According to Audrey Truschke, the Sunni Muslim emperor Aurangzeb did limit "public observation" of many religious holidays such as Hindu Diwali and Holi, but also of Shia observance of Muharram and the Persian holiday of Nauruz. People often think of Diwali as a Hindu festival, but it is also celebrated by Sikhs and Jains . Goddess Lakshmi, the goddess of good fortune and prosperity, is the primary deity worshiped during Diwali. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your device and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. [124] Many visit their favourite Hindu temple. The Diwali festival actually runs for five days, with the main event happening on the third day in most places in India. Diwali is one of the most revered and a pious festival deeply entrenched in Hindu culture. When you visit this site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Diwali is celebrated for five days, each with its own special significance. [135] Vaishnava families recite Hindu legends of the victory of good over evil and the return of hope after despair on the Diwali night, where the main characters may include Rama, Krishna, Vamana or one of the avatars of Vishnu, the divine husband of Lakshmi. 2. [134], On the night of Diwali, rituals across much of India are dedicated to Lakshmi to welcome her into their cleaned homes and bring prosperity and happiness for the coming year. Learn Religions, Sep. 4, 2021, learnreligions.com/when-is-diwali-1770209. The festivals and . Some diyas may also be set adrift on streams and river and the evening is marked with fireworks. Diwali will become a public school holiday in New York City starting next year, Mayor Eric Adams (D) announced Thursday.. Why it matters: Diwali, a celebration of light over darkness that starts on Oct. 24 this year, is one of the most sacred holidays observed by Hindus, Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists. There are many stories around the celebration of Diwali. Diwali is the biggest holiday of the year in India. [140] According to Handelman and Shulman, as quoted by Pintchman, this legend is a Hindu metaphor for the cosmic process for creation and dissolution of the world through the masculine destructive power, as represented by Shiva, and the feminine procreative power, represented by Parvati, where twelve reflects the number of months in the cyclic year, while thirty are the number of days in its lunisolar month. The third day is the day of Lakshmi Puja and the darkest night of the traditional month. Diwali is celebrated on the fifteenth day of the Hindu month of Kartika and, much like Easter, the date changes every year. Diwali, for Vasavada, would always culminate in a large family feast with enough food to feed a small town. [139], The celebrations and rituals of the Jains and the Sikhs are similar to those of the Hindus where social and community bonds are renewed. Diwali is celebrated for almost five days consecutively. The date of the five day festival changes every year in accordance with the Hindu and lunar calendar. This legend is remembered through the ritual of building small mountain-like miniatures from cow dung. Diwali, also spelled Divali, one of the major religious festivals in Hinduism, Jainism, and Sikhism, lasting for five days from the 13th day of the dark half of the lunar month Ashvina to the second day of the light half of the lunar month Karttika. [112] [o] The looms, tools of trade, machines and workplaces are cleaned and prayers offered to these livelihood means. This year's festival begins on Oct. 22. It takes place on November 26 this year. Each day has a special significance as follows. Diwali is celebrated over five days in most of North India. [162][q] ASSOCHAM, a trade organisation in India, forecasted that online shopping alone to be over 300 billion (US$3.8billion) over the 2017 Diwali season. We usually plan for our parents to visit us during this period but the pandemic has made it difficult this year for everyone. On the third day, Lakshmi Puja, families seek blessings from Lakshmi to ensure their prosperity; light diyas, candles, and fireworks; andvisittemples. For Sikhs, the celebration highlights the release of guru Hargobind Singh from prison and his return to Amritsar. The dates of Diwali change every year, though the five day festival generally falls between late October and early November. The Diwali night's lights and firecrackers, in this interpretation, represent a celebratory and symbolic farewell to the departed ancestral souls. [15][131][132] After the puja, people go outside and celebrate by lighting up patakhe (fireworks) together, and then share a family feast and mithai (sweets, desserts). Fireworks are often set off in the evening to celebrate Diwali. On the Gregorian calendar, the festival falls between October and November. In India, while everyone celebrates Deepavali, people don't amass in public, but rather in small groups with their friends and families in homes, neighborhoods, and local temple communities. The second day, called NarakaChaturdashiorChotiDiwali, commemorates Krishnas destruction of Narakasura; prayers are also offered for the souls of ancestors. The celebration will include dancing, a fashion show and other performances, as well as free food. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. It is mentioned in Sanskrit texts dating from the fourth century CE but was likely practiced for many hundreds of years before that. However, in South India, the festival is observed as the defeat of Narakasura. Diwali festivities usually last for 5 days. The Hindu calendar is lunisolar but most festival dates are specified using the lunar portion of the calendar. [103][104][k], Diwali is not a festival for most Buddhists, with the exception of the Newar people of Nepal who revere various deities in Vajrayana Buddhism and celebrate Diwali by offering prayers to Lakshmi. [53][54], The five-day long festival originated in the Indian subcontinent and is likely a fusion of harvest festivals in ancient India. Diwali falls in either October or November each year, depending on the cycle of the moon. In some communities, husbands will give gifts to their wives, while in others parents with newly married children invite them and their spouses to enjoy a meal and receive gifts. [48][127], The youngest members in the family visit their elders, such as grandparents and other senior members of the community, on this day. The word "Deepavali" means "a row of lights" in Sanskrit, and its origins were likely as an ancient harvest festival. Diwali was celebrated as a signifier of triumph of good over evil after Krishna's Victory over Narakasura. Residents of Amritsar lit lamps throughout the city to celebrate the occasion. Some Muslims joined the Hindu community in celebrating Diwali in the Mughal era. Updates? Diwali celebrates Rama's eventual defeat of the evil spirit Ravana, and his triumphant return to his home. The fourth day has different names in different regions and typically celebrates the marital bond. In some months, a day needs to be dropped to correlate with a shorter lunar cycle. Historical records appear inconsistent about the name of the lunar month in which Diwali is observed. This year's date of celebration starts November 14, 2020. . Diwali always falls some time between October and November, but the exact date varies each year as the Hindu calendar is based on the Moon. These purchases are often gold and silver items or new utensils. The celebration of Diwali aligns with the new moon, so it's celebrated on a different day each year. The word "avali" means row and "deepa . It's a one-day celebration, known as Deepavali, that usually falls a day before the main Diwali date but sometimes occurs on the same day (when the lunar days overlap). Diwali (English: /dwli/), Dewali, Divali,[3] or Deepavali (IAST: dpval), also known as the Festival of Lights,[4][5] related to Jain Diwali, Bandi Chhor Divas, Tihar, Swanti, Sohrai, and Bandna, is a religious[6] celebration in Indian religions. [4] Diwali is celebrated by Hindus, Jains, Sikhs, and Newar Buddhists,[29] although for each faith it marks different historical events and stories, but nonetheless the festival represents the same symbolic victory of light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance, and good over evil. [171][172] Since 2009, Diwali has been celebrated every year at 10 Downing Street, the residence of the British Prime Minister. Every year on the darkest night in the northern hemisphere, millions illuminate their homes and streets to celebrate the victory of good over evil. [100], Sikhs celebrate Bandi Chhor Divas in remembrance of the release of Guru Hargobind from the Gwalior Fort prison by the Mughal emperor Jahangir and the day he arrived at the Golden Temple in Amritsar. [61], Islamic historians of the Delhi Sultanate and the Mughal Empire era also mentioned Diwali and other Hindu festivals. This event is free and UCF students of all backgrounds are encouraged to attend. The duration will be 1 hour 56 minutes. [43], The artisan Hindu and Sikh community celebrates the fourth day as the Vishwakarma puja day. [114], According to Tracy Pintchman, Dhanteras is a symbol of annual renewal, cleansing and an auspicious beginning for the next year. The Diwali-related inscription is the 4th inscription and it includes the year Vikrama Era 1268 (c. 1211 CE). The festival falls sometime between October and November. Diwali, also spelled Divali, one of the major religious festivals in Hinduism, Jainism, and Sikhism, lasting for five days from the 13th day of the dark half of the lunar month Ashvina to the second day of the light half of the lunar month Karttika. Some Hindu communities mark the last day as Bhai Dooj or the regional equivalent, which is dedicated to the bond between sister and brother,[111] while other Hindu and Sikh craftsmen communities mark this day as Vishwakarma Puja and observe it by performing maintenance in their work spaces and offering prayers. Every year Hindus, Sikhs, and Jains around the world celebrate the Indian Festival of Lights called Diwali. A variety of entertainments are usually available for inhabitants of the local community to enjoy. When you visit this site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. What are the 5 Diwali Days in 2022? The 5 days of Diwali The lighting of the lamps celebrates the light of Mahaviras holy knowledge. According to Pintchman, in some Hindu traditions the women recite tales where sisters protect their brothers from enemies that seek to cause him either bodily or spiritual harm. Shiva surrenders his shirt and adornments to her, rendering him naked. The fourth day, known as GoverdhanPuja,Balipratipada,or Annakut, commemorating Krishnas defeat of Indra, the king of the gods, is also the first day of Karttika and the start of the new year in the Vikrama (Hindu) calendar. Diwali, like many other Indian holidays, is based on the Indian lunar calendar, so the (internationally used) date of the festival changes each year, but it typically falls between mid-October and early November. Although most important for Hindus, the festival is also observed by Jains, Sikhs, and some Buddhists. Each day has the following rituals and significance:[43], Dhanteras, derived from Dhan meaning wealth and teras meaning thirteenth, marks the thirteenth day of the dark fortnight of Ashwin or Kartik and the beginning of Diwali in most parts of India. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Diwali-Hindu-festival, Diwali - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), Diwali - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). Diwali is celebrated every year in either October or November, based on the lunar cycle. Iff 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. To learn more, visit ISA's Instagram. Homes are decorated, and floors inside and out are covered with rangoli, consisting of elaborate designs made of colouredrice, sand, or flower petals. Meaning "rows of lighted lamps," Diwali is a celebration of light over darkness for different cultures across the world, especially South Asia. [56][57] Rajasekhara referred to Deepavali as Dipamalika in his 9th-century Kavyamimamsa, wherein he mentions the tradition of homes being whitewashed and oil lamps decorated homes, streets and markets in the night. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. [143] In Gujarat, Annakut is the first day of the new year and celebrated through the purchase of essentials, or sabras (literally, "good things in life"), such as salt, offering prayers to Krishna and visiting temples. Diwali, also known as Deepavali, falls on 4 November this year. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. The second day is devoted to Naraka Chaturdashi (Choti Edward Reddcliff . On this day, Lord Dhanwantari came out of the ocean with Ayurvedic for mankind. [58] The Venetian merchant and traveler Niccol de' Conti visited India in the early 15th-century and wrote in his memoir, "on another of these festivals they fix up within their temples, and on the outside of the roofs, an innumerable number of oil lamps which are kept burning day and night" and that the families would gather, "clothe themselves in new garments", sing, dance and feast. Diwali is an important festival in Jainism. Subhamoy Das is the co-author of "Applied Hinduism: Ancient Wisdom for Today's World." The holiday falls in late October or early November each year, and in 2021, is on Thursday, November 4. . Diwali is celebrated in the Hindu month of Kartik. In 2023, Diwali will be celebrated on 19th October (Sunday). How is Diwali celebrated? [183] These invisible yet harmful particles affect the environment and in turn, put people's health at stake. Diwali is observed as a Gazetted Holiday throughout the nation. [98][99] This traditional belief of the origin of Diwali, and its significance to Jains, is reflected in their historic artworks such as paintings. The legislation will come into effect next year, and Diwali will replace Anniversary Day, which is also known as Brooklyn-Queens Day, so that schools can still deliver the 180-day requirement of . The festival usually falls between mid-October and mid-November. Large government-sponsored festivals are held in London, Sydney, Toronto, and Edinburgh, and they are often a showcase for Indian culture, music, dance, fashion, food, crafts, and fireworks. The name of this festival is derived from 'avali,' which means 'row,' and 'deepa,' meaning "clay lamps." This year, Diwali will be celebrated on October 24. Most of the injuries sustained are Group I type burns (minor) requiring only outpatient care. Since the 18th century, Diwali has been celebrated in Sikhism as the time of Guru Hargobinds return to Amritsar from captivity in Gwalioran echo of Ramas return to Ayodhya. It symbolizes the victory of good over evil and an even deeper meaning is to drive away our inner darkness with light. [117][118][119], The third day is the height of the festival,[126] and coincides with the last day of the dark fortnight of Ashwin or Kartik. The Diwali festival dates back to ancient times in India. [148] On this day the womenfolk of the family gather, perform a puja with prayers for the well being of their brothers, then return to a ritual of feeding their brothers with their hands and receiving gifts. [186], (federal) = federal holidays, (abbreviation) = state/territorial holidays, (religious) = religious holidays, (cultural) = holiday related to a specific racial/ethnic group or sexual minority, (week) = week-long holidays, (month) = month-long holidays, (36) = Title 36 Observances and Ceremonies. Diwali along with Holi for Hindus, and Easter for Christians, was adopted as public holiday resolution by Pakistan's parliament in 2016, giving the local governments and public institutions the right to declare Holi as a holiday and grant leave for its minority communities, for the first time. Lakshmi is the focus of worship on that day. A solar calendar (like the Gregorian one) has an average of 365.24 days. Das, Subhamoy. Every autumn, the observance sees millions of people attend. (2021, October 12). Firecrackers also cause light pollution. Diwali falls on the 15th day of the Hindu month of Kartik, which is the new moon day of the first month of the lunar year. Cook, Sharell. It's observed on the 15th day of Kartik, the holiest month in the Hindu lunar calendar. Every year the festival falls either in November or in October and that depends on how the cycle of moon is going in that particular year. Residents of Amritsar lit lamps throughout the city to celebrate the occasion. According to Truschke, Aurangzeb did so because he found the festivals "distasteful" and also from "concerns with public safety" lurking in the background. [154][155][91], Diwali marks a major shopping period in India,[31] and is comparable to the Christmas period in terms of consumer purchases and economic activity. Where does Diwali get its name? All the days except Diwali are named using the designation in the Indian calendar. [143] According to Kinsley, the ritual use of cow dung, a common fertiliser, is an agricultural motif and a celebration of its significance to annual crop cycles. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. [122] A mythological interpretation of this festive day is the destruction of the asura (demon) Narakasura by Krishna, a victory that frees 16,000 imprisoned princesses kidnapped by Narakasura. Dates for 2020 to 2025. Ritually, in honour of Lakshmi, the female player always wins. Retrieved from https://www.learnreligions.com/when-is-diwali-1770209. Bhalla said the dates change each year based on the Hindu lunar calendar, but typically happens in October and November. The darkest night is the apex of the celebration and coincides with the second half of October or early November in the Gregorian calendar. This year, Diwali or Deepavali will take place on October 24. [140], This day ritually celebrates the bond between the wife and husband,[143] and in some Hindu communities, husbands will celebrate this with gifts to their wives. Shopkeepers and small operations perform puja rituals in their office premises. [19] Diwali is also marked with fireworks and the decoration of floors with rangoli designs, and other parts of the house with jhalars. [n] Vishwakarma is the presiding Hindu deity for those in architecture, building, manufacturing, textile work and crafts trades. It is usually celebrated on October or November every year. [112][113], Rituals and preparations for Diwali begin days or weeks in advance, typically after the festival of Dusshera that precedes Diwali by about 20 days. In some parts of India, the day after Lakshmi Puja is marked with the Govardhan Puja and Balipratipada (Padwa). ( See calendar ). [129] At dusk, family members gather for the Lakshmi Pujan,[129] although prayers will also be offered to other deities, such as Ganesha, Saraswati, Rama, Lakshmana, Sita, Hanuman, or Kubera. Each day has a different name and rituals. On this day, sisters will give gifts to their brothers and invite them to enjoy a meal. As the term "Festival of Lights" suggests, the celebration involves millions of lights illuminated from rooftops, doorways, and windows in thousands of temples and buildings all over the countries where the festival is observed. Diwali festivities include a celebration of sights, sounds, arts and flavours. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Diwali is also known as Deepavali, Dipavali, Dewali, Deepawali, or the Festival of Lights. The Prayer Hymn (Aarti) for the Hindu Diwali Celebration, The Real Reason for the Hindu Raksha Bandhan Celebration, Hindu Calendar: Days, Months, Years and Epochs, Fasting, Praying, and Regular Hindu Rituals. Sanskrit inscriptions in stone and copper mentioning Diwali, occasionally alongside terms such as Dipotsava, Dipavali, Divali and Divalige, have been discovered at numerous sites across India. The Prayer Hymn (Aarti) for the Hindu Diwali Celebration, Hindu Calendar: Days, Months, Years and Epochs, The Real Reason for the Hindu Raksha Bandhan Celebration, History and Significance of Diwali, the Festival of Lights, Reasons to Celebrate Diwali the Festival of Lights, Calendar of Hindu Festivals, Fasts, and Religious Events 20202025, The History of Vasant Panchami, the Birth of Hindu Goddess Saraswati, A Guide to the 6 Seasons of the Hindu Calendar, A Guide to Lohri, The Hindu Winter Bonfire Festival, Evaluating Population Exposure to Environmental Pollutants During Deepavali Fireworks Displays Using Air Quality Measurements of the Safar Network, Whose Diwali Is It? [20][45] The term is derived from the Sanskrit words dpa, "lamp, light, lantern, candle, that which glows, shines, illuminates or knowledge"[46] and vali, "a row, range, continuous line, series". In 2023, it falls on a Sunday, and some businesses may choose to follow Sunday opening hours. Ths festival of lights, i.e. [109] Textual evidence suggests that Bengali Hindus worshipped Lakshmi before the colonial era, and that the Kali puja is a more recent phenomenon. [50] It is mentioned in mentioned in early Sanskrit texts, such as the Padma Purana and the Skanda Purana, both of which were completed in the second half of the 1st millennium CE. Cook, Sharell. It . The third day is Diwali and the height of the festival. Kartik overlaps with October and November. They celebrate by lighting lamps, decorating temples and monasteries, and worshipping the Buddha. Goddess of Wealth, Lakshmi Devi is worshipped on this day and it is customary to purchase precious articles. The Catholic dicastery Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, founded as Secretariat for non-Christians by Pope Paul VI, began sending official greetings and the Pope's message to the Hindus on Diwali in the mid-1990s. [60] It is mentioned in the Ramayana that Diwali was celebrated for only 2 years in Ayodhya. [135][61] While the cleaning, or painting, of the home is in part for goddess Lakshmi, it also signifies the ritual "reenactment of the cleansing, purifying action of the monsoon rains" that would have concluded in most of the Indian subcontinent. [116] The term Dhan for this day also alludes to the Ayurvedic icon Dhanvantari, the god of health and healing, who is believed to have emerged from the "churning of cosmic ocean" on the same day as Lakshmi. [168], Diwali has increasingly attracted cultural exchanges, becoming occasions for politicians and religious leaders worldwide to meet Hindu or Indian origin citizens, diplomatic staff or neighbours. People illuminate their homes, temples and offices with diyas, candles and lanterns. While different historical events are observed in different regions and by different faiths, Diwali represents the triumph of light over darkness, and knowledge over ignorance for all the cultures that celebrate it. This is the day when Hindu, Jain and Sikh temples and homes are aglow with lights, thereby making it the "festival of lights". The height of Diwali is celebrated on the third day coinciding with the darkest night of Ashvin or Kartika. In the diaspora, all the countries in the world outside of the Indian subcontinent where Indian people have settled, Diwali is considered a public celebration open to Hindus and anyone else. The diyas (lamps) are mentioned in Skanda Kishore Purana as symbolising parts of the sun, describing it as the cosmic giver of light and energy to all life and which seasonally transitions in the Hindu calendar month of Kartik. [143], In some rural communities of the north, west and central regions, the fourth day is celebrated as Govardhan puja, honouring the legend of the Hindu god Krishna saving the cowherd and farming communities from incessant rains and floods triggered by Indra's anger,[143] which he accomplished by lifting the Govardhan mountain. Diwali is also known as the 'Festival of Light' because it is celebrated using lights, fireworks and lanterns in private homes and public places. [121] It is also celebrated as Roop Chaudas in some North Indian households, where women bathe before sunrise, while lighting a Diya (lamp) in the bath area, they believe it helps enhance their beauty it is a fun ritual that young girls enjoy as part of festivities. These two festivals likely developed in tandem over their recent histories, states McDermott. [153][p] In the modern day, Diwali mela are held at college, or university, campuses or as community events by members of the Indian diaspora. [177][s], The use of fireworks also causes an increase in the number of burn injuries in India during Diwali. It's a celebration that takes place 15 days after Diwali - the Hindu festival of lights. According to McDermott, while the Durga Puja is the largest Bengali festival and it can be traced to the 16th-century or earlier, the start of Kali puja tradition on Diwali is traceable to no earlier than about the mid-18th-century during the reign of Raja Krishnacandra Ray. Diwali, also known as Deepawali, is the Hindu festival of lights. [102] The festival of Diwali, according to Ray Colledge, highlights three events in Sikh history: the founding of the city of Amritsar in 1577, the release of Guru Hargobind from the Mughal prison, and the day of Bhai Mani Singh's martyrdom in 1738 as a result of his failure to pay a fine for trying to celebrate Diwali and thereafter refusing to convert to Islam. Diwali falls in either October or November each year, depending on the cycle of the moon. [73] According to Lorenz Franz Kielhorn, a German Indologist known for translating many Indic inscriptions, this festival is mentioned as Dipotsavam in verses 6 and 7 of the Ranganatha temple Sanskrit inscription of the 13th-century Kerala Hindu king Ravivarman Samgramadhira. Diwali 2021: What the holiday . Dhan-trayodashi or Dhan teras: Dhan means "wealth" and Trayodashi means "thirteenth day." Thus, as the name . Diwali is also celebrated to mark the return of Rama to Ayodhya after defeating the demon-king Ravana and completing his fourteen years of exile. Observances of Diwali differ depending on region and tradition. It is a national holiday in India which marks its independence from the United Kingdom on August 15, 1947. Each day of Diwali is marked differently. [128][95], The day after Diwali is the first day of the bright fortnight of Kartik. In South India the festival marks Krishnas defeat of the demon Narakasura. The final day is Bhai Dooj and similarly, celebrates the bonds between brothers and sisters. This is done via a bathing ritual called Abhyanga Snan. [24], Originally a Hindu festival, Diwali is now also celebrated by other faiths. Monier Monier Williams (2008 updated, Harvard University), Sanskrit English dictionary, . Major celebrations occur on the third day of the five-day long festival .
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