Diwali

Where the name comes from

Diwali is the everyday, shortened form of Deepavali (दीपावली) — Sanskrit dīpa (दीप, "lamp") joined with āvalī (आवली, "a row" or "series"). The name describes the festival's most recognisable custom directly: rows of small clay oil lamps (diyas) lit around homes, doorways and rooftops, symbolising the triumph of light over darkness and good over evil.

The story — or rather, stories — behind it

There's no single canonical Diwali story; the festival draws on several different traditions, layered together across the five days. In much of North India, Diwali marks Rama's return to Ayodhya after fourteen years of exile and his victory over the demon king Ravana — the Ramayana tells of the city lighting rows of lamps to welcome him home, the origin many point to for the lamp-lighting custom itself. The main night is also closely tied to Goddess Lakshmi, who in another tradition rose from the churning of the cosmic ocean (Samudra Manthan) on this very night — homes are cleaned and lit specifically to welcome her in as the goddess of prosperity. The day before is linked to Krishna's victory over the demon Narakasura, freeing thousands of captives — remembered today as Naraka Chaturdashi. Rather than picking one "correct" story, most households and regions simply draw on whichever traditions their own community has passed down.

How it's celebrated

Common threads across regions: cleaning and decorating the home in the days beforehand, drawing rangoli (coloured floor patterns) at the entrance, lighting rows of diyas and stringing electric lights, exchanging sweets (mithai) and gifts with family and neighbours, and — in many places, though increasingly debated on environmental grounds — fireworks. The main Lakshmi Puja is traditionally performed in the evening Pradosh Kaal (the period just after sunset), with the specific muhurat shifting by city and year; see Diwali 2026 for this year's exact timing and Diwali 2027 for next year's.

Not just a Hindu festival

Diwali, or a closely related observance around the same period, carries real significance beyond Hindu tradition too. In Jainism, the festival marks Mahavira's attainment of nirvana. Sikhs celebrate Bandi Chhor Divas on the same day, commemorating Guru Hargobind Ji's release from imprisonment. Some Buddhist communities also mark the period with their own observances. The shared timing, and the shared imagery of light overcoming darkness, runs across all of them even where the underlying story differs.

Why the date moves every year

Diwali is fixed to Kartika Amavasya, a lunar Tithi, not a solar date — which is why it never falls on the same Gregorian date two years running, and can shift by nearly a month depending on whether a leap month (Adhik Maas) has recently been inserted into the calendar. We've written a full, worked explanation of exactly how this shift happens: see why Diwali's date changes every year.