A little off topic. I guess more so because over Deepavali wishes, I kinda read on as a certain Kelong Jimmy traded some arguments over at shanghaistephen.blogspot.com
The reason was, the blogger had stated his confusion over whether it is Deepavali, Diwali, Deepawali, Dewali or Divali at the end of his festive wishes... Kelong Jimmy posted a comment stating that in Malaysia we grew up wishing our Hindu compatriots Happy Deepavali and nothing else. Always has been, always will be. It is HAPPY DEEPAVALI in MALAYSIA. I guess the same as it is Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri, as opposed to Eid Mubarak in most of the rest of the world. We Malaysians like to be different.
But look at THIS STORY on Express Buzz from India, which goes under the heading DEEPAVALI IS NOT DIWALI ... It seems there's more to it than just different spelling!
In India, Deepavali in Tamil Nadu is not accepted as the same celebration in other states, although it is part of the same religion. The Express Buzz article states in Tamil Nadu it is purely the celebration of triumph of good over evil, while in Northern India, it also means a new calendar date, where businesses open a new account book. In the North, it is celebrated on Tuesday, a day after Tamil Nadu.
Unlike over here in Malaysia, where all Hindus celebrate the same thing. Even us, the non-Hindus accept that and share in the festivities.
Kinda makes me think. Maybe we've been quite a united brand of people. Just recently more and more disunited by people with other thoughts.
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