Biblical tie-ins in this glorious festival. Come with me as I learn what my faith has in common with the cultural and religious festival of Diwali. Hope you enjoy!

Verses: Psalm 119:105, 1 John 1:5, 5:4, John 1:5, 8:12, Acts 17:16-34, Revelation 7:9

Truth: The themes and symbolism of Diwali point to the true Light of the world and how He overcame the darkness once and for all.

What is Diwali?

The short version is that Diwali is a festival celebrating the triumph of light over darkness and good over evil. This YouTube video I found describes it as the observance of a particular deity, Rama, rescuing his bride from an evil deity. The word itself comes from a Sanskrit word Deepavali, meaning “series of lights.” The author-narrator of the video teaches that the lamps lit at Diwali symbolize knowledge that “can drive away ignorance within you.” They also say that Diwali is open to everyone to celebrate, not just those who practice Hinduism. Included in this video also is the phrase “vasudhaiva kutumbakam,” indicating that the world is all one family.

The other source I found comes from a Christian theologian of Indian-Punjabi heritage. I learned so much here! I highly recommend that you go and read the full article for yourself; it’s so cool to hear about people from all over the world and every culture celebrating both their heritage AND the Gospel. I truly believe that that is what we’re meant to do, and it might just be a picture of what Heaven will be like (Revelation 7:9). Here are some of my take-aways from the article “Festival of Lights: Diwali in the Light of Jesus” by Ashish Varma:

Unlike Christianity in the West, what we think of as “Hindu” today has not historically been a religion codified by careful textual transmission and traditions of abstract doctrine. Rather, “Hindu” was not necessarily always a religious designation, and even today many claim the designation “Hindu” without the religious overtones that people in the Western world assume.

Ashish Varma

This is such an important thing to know! I don’t know that I had ever really considered it before, but it’s more than likely that I, a Westerner, assumed that “Hindu” automatically means “practices Hinduism.” In fact, India is hugely diverse, and the author goes on to say that one can be Hindu Buddhist, Hindu Muslim, or Hindu Christian, among others. The term is more related to geography than belief.

Rama defeated Ravana in order to set up the meaning of Diwali: light, the symbol of good, overcomes darkness, banishing evil. In this version of the Diwali story, Rama overcomes evil to rescue his bride Sita.

Ashish Varma

This essentially agrees with the YouTube video referenced above, which didn’t appear to share the same religious background as this author.

There is no singular Diwali story. However, there is a unifying Diwali theme: it is the festival of lights representing the light that came down into darkness, where the darkness could not overcome it. The light is the good that overcomes evil (cf. John 1:1-5, 9). Like the ancient Roman festival of Saturnalia that early Christians re-narrated to celebrate Christmas—the Incarnation of Jesus the divine Son—Diwali, too, bears the marks of a world in longing. In his Gospel, John describes the Incarnation precisely in terms of true light entering into darkness.

Ashish Varma

This is what blew my mind, and simultaneously said what I was already thinking in much better words than I could have come up with. Jesus, the Light of the world, came into the darkness and overcame it. It’s such a beautiful illustration, and a good way to point to the Gospel! This author is doing, to me, what Paul did in Athens (Acts 17:16-34). He describes what the festival is about, then points back to Jesus and how this authentic expression of culture and beauty can honor God. It’s so amazing!!

It is tempting to see this use of Diwali (pointing to Jesus as the Light of the world) as one more Diwali story among the many. However, what some see as refracted light—distorted attempts to speak of the light that overcomes darkness—I teach my kids to see as mirrors that should point to the light itself. 

Ashish Varma

I think a lot of Western believers have learned over the years to reject anything that doesn’t overtly point to Jesus as the one true God. And while I don’t think we should honor Rama by any means, I do think we’re missing out if we refuse to interact with other cultures simply because they don’t believe the same way we do. We miss out on meaningful ways to share the Gospel, and the chance to see people who follow other belief systems as the imago Dei humans that they are.

Connecting Diwali with the Bible

Here are some verses I found that follow the same theme of light overcoming darkness, and specifically of Jesus, the Light of the World, overcoming the darkness of the grave and our sin.

Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.

Psalm 119:105 NASB

This verse automatically reminds me of the symbolism behind the candles and lamps lit at Diwali. The Word of God, as in Scripture, points us to the Word, Jesus, whose work in our hearts drives away the ignorance and rebellion caused by our sinful nature and allows us to truly know God.

This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all… For whoever has been born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world: our faith.

1 John 1:5, 5:4 NASB

These verses point to the character of God, which is described as pure light, and the fact that, in Christ, we overcome the world. This matches up with the theme of Diwali, light overcoming darkness. So cool!

And the Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not grasp it… Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; the one who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”

John 1:5, 8:12 NASB

These verses directly tie in with a personified Light overcoming the darkness. Like Mr. Varma said in his article, the story of Diwali really is a mirror pointing to Jesus. It shouldn’t be this surprising, but it is, and it’s beautiful! John 8:12, in particular, further illustrates that Jesus, the Light, illuminates our darkness through the knowledge of and faith in who He is.

Conclusion: Diwali as a mirror

I hope you’ve enjoyed this exploration into the Indian festival Diwali and how it points to Jesus, the true Light of the world. There are truly so many ways to know and love Him, and there’s no reason to think that they’re limited to what we as a Western culture have decided are okay! As long as we compare things with Scripture, I don’t think it’s a bad idea to engage with cultures and beliefs outside our own. I’m sure glad I did today!

Do you have any thoughts to share about Diwali? Are there other festivals or holidays you’d like to learn more about? I’d love to know!

Happy exploring!