Karthigai Deepam 2023: Celebration of Tamil Festival of Lights

The date of Karthigai Deepam 2023 celebration is Sunday, 26th November 2023. It is a Hindu festival of light celebrated by the people of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. It is observed in the Kartik month of the Tamil calendar which usually falls in the month of November or December in the Gregorian calendar. The festival is celebrated with great enthusiasm as well as devotion by the people and numerous festivities are associated with this festival.

Other than India, this festival is celebrated by the Tamil people of Sri Lanka also. The name of the festival is born from the name of the god Karthikeya. Complete details about Karthigai Deepam 2023 such as date, time, observance, celebration, etc can be found from this article.

Karthigai Deepam 2023 Overview

Karthigai Deepam 2023 Timing

According to the Tamil calendar, Karthigai Deepam is observed in the month of Karthika when Karthigai Nakshatra prevails during Ratrimana and it usually falls in the month of November or December.

In the year 2023, Karthigai Deepam will be celebrated on Sunday, 26th November 2023. Karthigai Nakshathram will begin at 2:05 PM on November 26, 2023 and will end at 1:35 PM on November 27, 2023.

Story Behind Karthigai Deepam Festival

According to the story, there are six stars that are considered as the six Apsaras who reared the babies in the Saravana tank. The six babies named Dula, Nitatni, Abhrayanti, Varshayanti, Meghayanti and Chipunika joined together to form the six faced god, Lord Murugan or Karthikeya or Skanda. Lord Karthikeya is the second son of Lord Shiva (after Lord Ganesha) and is believed to be born from the Shiva himself.

The six children were brought up by the six Karthigai Apsaras known and worshiped as Siva, Sambhuti, Priti, Sannati, Anasuya and Ksama. It is said that the six Apsaras later merged into one by Goddess Parvati, mother of Karthikeya.

The six Apsaras who helped in growing Lord Murugan were blessed by Lord Shiva and they formed a constellation of six stars in the sky. Worshiping these stars on the day of Karthigai Deepam is equivalent to worshiping the Lord Murugan himself.

Karthigai Deepam is also known as the birth day of Lord Karthikeya and is celebrated with great zeal and fervor by the devotees. In Kerala, this hindu festival is known as Thrikkarthika and is celebrated to welcome Goddess Karthiyayeni Bhagavathi.

Karthigai Deepam 2023 Celebration

Karthigai Deepam, also known as Karthika Deepam, Thrikarthika or Karthikai Vilakkidu is a very important and ancient festival of Tamils and is now celebrated in Kerala too. There are references that show that this festival has been observed from the Sangam Age which was around 200 BC to 300 AD.

Celebration of Karthigai Deepam begins from the starting of the Karthika month (which coincides with the festival of Diwali) and it is considered a very auspicious month. Every day from the starting, an oil lamp is lit till the end of the Karthika month. On the day of Karthigai Deepam people lit rows of clay oil lamps, called as agal vilakkus, in their houses and temples.

It is believed that lighting oil lamps in the house ward off evil forces and make way for happiness and prosperity to enter the house. Kartikai chutru or Kartikai chulartu, a homemade charcoal-based hand-rotating firecracker is burnt on the day of Karthigai Deepam.

The festival of Karthigai Deepam is also celebrated to commemorate the bonding between brothers and sisters in south India and is similar to the festivals of Bhai Dooj and Raksha Bandhan celebrated in north India. Sisters pray for the prosperity and success of their brothers and light lamps to celebrate the day.

There is also a tradition of lighting an oil lamp with 365 wicks on the occasion of Karthigai Deepam. This lamp is made at home and the 365 wicks represents each day of the year. This lamp is lit is then lit in the temples of Lord Shiva and his blessing is sought. Reading Karthika Puranam and observing a fast on the day of Karthigai Deepam is also a famous tradition, practiced every day for the whole Karthika month.

Apart from being celebrated at home, Karthigai Deepam is also celebrated at the Thiruvannamalai Arunachaleshwara Swamy temple. Festivities and celebration are carried out for ten days and is called as Karthikai Brahmotsavam. The celebration begins with Dwajarohanam on the day when Nakshatra Uthiraadam prevails at sunrise.

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