A Greater Light than Diwali

In New Delhi’s Chittaranjan Park, Mary David adjusts the traditional Christmas star hanging from her balcony. The fading remnants of her neighbors’ Diwali lights from last month create a gentle reminder of South Asia’s unique festival season. “It’s beautiful how the celebrations flow into each other,” she says, arranging her Advent wreath.

In other parts of India, like Chennai’s bustling Marina Beach area, carol singing fills the air where Diwali celebrations echoed just weeks ago. Churches prepare for midnight Mass while traces of their Hindu neighbors’ festival lamps linger in memories. And in Ahmedabad’s Maninagar neighborhood, Rachel Khristy, a schoolteacher, thoughtfully reflects on the season’s transitions. Last month, her family joined neighbors for Diwali’s lighting ceremony; now, amid Advent preparations, she’s planning Christmas dinner for these same friends.

Across South Asian cities, especially in India, this festival transition has become a familiar rhythm. Streets that recently buzzed with Diwali celebrations now pulse with Christmas preparations. Families who gathered to create intricate rangoli patterns (a colorful art drawn on the ground at the entrance of the house, with materials like powdered limestone, dry rice flour, or colored sand) and light diyas (clay lamps) during Amavasya (new moon)—celebrated as the darkest night of the month—now string Christmas lights and arrange Nativity scenes. The sweet aroma of plum cakes and Christmas treats fills the air just days after the smoke from Diwali fireworks has dissipated, while wreaths and garlands appear alongside fading rangoli designs.

Though emerging from different faith traditions, both these festivals celebrate the triumph of light over darkness. However, they reflect different understandings of divine intervention in human affairs. Christians, of course, celebrate the season as the time when God’s Son came to earth as a human. Hindus celebrate stories of their deities who appear on earth temporarily as avatars, a Sanskrit word for divine descent.

At times, Indian Christians have found this concept helpful in explaining elements of their faith to non-Christian audiences. For instance, 20th-century Indian Christian theologians like Aiyadurai Jesudasen Appasamy, Vengal Chakkarai and Pandippedi Chenchiah and several mainstream Syriac Christian songs use the term avatar as the translation for Immanuel.

Many maintain that Jesus’ incarnation significantly differs from the Hindu concept of an avatar. Diwali, for instance, commemorates the victory and return from exile of King Rama, the god Vishnu’s avatar. Another story celebrated during the holiday celebrates another of Vishnu’s avatars, Lord Krishna, defeating a demon. The avatars’ royalty and power contrasts with that of Jesus, who, though proclaimed as Messiah, is the son of a carpenter and describes himself as having “no place to lay his head” (Matt. 8:20).

The distinctive theological perspectives between Hinduism and Christianity become most visible in how each community celebrates its festivals. In a small church in Punjab, pastor Anujit Emerson helps children arrange a nativity scene. “We tell one story,” she says, “the story of God becoming human.” This stands in contrast to their recent experience, where just weeks ago, these same children watched their Hindu friends celebrate multiple divine victories: Rama’s triumph over Ravana, Krishna’s defeat of Narakasura, and Lakshmi’s bestowal of blessings.

Notably, Vishnu’s time as Rama and Krishna is limited, said Vijayesh Lal, who leads the Evangelical Fellowship of India. In contrast, Jesus’ embodiment as both God and human is an eternal merging of divine and human essence that persists beyond his death and return to heaven.

The contrasts extend to how these divine figures engage with humanity. In the Hindu tradition, Hindu deities and their redemptive or salvific actions are for Hindus. In contrast, the power of Jesus that defeats death is available for all who believe, a promise not limited by caste or culture, explained Samuel Richmond Saxena of the World Evangelical Alliance Theological Commission. He added, “His light was meant to illuminate every corner of the world.”

Christ’s light doesn’t just illuminate, explained Emerson, who is also a Sikh convert; it is “transformative and eternal” in nature.

Diwali’s theological claims mean Christians like Khristy try to exercise wisdom when determining how to engage with the holiday. While her children joined their friends in setting off firecrackers, her family politely declined participation in religious rituals like the puja (worship) ceremonies to the deities.

Lal sees these festival intersections as opportunities for religious communities to better understand each other’s faith. Many Hindu friends are genuinely curious about the meaning behind Christmas celebrations, he said. “When they see the Nativity scenes in our homes or hear carols about the birth of Jesus, they often ask questions about why God would choose to be born in such humble circumstances.”

The similarities between Hindu and Christian understandings of light overcoming darkness create natural bridges for dialogue while still allowing space to highlight Christianity’s distinctive message.

For instance, light for Hindus generally refers to individual, personal enlightenment, said Saphir Athyal, the former principal of the Union Biblical Seminary, who has guided Christian families through these cultural negotiations. For Christians, light looks like Matthew 5:16: “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

The ancient Sanskrit prayer from the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upanishad—“Tamso ma jyotirgamaya” (“lead me from darkness to light”)—“resonates with this universal human longing for divine light,” Saxena pointed out. For Rajendra Prasad Dwivedi, a Christian apologist, these same verses “formed a solid foundation” to embrace Christ. Dwivedi recalled, “It brought me immense joy and excitement to realize that the prayers of Vedic rishis and munis (sages and ascetics) from thousands of years ago were answered in Christ Jesus.”

As Christmas Eve approaches, Khristy’s home buzzes with preparation—the aroma of fresh plum cakes baking, children practicing carols for the midnight service, and neighbors dropping by to admire her Christmas lights and decoration.

“We maintain our beliefs while building bridges of understanding,” she says, arranging fresh Christmas wreaths. “Besides, everybody loves Christmas cakes.”

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