Karthigai Deepam

Generally Karthigai month falls from November 15 to 17 and it will end in December month end. This year karthigai month falls on 17^th November to December 16^th. There is many specialties for this month. Normally people worship god by touring. Especially people interested in going to sabari mala will be keeping fasting from this month. Even they avoid drinks and smoking habits. They dedicate completely to the God for this month. They pray sincerely only during this month. Once a person is used with visiting sabari mala Ayyappan temple that would be a part of his life every year, he would be also saving his monthly salary some amount to visit many temples including Sapbari Mala.

The specialty of this month is, during the Karthigai deepam people will light lamps made in the clay. So there will be many clay workers will be busy in making the different kinds of lamps. Once they use these clay lamps they will not use them for the next year. They buy only new clay lamps for the next year. The karthigai deepam is celebrated for the four days, one day is dedicated to lord Shiva, one day is dedicated to lord Vishnu, one day is dedicated for Goddess Lakshmi, and the other day is celebrated for the waste products. This means, people should not waste anything and they should use them as much as possible. When a product is in good condition people are happy, so that happiness should exist always that is the purpose of celebrating the karthigai deepam for the fourth day.

This festival is grandly celebrated in Tamil Nadu, Andra, Kerala also and especially government contributes some funds for this festival to celebrate in Thiruvannamalai grandly. They light the big lamp and pour many litters of oil in the lamp at the peak of the hill. Actually Thiruvanna Malai gives meaning for the small mountain. There is no proper steps to claim this mountain, however people will all the way walk in the mountain and enjoy the celebrations. At least one million people will be arriving to Thiruvannamalai and enjoying this festival.

People also light the lamps made in brass, copper at their home, they don’t use these lamps on the other days. Only during the Karthigai deepam they take out these lamps from their slabs and light these lamps. However, there will be good sales for the metal lamps also during this festival. Lighting the lamp with oil and in six sides of the lamp is special. The cotton is only used to burn the fire on the lamps. Thousands of people are getting jobs for making the clay lamps, so there family will be happy, because they are able to make money by selling the clay lamps to the public. At the end of the day in all temples there will be big fire will be burned with dry grass and woods. Many temples fire the crackers, even in the homes crackers and fireworks would lighted and enjoyed by the children and child minded adults. This festival traces away the darkness.