Diwali

"Deepawali" and "Dipawali" redirect here. For other uses, see Deepavali (disambiguation).

Diwali
Rangoli decorations, made using coloured fine powder or sand, are popular during Diwali.
Also calledDeepavali
Observed byHindus, Jains, Sikhs,[1] some Buddhists (notably Newar Buddhists[2])
TypeReligious, cultural, seasonal
SignificanceSee below
Celebrations
  • Diya lighting
  • puja (worship and prayer)
  • havan (fire offering)
  • vrat (fasting)
  • dāna (charity)
  • melā (fairs/shows)
  • home cleansing and decoration
  • fireworks
  • gifts
  • and partaking in a feast and sweets
Begins
  • Ashwayuja 27 or Ashwayuja 28 (amanta tradition)
  • Kartika 12 or Kartika 13 (purnimanta tradition)
Ends
DateAshvin Krishna Trayodashi, Ashvin Krishna Chaturdashi, Ashvin Amavasya, Kartik Shukla Pratipada, Kartik Shukla Dwitiya
2024 dateOctober[3]

November

FrequencyAnnual
Related toDiwali (Jainism), Bandi Chhor Divas, Tihar, Swanti, Sohrai, Bandna
Explanatory note
Hindu festival dates

The Hindu calendar is lunisolar but most festival dates are specified using the lunar portion of the calendar. A lunar day is uniquely identified by three calendar elements: māsa (lunar month), pakṣa (lunar fortnight) and tithi (lunar day).

Furthermore, when specifying the masa, one of two traditions are applicable, viz. amānta / pūrṇimānta. If a festival falls in the waning phase of the moon, these two traditions identify the same lunar day as falling in two different (but successive) masa.

A lunar year is shorter than a solar year by about eleven days. As a result, most Hindu festivals occur on different days in successive years on the Gregorian calendar.
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Diwali (English: /dɪˈwɑːliː/), also called Deepavali (IAST: Dīpāvalī) or Deepawali (IAST: Dīpāwalī),[4] is the Hindu festival of lights, with variations celebrated in other Indian religions such as Jainism and Sikhism.[a] It symbolises the spiritual victory of Dharma over Adharma, light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance.[5][6][7][8] Diwali is celebrated during the Hindu lunisolar months of Ashvin (according to the amanta tradition) and Kartika—between around mid-September and mid-November.[9][10][11][12][13] The celebrations generally last five or six days.[14][15]

Diwali is connected to various religious events, deities and personalities, such as being the day Rama returned to his kingdom in Ayodhya with his wife Sita and his brother Lakshmana after defeating the demon king Ravana.[16] It is also widely associated with Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity, and Ganesha, the god of wisdom and the remover of obstacles.[17] Other regional traditions connect the holiday to Vishnu, Krishna, Durga, Shiva, Kali, Hanuman, Kubera, Yama, Yami, Dhanvantari, or Vishvakarman.

Primarily a Hindu festival, variations of Diwali are also celebrated by adherents of other faiths.[14] The Jains observe their own Diwali which marks the final liberation of Mahavira.[18][19] The Sikhs celebrate Bandi Chhor Divas to mark the release of Guru Hargobind from a Mughal prison.[20] Newar Buddhists, unlike other Buddhists, celebrate Diwali by worshipping Lakshmi, while the Hindus of Eastern India and Bangladesh generally celebrate Diwali by worshipping the goddess Kali.[21][2][22]

During the festival, the celebrants illuminate their homes, temples and workspaces with diyas (oil lamps), candles and lanterns.[8] Hindus, in particular, have a ritual oil bath at dawn on each day of the festival.[23] Diwali is also marked with fireworks as well as the decoration of floors with rangoli designs and other parts of the house with jhalars. Food is a major focus with families partaking in feasts and sharing mithai.[24] The festival is an annual homecoming and bonding period not only for families,[16][17] but also for communities and associations, particularly those in urban areas, which will organise activities, events, and gatherings.[25][26] Many towns organise community parades and fairs with parades or music and dance performances in parks.[27] Some Hindus, Jains, and Sikhs will send Diwali greeting cards to family near and far during the festive season, occasionally with boxes of Indian confectionery.[27] Another aspect of the festival is remembering the ancestors.[28]

Diwali is also a major cultural event for the Hindu, Sikh, and Jain diaspora.[29][30][31] The main day of the festival of Diwali (the day of Lakshmi Puja) is an official holiday in Fiji,[32] Guyana,[33] India, Malaysia,[b][34] Mauritius, Myanmar,[35] Nepal,[36] Pakistan,[37] Singapore,[38] Sri Lanka, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago[39] and in some US states.[40]

  1. ^ Townsend, Charles M (2014). The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies. Oxford University Press. p. 440. ISBN 978-0-19-969930-8.
  2. ^ a b Todd T. Lewis (7 September 2000). Popular Buddhist Texts from Nepal: Narratives and Rituals of Newar Buddhism. State University of New York Press. pp. 118–119. ISBN 978-0-7914-9243-7. Archived from the original on 2 January 2017. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
  3. ^ "Diwali 2024 Date: When is Diwali? All About the 5 Days Festival of Lights". 16 November 2023.
  4. ^ Mead, Jean (February 2008). How and why Do Hindus Celebrate Divali?. Evans Brothers. ISBN 978-0-237-53412-7. Archived from the original on 11 November 2023. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  5. ^ Vasudha Narayanan; Deborah Heiligman (2008). Celebrate Diwali. National Geographic Society. p. 31. ISBN 978-1-4263-0291-6. Archived from the original on 2 January 2017. Retrieved 14 October 2016. All the stories associated with Deepavali, however, speak of the joy connected with the victory of light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance, and good over evil.
  6. ^ Tina K Ramnarine (2013). Musical Performance in the Diaspora. Routledge. p. 78. ISBN 978-1-317-96956-3. Archived from the original on 2 January 2017. Retrieved 14 October 2016. Light, in the form of candles and lamps, is a crucial part of Diwali, representing the triumph of light over darkness, goodness over evil and hope for the future.
  7. ^ Jean Mead, How and why Do Hindus Celebrate Divali?, ISBN 978-0-237-53412-7
  8. ^ a b Constance Jones 2011, pp. 252–255
  9. ^ The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) ISBN 978-0-19-861263-6 – p. 540 "Diwali /dɪwɑːli/ (also Diwali) noun a Hindu festival with lights...".
  10. ^ Darra Goldstein 2015, pp. 222–223.
  11. ^ Diwali Archived 1 May 2015 at the Wayback Machine Encyclopædia Britannica (2009)
  12. ^ "Diwali 2020 Date in India: When is Diwali in 2020?". The Indian Express. 11 November 2020. Archived from the original on 16 November 2020. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
  13. ^ "Diwali 2024: When is Diwali in 2024? All you need to know its Significations - Global Times 18". 23 October 2024. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
  14. ^ a b Fieldhouse, Paul (17 April 2017). Food, Feasts, and Faith: An Encyclopedia of Food Culture in World Religions [2 volumes]. ABC-CLIO. p. 150. ISBN 978-1-61069-412-4.
  15. ^ Stent, David (22 October 2013). Religious Studies: Made Simple. Elsevier. p. 137. ISBN 978-1-4831-8320-6.
  16. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference dhcd was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  17. ^ a b Suzanne Barchers (2013). The Big Book of Holidays and Cultural Celebrations, Shell Education, ISBN 978-1-4258-1048-1
  18. ^ Sharma, S.P.; Gupta, Seema (2006). Fairs and Festivals of India. Pustak Mahal. p. 79. ISBN 978-81-223-0951-5. Archived from the original on 26 January 2021. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
  19. ^ Upadhye, A.N. (January–March 1982). Cohen, Richard J. (ed.). "Mahavira and His Teachings". Journal of the American Oriental Society. 102 (1): 231–232. doi:10.2307/601199. ISSN 0003-0279. JSTOR 601199.
  20. ^ Geoff Teece (2005). Sikhism. Smart Apple Media. p. 23. ISBN 978-1-58340-469-0. Archived from the original on 2 January 2017. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
  21. ^ McDermott and Kripal p.72
  22. ^ Prem Saran (2012). Yoga, Bhoga and Ardhanariswara: Individuality, Wellbeing and Gender in Tantra. Routledge. p. 175. ISBN 978-1-136-51648-1. Archived from the original on 2 January 2017. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
  23. ^ Karen-Marie Yust; Aostre N. Johnson; Sandy Eisenberg Sasso (2006). Nurturing Child and Adolescent Spirituality: Perspectives from the World's Religious Traditions. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 232–233. ISBN 978-0-7425-4463-5. Archived from the original on 10 January 2022. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
  24. ^ Cite error: The named reference jgl was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  25. ^ Christopher H. Johnson, Simon Teuscher & David Warren Sabean 2011, pp. 300–301.
  26. ^ Manju N. Shah 1995, pp. 41–44.
  27. ^ a b Paul Fieldhouse 2017, pp. 150–151.
  28. ^ Diane P. Mines; Sarah E. Lamb (2010). Everyday Life in South Asia, Second Edition. Indiana University Press. p. 243. ISBN 978-0-253-01357-6. Archived from the original on 2 July 2021. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
  29. ^ India Journal: ‘Tis the Season to be Shopping Devita Saraf, The Wall Street Journal (August 2010)
  30. ^ Henry Johnson 2007, pp. 71–73.
  31. ^ Kelly 1988, pp. 40–55.
  32. ^ Public Holidays Archived 16 September 2018 at the Wayback Machine, Government of Fiji
  33. ^ Public Holidays Archived 19 October 2017 at the Wayback Machine, Guyana
  34. ^ Public Holidays Archived 5 March 2019 at the Wayback Machine, Government of Malaysia
  35. ^ Public Holidays Archived 17 August 2018 at the Wayback Machine, Government of Myanmar
  36. ^ Public Holidays Archived 19 October 2017 at the Wayback Machine, Government of Nepal
  37. ^ Pakistan parliament adopts resolution for Holi, Diwali, Easter holidays Archived 6 March 2018 at the Wayback Machine, The Times of India (16 March 2016)
  38. ^ Public Gazetted Holidays Archived 19 October 2017 at the Wayback Machine, Government of Singapore
  39. ^ Official Public Holidays Archived 3 March 2021 at the Wayback Machine, Government of Trinidad & Tobago
  40. ^ "Full list of USA states that recognise Diwali as a state holiday". The Times of India. 25 October 2024. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 25 October 2024.


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