Diwali In Orissa! Badabadua Daka!
Diwali, celebrated on the Kartik Amavasya is significant both in terms of astrology and spirituality. It is a festival that beautifully intertwines the cosmic and human realms.
The position of planets on the day of Diwali brings in good luck, happiness and prosperity for every zodiac.
During this period, the luminaries Sun and Moon are said to be in concurrence (0 deg) and thus considered very auspicious. They are placed in the house of Libra or Tula, and ruled by the Swati nakshatra, a feminine constellation linked to Goddess Saraswati.
Paya Shradha & Bada Badua Daka is an age-old tradition observed by people across Odisha during Diwali.
On the day of Diwali, women draw rangoli or muruja in the shape of a sail boat and a clay lamp is placed in the centre.
Seven plates of bhog thalis, including fruits, kakara pitha, arisa pitha, manda are cooked lovingly for the ancestors and an extra thali is also kept for the lost abandoned souls.
As the dark Amavasya evening looms in, clay lamps are lit near the Tulsi chaunra and main entrance of homes.
Traditionally the eldest son of every Oriya family lights the long jute stick & along with other family members shows it to the sky chanting the 'Badabadua Daka', remembering their forefathers with gratitude.
In southern Orissa, especially Brahmin families use sugarcane sticks, in place of jute sticks, about 1.5' long and wrapped with ghee-dipped cotton wicks and show to the skies with the same Badabadua daka meaning: Oh forefathers! Those who visited us during dark Mahalaya Shaddha day, please go back along this lighted path.
This is a powerful theme during Diwali, honoring our ancestors. We offer gratitude, remember them and seek their blessings.
Connecting with our ancestors to understand our family’s history, and lineage – is one of the most important aspects of healing.
This ancient ritual calls on the Divine wisdom, support, and healing from our Ancestors, honoring them for the lives they’ve lived, and humbly bowing to them as the bodies we are that were created from their bodies.
Every year, hundreds of devotees throng the Jagannath temple to observe the Badabadua Daka in front of the Singhadwara on Diwali.
Families pray to their ancestors to come in the dark and depart in the light. People light up jute sticks known locally as "kaunriya kathi" and point them up in the sky while chanting "Badabadua ho andhare asi alua re jao.Ganga jao,Gaya jao,Baisi pahanche mahaprasad khai gada gadau thau"
Meaning:
Ancestors, come in darkness and go back along the lighted path.
With thousands of devotees looking up at the dark sky above while lighting up lamps of gratitude and flames of love, the atmosphere is surreal with a vibrational call to the forefathers seeking their blessings.
#Diwali #oriyaculture #payashradha #badabaduadaka
