• Taking an oil bath with gingerly oil is considered to be auspicious.
• Members of the household are forced to get up as early as 3:00 or 4:00 a.m.
• The woman of the household takes on the important role of applying the oil on the head, forehead and feet of the members of the household.
• Oil is considered good for the body and since Deepavali is also the worship of Lakshmi, the honour is given to women.
• The act is to remind everyone in the family to treat their mother, wife, sisters and women in general with respect.
• On completion of the task, the members of the family are given Deepavali medicine or marundu.
• The medicine does not comprise of a tablet but is a tasty concoction of herbs and spices that prevent indigestion on account of overconsumption of sweets.
• The medicine is very tasty and is normally made at home.
• This is followed by a sweet.
• Once the bath is over, people wear their new set of clothes which has already been placed near the Gods the previous night.
• The younger members of the family prostrate before the older members and rush off to light crackers.
• People ask each other, “Ganga snanam aacha?" meaning “Did you have your bath in the Ganges?"
• In other words, what people ask you is whether you have purified your body by having a bath early in the morning.
• People believe that the holy river Ganga finds her way into their bath water to bless them on this important day.
• People visit the houses of relatives and friends asking whether the holy bath has been taken. Then they exchange sweets.
• In addition to sweets, the house would have the aroma of festive cooking, awakening pangs of hunger even from those who had eaten all the varieties of sweets.

In today's nuclear families, Deepavali is more relaxed. Children don't want the oil bath and neither do they want to get up early. People go out for lunch and sweet is bought from a sweet shop. Children prefer shampoo to the traditional oil. For those who have enjoyed the traditional Deepavali of yesteryears, it doesn't seem like a festival any more......

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