connect this Hindu vacation with brilliant lightness , colorful decorations , and piquant and sweet foods .

Diwali , one of the most illustrious cultural and spiritual holiday in the worldly concern , is a five - twenty-four hours " fete of lights . " Diwali traditions revel in the triumph of goodness over iniquity — or lightness over darkness . The vacation follows the lunar calendar and usually peaks in October or November .

Diwali originated on the Indian subcontinent and has roots in the Hindu faith . Buddhist , Jains , and Sikhs also have their own Diwali solemnisation and custom . These include traditional foods , fireworks , and million of lanterns and light . Diwali is pronounced , " di - wah - lee , " or , " di - vah - lee , " depending on the region , and in some parts of the world it is recognize as Deepawali .

Mother and daughter lighting lamps around rangoli during Diwali

Credit: Mayur Kakade/Getty Images

see more about the holiday that ’s celebrated by more than a billion citizenry around the earth .

When Is Diwali?

The celebration of Diwali aligns with the unexampled moon , so it ’s celebrate on a different day each year . Typically the vacation falls in October or November , as it ’s observe on the fifteenth day of Kartik , the holy calendar month of the Hindu lunar calendar .

What is Diwali?

More than one billion people lionise Diwali , and because there are so many faith and culture which honor it , the vacation has more than one meaning . In northern India , Diwali lionise King Rama , or Ramachandra ( one of the avatar of the god Vishnu ) , and his rejoinder to Ayodhya after 14 years of exile . During that time , it ’s conceive that he struggle and defeated the daimon king known as Ravana . In southern India , Diwali distinguish the daylight that Lord Krishna ( a different personification of the god Vishnu ) defeated the monster Narakasura .

Celebrating Diwali Traditions

Diwali is typically celebrated by dress in coloured traditional clothing , light up the inside and outside of homes with rows of lamps or other lights , and fireworks . There are also worship services , a large traditional fiesta , and a natural endowment rally .

For a thoughtful Diwali gift , arrange dried freak , drinking chocolate , or Henry Sweet on a cosmetic platter or container , mention to as a thali .

Diwali traditions include rangoli , the ancient Amerind art conformation of using colorful sand , rice , or other material to make intricate invention on the floor . Designs are passed down through generations , so it ’s vulgar for families to create art with a convention specific to them . Designs are thought to bring good chance .

If you ’re celebrating at home for the first sentence this year , start out your own tradition of lighting lamps or lantern and cook traditional foods as you shine on the account of the vacation .

Bharath , Deepa . “What is Diwali , the Festival of Lights?”Associated Press . 2024 .

“ What is Diwali , and how is it celebrated in India and the diaspora?”Associated Press . 2023 .

Duster , Chandeliers . “Millions of the great unwashed lionise Diwali this hebdomad . Here is what you should know . ”NPR . 2024 .