On behalf of the entire Surinamese Government, I wish you and your family, in Suriname and all other Surinamese across the world, a Shubh Divali.
On Saturday November 14th we will celebrate the Divali festival. As you know, festivals are an important aspect of life. They bring out the best in us and bring us closer to our cultural roots.
Festivals give us a glimpse of our cultural and religious heritage. They promote cohesion in society, as is the case in our communal celebration of Divali.
Divali symbolizes the victory of light over darkness, good over evil, wisdom over ignorance and truth over falsehood. Light symbolizes the good and positive. Darkness on the other hand represents evil and the negative, that which might bring us sorrow.
Because Divali is dedicated to Maha Lakshmi, the Goddess of light, prosperity, happiness, success, and wisdom, we also perform a puja – a ceremonial prayer service – with our families in honor of the Mother Lakshmi. This is the ritualistic and religious aspect of Divali.
While Divali lights are extraordinarily beautiful to see, they at the same time represent a deeper meaning; they are symbolic for the interconnectedness and togetherness between people. Lighting diyas together in our homes, praying, meditating, eating, and talking about life together can generate a strong feeling of love and forgiveness, which eliminates any frustrations, anger and disappointments towards each other. This is the contemplative aspect, the spiritual meaning of Divali
We need this contemplative aspect of Divali as individuals, but also as a nation. Personally, I let myself be inspired by the meaning of light.
Let us each therefore light the lamp of wisdom in our own community and above all realize that even in the deepest darkness, light will eventually prevail. With this positivity we can invest in sustainable societies of unity in diversity.
Let us pray together:
असतो मा सद्गमय ।
तमसो मा ज्योतिर्गमय ।
मृत्योर् मामृतं गमय ।
asato mā sadgamaya,
tamaso mā jyotirgamaya,
mṛtyor mā’mṛtaṃ gamaya,
From illusion lead us to truth,
From darkness lead us to the light,
From death lead us to immortality.
I wish you all, in Suriname and to all Surinamese all over the world, a Shubh Divali, with an adapted celebration to counter the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
The President of the Republic of Suriname,
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