Why do people gamble in Diwali? An unusual custom, which characterizes the festival of Diwali, is gambling, especially in north India. It is believed on this night, the Goddess Parvati played dice with her husband and enjoyed it so much that she decreed that whoever gambled on Diwali night would prosper throughout the coming year. Today, dice games have become obsolete in India and have been replaced by card games such as flush, rummy, and gin. In today’s society, the wealthy organize games involving thousands of rupees in clubs, hotels, and private farmhouses, but the majority of people just play at home. In Punjabi families, it is considered a vice to gamble during the year, but is considered to be acceptable on Diwali. They believe that if you win, when gambling on Diwali you will win all year round and will have wealth in your favor. Some Punjabi families also believe that if a person does not gamble on Diwali, then in their next life they will be reincarnated as a donkey. This is considered to be very unpleasant since the donkey is the animal who carries heavy loads on his back throughout his life. On the other hand, some people claim to gamble on Diwali in order to remind themselves of the fickleness of lady luck (Lakshmi), and to create a sense of balance in the pursuit of material success. In ancient India, dice games were very popular and Diwali might have been a time where farmers could relax and spend time with family and friends, by playing dice games and betting money that they had just acquired from the end of the harvest season. This may be the actual social origin of the unusual practice of gambling at Diwali, which now has acquired a divine sanction of recognition. Gambling may have come into practice because when families are supposed to keep their door open all night in order to welcome Lakshmi into the house, someone was needed to keep guard all night. In order to keep from falling asleep, people played cards or dice. In many parts of Gujarat, the entire Hindu month of Shravan (usually in August-September) is considered auspicious for gambling, instead of just Diwali. anthropology.uci.edu/~wmmaurer/courses/anthro_money_2004/Diwali.htm
Posted on: Sat, 25 Oct 2014 09:04:02 +0000
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