The Tamil Festival of Lights: Karthikai Deepam

Karthikai Deepam is also known as Karthikai Vilakkidu. It is a Tamil Festival of Lights. Almost all homes and temples of Tamil Nadu, Sri Lanka and Kerala celebrate this festival. It falls in the month of Kārttikai (mid-November to mid-December) as per Tamil calendar. The festival is celebrated on the day when the moon is in conjunction with the constellation Karthigai (Pleiades) and pournami.

The Karthigai constellation appears as a group of six stars in the sky in the shape of a pendant from the ear. Kerala recognizes this festival by the name Thrikkarthika. Rest of the India, celebrates this festival as Kartik Purnima on a different date. The six stars are known to be six celestial nymphs in the Indian mythology. These six celestial nymphs nurtured the six babies in the saravana tank which later combined to form the six faced Muruga.

Thus, he is called Karthikeya, the incarnation of Lord Shiva. Karthikai Deepam is also known as Kartikeya or Muruga’s birthday.

Content: wikipedia.org

By: Bhavna Sharma