Diwali 2022- Festival of Lights or Firecrackers?

Diwali is the festival of lights. See what the history behind firecrackers is, see the state regulations regarding firecrackers and learn about eco-friendly crackers.

Diwali 2022 is the festival of light, prosperity and happiness. People burst crackers on the eve of the festival to celebrate the eve. But there are quite a few controversies around firing crackers in India. So, let’s see how you can firecrackers in an eco-friendly way so as to cause less harm to the environment.

Firstly, Why do We Burst Crackers on the Eve of Diwali?   

People burst firecrackers on Diwali because they believe that it’s mentioned in Ramayana to do so. But in actuality, It’s mentioned that When lord Ram returned to Ayodhya, a sound emerged from the sky, and there was the fragrance of flowers as the whole of Ayodhya was decorated with flowers. 

Is there any Comment on Crackers in Ramayana? 

There’s no such indication of firecrackers in the holy book. The history of Ramayana is about 5000 years old, but the origin of firecrackers is about 2200 years ago. So, it’s clear that there was no use of crackers when lord Rama visited Ayodhya. Back then, 2200 years ago, China started to make firecrackers using bamboo powder. It was in the 9th century when its industries started manufacturing crackers using gunpowder. A few years later from that, the firecrackers bursting at the festival time.

The use of Green crackers is one of the ways to reduce the impact on the environment. These green crackers are the types of crackers introduced in the year 2018 to cause lesser harm to the environment. These are made up of less potent materials to hurt the atmosphere.

State Regulations Regarding Bursting of Firecrackers 

Different states have different regulations regarding bursting firecrackers. The government of Delhi has wholly banned the bursting and sale of firecrackers till the first of January 2023. The Punjab government has given an open window from 8 pm to 10 pm on 24 October to burst firecrackers. The West Bengal government has permitted only green crackers to burst on Diwali eve. At the same time, the Tamil Nadu government has permitted the bursting of firecrackers from 6 to 7 am and from 7 to 8 pm.

Shifting Towards Green Crackers

Green crackers lack toxic substances such as aluminium, potassium nitrate, barium, carbon, etc. This content of green crackers prevents toxic effects on humans and the environment. Furthermore, some reports also say these green crackers cause 30% fewer pollutants than traditional crackers. They also reduce the noise from 160 decibels to 110 decibels. 

There are vast advantages of green crackers over traditional firecrackers. But these are exclusively available only at government-registered places. The council for scientific and industrial research develops these green crackers and supplies them to government-registered places. You can get these crackers from those places as well as you can also get them online. 

Focus Less on Firecrackers

Burning crackers is just a suppositional part of the festival. It has significantly less spiritual and mythological significance. Offering prayers, drawing rangolis and performing other rituals with a whole heart is the actual justification of the festival. Let this Diwali 2022 be the actual festival of lights by enlightening your souls. Focus less on bursting crackers and more on prayers and other rituals to allow goddess Lakshmi to come to your home. Have a Happy and safe Diwali!

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