The day before Diwali is celebrated as Chhoti Diwali / Narak Chaturdasi or ‘small Diwali’. It is Diwali on a smaller scale, with fewer lights lit and fewer crackers burst. Legend has it that on Narak Chaturdasi, the demon Narakasur was demolished by Lord Krishna and Satyabhama. They fought very aggressively and beheaded the demon. Narak Chaturdashi marks the destruction of evil in the world and arrival of new lights. The diyas are kept burning for several days after Naraka Chaturdashi starts.
In South India that victory of the divine over the mundane is celebrated in a very unusual manner. People wake up before sunrise, prepare a paste of Kumkum in oil to symbolize blood and after breaking a bitter fruit that represents the head of the demon King that was smashed by Krishna, and apply that mixture on their foreheads. Then they have an oil bath using sandalwood paste.
In Maharashtra also, traditional early baths with oil and “Uptan” (paste of gram flour and fragrant powders) are a must. Afterward steamed vermicelli with milk and sugar or puffed rice with curd is served.
