About Diwali
Diwali, also called Deepavali, is the Hindu festival of lights, celebrated over five days in autumn (October or November in the Gregorian calendar). The main day falls on the new-moon night of the Hindu month of Kartika and centres on Lakshmi Puja — the worship of Lakshmi, goddess of prosperity and good fortune. The festival commemorates the return of the prince Rama to Ayodhya after fourteen years of exile and the slaying of the demon king Ravana, as told in the Ramayana; in southern India it celebrates Krishna's victory over the demon Narakasura. For Jains it marks the moksha of Mahavira; for Sikhs the release of Guru Hargobind. Diwali is a public holiday in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia, Fiji, Mauritius, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago, and in 2025 became a federal holiday in some US school districts as well.
Houses are scrubbed clean before the festival, then lit with rows of small oil lamps (diyas) and electric fairy lights along every doorway, window and balcony — the festival's name means row of lights in Sanskrit. Rangoli — intricate floor patterns of coloured powder, flowers, rice and petals — adorn entrances. On the main night, families perform Lakshmi Puja with incense, sweets and coins, then exchange sweets and gifts: ladoo, barfi, jalebi, kaju katli and dried fruit. New clothes, especially in red and gold, are worn. Fireworks fill city skies, though in recent years many Indian cities have restricted them for air quality. The five days each have distinct meaning: Dhanteras, Naraka Chaturdashi, Lakshmi Puja, Govardhan Puja and Bhai Dooj. Markets, offices and schools close on the main day across India.