Difference Between Diwali And Christmas

To what extent is the Hindu festival Diwali similar to the Christian holiday Christmas? Within the Hindu tradition, followers aim to live moral lives, called dharma, in order to break the cycle of reincarnation and achieve moksa, a transcendent state free of reincarnation (Wilkinson 172). Hindus aspire to live in a manner to produce positive karma that will break the cycle of samsara, or reincarnation (172). Hindus who meditate, practice yoga, study Hindu texts, or act selflessly believe they will attain moksa (173). In contrast, Christians aim to reach salvation through living a pure life without committing sins (85). A pure Christian life includes following the word of God, loving their neighbors, forgiving others, and helping the needy (85). Followers of these …show more content…
During Diwali, Hindus want the goddess Lakshmi to visit them, but they also celebrate other important days concerning other gods. Over the five-day span of Diwali, Hindus celebrate the return of Lord Rama, the birthdays of many gods and goddesses, and the deaths of some demons (Canton). Hinduism is a polytheistic religion, so it makes sense that its holidays reflect this polytheism. In contrast, Christmas celebrates Jesus’s birth as the coming of the Messiah, the sole savior of Christians. Another difference between the two holidays is how they have been celebrated. For over 3,000 years, there has been relatively little change to how Hindus celebrate Diwali: the only changes have been minor, such as giving more expensive gifts, lighting different types of lights with improvements in technology, and creating different types of decorations. In comparison, there have been countless changes to how Christmas has been celebrated. From its start as an unrecognized holiday to a fully commercialized holiday today, Christmas has been constantly evolving. Despite some initial similarities, Diwali and Christmas have many deep