Tamilnadu, Deepawali is celebrated in the Tamil month of Aipasi (late October or early November) on Narak Chaturdashi thithi, which precedes the Amavasai (The new moon day). The day before the festival the house is cleaned completely and decorated with “rangoli kolams”. The Diwali begins with everyone is family taking Oil bath early in the morning even before the sunrise. The elder most in the family applies gingelly oil on heads of the members of the family before taking bath.
After the bath, the pooja’s are conducted by placing before the god, various kinds of sweets, fruits, food items prepared for Deepawali, kumkum powder, turmeric powder, sandalwood powder, new dresses, fire crackers etc. A small quantity of medicinal Ayurvedic paste called leyghiyam is taken by the members of the family before the breakfast. The sweets are distributed after wearing the new dress and the firecrackers are burst. The people light up the numerous Deepawali lamps called Agal Vilaku in the evening.
Thus on the occasion of the Deepavali festival, the Tamil communities commemorates the defeat of Narakasura who represented the evil and the light up the lamps (Agal vilakus) to remember the day on which Lord Krishna brought light (Goodness) into their life by driving away the darkness.
