Karthigai Maha Deepam

 Karthigai Deepam is a Tamil hindu, Festival of Lights.

The festival is observed in most Hindu homes and every temple of Tamilnadu and Kerela, and falls in the month of Karthigai (mid-November to mid-December) as per Tamil calender. This occurs on the day when the moon is in conjunction with the constellation Karthigai and pournami. This constellation appears as a group of six stars in the firmament in the shape of a pendant from the ear. In Kerala, this festival is known as Thrikkarthika.

In the Mudaliayar community, we make delicious neivedhyams. 

But in our house, in the morning we make the usual Karthigai padaiyal like Sambhar,rice and vadai and in the evening around 6pm or after watching the live telecast of Thiruvanamalai Deepam, we  light lamps outside our house on the first day of the festival. 

Rows of Agal vilakkus (Clay oil lamps) are lit in every house. Karthigai is essentially a festival of lamps. The lighted lamp is considered an auspicious symbol. It is believed to ward off evil forces and usher in prosperity and joy. While the lighted lamp is important for all Hindu rituals and festivals, it is indispensable for Karthigai.

Throughout the month of Karthigai, lamps, are lit and kept in the front of the house in the evening.  On the day of the Karthigai Deepam, people clean their houses and draw Kolams at the entrance. The lighting of the lamps is done at the sunset or at twilight. The lamps are kept ready the previous day to be lit the next day evening. They are all washed and kumkum is applied to them.  A cotton wick is placed in each of them. In the afternoon, some oil is poured into it so that the wicks soak well before lighting the lamps in the evening.  All the lamps are placed in the pooja altar and lighted.  Offerings to the Deity are placed before the Altar and Karpoora aarathi is done. Then the lamps are decoratively placed throughout the house on window sills, at the backyard, and especially on the Kolams drawn in the entrance. People also burst crackers and celebrate the festival. On this special Thirukkarthigai day, the temples are all lit up and special prayers are offered.

People of Tamil Nadu celebrate Karthigai for three days.  The first day of the Thiru Karthigai Deepam is called “Periya Karthigai”. On the second day also lamps are lit throughout the house.  The third day is called “Kuppai Karthigai”. On this day, lamps are lit in places like bathrooms, kitchen, inside/on the wall of the well (if you have one), motor room, places where you keep dustbins/wash utensils etc,. In the South of Tamilnadu and in Kerala, Hindus pray for the wellbeing of their brothers and they light an elephant lamp (Gajalakshmi Vilaku)  as a sign of prosperity and wealth

 I will light 12 lamps in a tray and recite the holy Sashti Kavasam in front of Lord Murugan in my Pooja room and also lit rows of clay lamps outside my house.
Karthigai festival is famous in Thiruvanamalaii, Tamilnadu, and Koneshwaram,Trincomalee,Srilanka
 On Karthigai day, a huge fire lamp is lit up on the hill(in both temples), visible for several kilometers around. The fire (deepam) is called Mahadeepam. Hindu devotees visit the place, to pray and make offerings to lord Shiva. There is an interesting story behind Karthigai Deepam in Thiruvannamalai. Here, a special torch is lighted on top of the hill and it is believed that Lord Shiva’s jyothi will be visible on this day.  On the pournami day in the evening, a huge vessel filled with ghee is lit on top of the hill. The lamp is about seven feet in height. Oil is not used. Around 3000Kg of ghee is used and the wick is a 1000m cotton cloth. When the lamp is lit everybody chants, Arogara, annamalaiyarukku arogara.

Another important thing done on this day in temples is burning Chokkapanai. After lighting the deepam in the temple, the priest comes out to the open space, there a dry papaya tree branch is covered by dry palm leaves. This is called chokkapanai. The priest shows karpoora arathi and lights this. The chokkapanai burns with a crackle, which emits a bright light. It is a smaller version of annamali deepam.

Another belief is that the fire is lit to remove all the unwanted garden waste and keep the streets and villages clean. Nowadays many people keep crackers inside the Chokka Panai to hear and watch it burst. 

In 2016, due to the MahaKumbha mela of Ujjain Simhastha, Karthikai Deepam will hold special significance, being celebrated on 12 December 2016, which being a Monday is symbolically attributed to Lord Shiva, of the twelve jyothirlingam.