The oil bath is an essential part of Deepavali celebrations.

And growing up in a Tamil Hindu family, I learned early on that this pre-dawn bath ritual gave rise to the Deepavali greeting which was a mainstay, especially among Tamil Hindus, before the 1970s.

When I was young, whenever a Tamil Hindu met another Hindu on Deepavali day, he or she would not say “Happy Deepavali”. It would always be “Ganga snanam seithuvitteergalaa?” It means: “Have you bathed in the Ganges?”

Some of my non-Indian neighbours who knew of this traditional greeting would extend it to my parents when they called over. Often, however, their pronunciation would elicit laughter all around, adding greater merriment to the occasion.

When I met another celebrant, I would greet him or her with, “Have you bathed in the River Ganges?” and he or she would reply, “Yes. Have you bathed in the River Ganges?”

Today, hardly anyone uses this greeting upon meeting a fellow Hindu on Deepavali day. Some young people are not even aware of this traditional greeting.

Some celebrants do greet each other in Tamil with, “Deepavali vazhthugal” which simply means “Deepavali greetings”, but most seem to prefer saying it in English.

What hasn’t changed, however, is the bringing together of the palms in the vanakkam or namaste gesture.

In recent years, I’ve had some Tamils giving me quizzical looks upon being greeted with “Ganga snanam seithuvitteergalaa?”

But I’m not surprised. When I first heard the greeting, I was a little puzzled too. I knew the River Ganges was holy to Hindus and I knew it was in India. But I had taken my bath in the bathroom, so how does the Ganga figure in this?

Then my parents explained the significance of the greeting.

The pre-dawn bath is equated to taking a dip in the holy Ganges.

For Hindus, bathing in the 2,525km River Ganges is an act of purification. As the person takes a dip, he or she is to do so with the awareness that all physical and mental dirt is being washed away.

A new person – one with a positive and humble attitude, ready to live as clean, joyful and useful a life as possible – is to emerge from the river.

Similarly, the person taking the oil bath at home is to remember to wash away all his physical and mental impurities and emerge a new person, ready to face life’s challenges with cheer and love.

Like the Ganges whose waters irrigate the lands along which it travels, giving life and livelihood to millions of people, the person who bathes in the Ganges is to lead a life that is a boon to others.

Those who take the oil bath on Deepavali day are to have that very same attitude and bring goodness into the lives of others.

I remember my mother waking us up, one child at a time, from 4am to take our baths.

My mother would rub gingelly oil on our heads and parts of our body and we’d wait for a short while to let the oil soak in. Then we’d proceed to bathe in warm water, rubbing our head and body with shikakai (Senegalia rugata), a natural shampoo.

And this happens in the house of every Hindu celebrating Deepavali. Even today.

Often, the oil is applied on the head of the eldest and then on the younger ones, with the youngest attended last. This serves to establish or affirm the family hierarchy, and, in the process, teach respect for elders.

It also allows the younger ones to sleep longer.

Women are equated to the goddess of wealth, beauty and auspiciousness Sri Lakshmi, one of the many names and forms in and with which Hindus see God or the Absolute. So, the honour of applying the oil on the head of family members is usually reserved for the matriarch of the house or whoever is the oldest woman in the household.

This act of bowing down to the mother, or the woman of the home, serves to remind the celebrants, particularly the men, to respect and honour women.

There was also a time when the oil bath was a regular feature in most Indian households, especially on weekends. These days, the only time most Hindus take an oil bath is on Deepavali day. If not for this ritual, few would take, or even know about, the oil bath and its benefits.

After the bath, everyone puts on the clothes that had been placed overnight at the family alter for the blessings of the divine.

Then it is time for prayer at the altar, which includes asking forgiveness for invoking the formless, nameless and ineffable in forms and names, and thanking the Absolute for the life given and for the relationships and blessings conferred.

Subsequently, some families go to the temple to offer prayers.

Then, it’s time for the whole family to sit for breakfast, following which the young ones visit neighbours with gifts of Deepavali goodies, and others wait to receive guests.

We are familiar with the “open house” during the various festivals when we visit each other. For Hindus, serving guests is an imperative because the guest entering the house, especially on Deepavali day, is akin to God entering the house. It is seen as a great blessing.

This honouring of the guest, in fact, is a cardinal duty of every householder. It should not just be confined to auspicious days such as Deepavali.

There is a verse in one of the holy books of Hinduism, the Taitiriya Upanishad, which says:

“Maathru Devo Bhava, Pithru Devo Bhava, Acharya Devo Bhava, Athidhi Devo Bhava.”

It means: “Honour your mother as God, honour your father as God, honour your teacher as God, honour your guest as God.”

This is but another aspect of the Hindu teaching that we should try to see the divine in everyone because we are all from the Absolute, no matter in what form or manner we pray or pay obeisance.

Deepavali is not Deepavali without lights, for the very word means “row of lights”. In lighting up the clay lamps or “agal vilakku”, the celebrant is reminded to light the inner light.

He is to become a healthier and better person, to improve his knowledge and understanding and move closer to God.

Just as the celebrant visualised himself or herself washing away unproductive habits and harmful attitudes when taking the metaphorical dip in the River Ganges in the morning, he or she is to visualise himself or herself burning away impurities and the ego, in lighting, or even looking, at the lamps.

Just like the light, he or she is to spark new friendships and brighten up the lives of those around – regardless of race, religion or status.

So, as we celebrate Deepavali, may I ask: “Ganga snanam seithuvitteergalaa?”