In the cold and dark months of October and November the Hindu celebrate Divali. This holiday of Light brings people together and conquers all evil. Furthermore it means fun, and it is the perfect time to play a game of chess with the family.
Diwali lights
Divali is a real family holiday, celebrated everywhere worldwide, from India to Surinam. The Hindu honor Lakshmi, goddess of light, beauty, wealth and prosperity. The Surinam Hindu have been celebrating Divali ever since 1873 and in 2010 it was proclaimed a Surinam national holiday. The history of Divali goes back centuries. Divali stems from the word dipavali: in Sanskrit the words dip and avali mean light and row. Divali therefore is the feast of rows of lights in every sense of the word.
Lights all throughout the house
Symbol of Divali are the many lights and candles that are lit during the holiday. Originally the Hindu would melt butter in a small ceramic bowl and put in a cotton fuse. A whole row of these bowls together makes for a cozy and peaceful atmosphere. Nowadays, fireworks add to the light of the day.
The celebration of ‘the light that conquers all evil’ lasts for several days. It’s celebrated in relation to the phases of the moon and so each year, Divali is celebrated on a different day. The most important day of the celebration this year is on the 26th of October. The Hindu clean every corner of their houses and decorate them with hundreds of lights and candles. Not only the house but also its residents must be clean. To cleanse themselves internally the Hindu will not eat food made of animals that have suffered. Alcohol is also a no-go during Divali. On the main day of Divali families visit with each other to celebrate, and during the day eat sweets, sing, dance and play games. Those who are unable to assist are called by telephone to be wished a Happy Feast of Lights, or Shubh Divali.
Gods Krishna and Radha play chaturanga
Old myths
The holiday comes with old myths, such as the one about a prince in love and his princess. Predictions were that the prince would die in his sleep four days after their wedding. To keep him from falling asleep the princess lit hundreds of little lights in their room and read him stories. Death came in the form of a snake to take away the prince, but the brightness of all the lights blinded the serpent and he was not able to fulfill his mission. The couple in love lived happily ever after.
Games also star in the old myths. Another one is about the gods Krishna and Radha playing a kind of chess game together. For a long time it was thought that the gods were gambling, but since gambling is prohibited during Divali this could not be correct. The game played in this myth is called chaturanga. It is a predecessor of the modern chess game and is originally from India. After the eight century the game was known internationally. Arabic domination caused it to be exported to the Western world and through trading on the Silk Road it found its way to the Far East.
Elephants and foot-soldiers
The chaturanga game is played by two or four players. On each corner of the game board there are eight pieces, amongst others: a horse, an elephant, a chariot and a foot-soldier. These symbols of the military, all under the command of a king, would be the initial concept for future chess pieces in India for a long time.
In the nineteenth century, under the British rule, many chess games would be imported to Europe from India. They were made of wood or ivory. In those days the elephants were the equivalent of the western bishop and the chariots represented our rooks. An example of this type of set can be seen at the museum.
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