[77][78][i], The religious significance of Diwali varies regionally within India. "[74][h], Jain inscriptions, such as the 10th-century Saundatti inscription about a donation of oil to Jinendra worship for the Diwali rituals, speak of Dipotsava. 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. Diwali - New World Encyclopedia Here is everything you need to know about the festival and how it is celebrated. The celebration will include dancing, a fashion show and other performances, as well as free food. [98][99] This traditional belief of the origin of Diwali, and its significance to Jains, is reflected in their historic artworks such as paintings. 10,000 on this Diwali: ASSOCHAM survey, "Festival of Lights: All You Need to Know About Diwali", "DNA Explainer: What is Diwali Muhurat Trading and why it is best time to invest in stocks", "NextFins Celebrates Diwali With the Launch of INDF", "Prince Charles, Camilla celebrate Diwali in UK", "Their Royal Highnesses The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall Celebrate Diwali at BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, London", "Brown celebrates Diwali at 10, Downing Street, in a 'historic' first", "Pakistan parliament adopts resolution for Holi, Diwali, Easter holidays", "Muslim-majority Pakistan set to declare Holi, Diwali and Easter as public holidays", "Muslims join Hindus in Diwali celebrations in Pakistan's Peshawar", "Burns in the developing world and burn disasters", "Air Pollution: Delhi's air quality enters 'Red Zone' ahead of Diwali", "Diwali may bring 'severe' air pollution to Delhi, despite fireworks ban", "Firecrackers Not Only Pollute The Environment But Also Carry Cancer Causing Chemicals", "Diyas symbolise Diwali, crackers cause pollution: Delhi environment minister", The Ancient Origins of Diwali, Indias Biggest Holiday, Yang di-Pertua Negeri Sembilan's Birthday, Anniversary of Installation of the Sultan of Terengganu, Declaration of Malacca City as Historical City, Declaration of George Town as World Heritage Site, Annunciation of the Virgin Mary / Annunciation of the Theotokos, Days of Remembrance of the Victims of the Holocaust, Emancipation Day in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Fast in Honor of the Holy Mother of Lord Jesus, Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Nativity of Mary / Nativity of the Theotokos, Italian-American Heritage and Culture Month, Virgin IslandsPuerto Rico Friendship Day, Presentation of the Theotokos to the Temple, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Diwali&oldid=1139371132, Articles containing Assamese-language text, Articles containing Bengali-language text, Articles containing Gujarati-language text, Articles containing Kannada-language text, Articles containing Konkani (individual language)-language text, Articles containing Maithili-language text, Articles containing Malayalam-language text, Articles containing Marathi-language text, Articles containing Punjabi-language text, Articles containing Nepali (macrolanguage)-language text, Short description is different from Wikidata, Wikipedia indefinitely semi-protected pages, Wikipedia indefinitely move-protected pages, All Wikipedia articles written in Indian English, Articles using infobox templates with no data rows, Pages using multiple image with auto scaled images, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Ashvin Krishna Trayodashi, Ashvin Krishna Chaturdashi, Ashvin Amavasya, Kartik Shukla Pratipada, Kartik Shukla Dwitiya, 11 (Kali Chaudas/Hanuman Puja/Chhoti Diwali), This page was last edited on 14 February 2023, at 20:01. 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. This year, it begins in the first week of November from 2nd-6th. The main festival is on Sunday, but festivities begin on Friday, a day called Dhanteras. [81], Many Hindus associate the festival with Goddess Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity, and wife of Vishnu. The Jain Diwali celebrated in many parts of India has similar practices to the Hindu Diwali, such as the lighting of lamps and the offering of prayers to Lakshmi. [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. [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). This year, Diwali or Deepavali will take place on October 24. [48][127], The youngest members in the family visit their elders, such as grandparents and other senior members of the community, on this day. All About Diwali 2022: When & How to Celebrate | CompareRemit According to the ancient calendar, Diwali is observed on Amavasya (or new moon) the 15th day of the month of Kartik, every year. Diwali falls in either October or November each year, depending on the cycle of the moon. As an auspicious occasion, many Hindus will make big purchases as it's believed that this will bring good luck. What Is Diwali and How Do You Celebrate Hindu Festival of Lights? Calendar Of Deepavali Holidays 2022.We present you with all the dates Diwali will have from 2022 till 2040. [31][32][33] The main day of the festival of Diwali (the day of Lakshmi Puja) is an official holiday in Fiji,[34] Guyana,[35] India, Malaysia,[a][36] Mauritius, Myanmar,[37] Nepal,[38] Pakistan,[39] Singapore,[40] Sri Lanka, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Also known as the festival of lights, it's celebrated by Sikhs, Hindus, Jains and some Buddhists. When Is Diwali (Deepavali)? Dates for 2020 to 2025 - Learn Religions He explained that though the actual Hindu festival day is the same, it is identified differently in regional calendars because there are two traditions in the Hindu calendar. [23] 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. Diwali is a five-day religious festival. The exact dates change each year because it follows the lunar calendar, but it is typically celebrated in October or November over a 5-day span: On day. While the dates vary annually based on the Hindu lunar calendar, Diwali usually occurs in October or November. When Is Diwali in 2021, 2022 and 2023? - Learn Religions [181][182], The use of firecrackers on Diwali increases the concentration of dust and pollutants in the air. 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. Jean Mead, How and why Do Hindus Celebrate Divali?, John Bowker, ed., Oxford Concise Dictionary of World Religions (Oxford UP, 2000), See Festivals, Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, "2022 Diwali Puja Calendar, Deepavali Puja Calendar for New Delhi, NCT, India", "Diwali 2020 Date in India: When is Diwali in 2020? This is the day when Hindu, Jain and Sikh temples and homes are aglow with lights, thereby making it the "festival of lights". Here is the schedule for Diwali 2022: Day 1: October 22, 2022 Trayodashi - Dhanteras; Day 2: October 23, 2022 Chaturdashi - Choti Diwali; Day 3: October 24, 2022 Amavasya - Diwali UCF's Indian Student Association (ISA) will host Diwali event at the Hindu Society of Central Florida Nov. 4 at 6 p.m. Diwali is one of the most revered and a pious festival deeply entrenched in Hindu culture. This is believed to please Yama, the god of death, and to ward off untimely death. Learn Religions. It was in early 20th-century, states Harjot Oberoi, a scholar of Sikh history, when the Khalsa Tract Society triggered by the, Hindus of eastern and northeastern states of India associate the festival with the goddess. Dev Deepawali or Dev Diwali takes place on the full-moon night of the Hindu month of Kartika. It is determined by the Indian calendar and the dates of celebration change every year. Here's how India is celebrating Diwali - NPR.org Diwali 2022: When is the festival of lights and how is it celebrated Subhamoy Das is the co-author of "Applied Hinduism: Ancient Wisdom for Today's World." The date of Deepavali on the new moon makes it the darkest night in the month of Kartik, when the nights are cold, long, and dark: all the lights make that darkness easier to bear. [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. [116][114] Women and children decorate doorways within homes and offices with rangolis, colourful designs made from rice flour, flower petals, colored rice or colored sand,[23] while the boys and men decorate the roofs and walls of family homes, markets, and temples and string up lights and lanterns. Diwali is generally a time for visiting, exchanging gifts, wearing new clothes, feasting, feeding the poor, and setting off fireworks (though such displays have been restricted to limit noise and other environmental pollution). Diwali lasts five days, and the main celebrations are held on the third day of the festival. Some 200,000 New Yorkers celebrate Diwali each year, per state Assemblymember Jenifer Rajkumar . It's believed that on this day the Goddess Lakshmi, often associated with wealth, abundance and good fortune, visits people's homes and fulfils their desires. Diwali is one of the most widely celebrated religious festivals worldwide, it takes place every year between October and November and it commemorates the spiritual victory of light over darkness. Each day has a special significance as follows. 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. Sikhs historically referred to this festival as Diwali. India School Holidays in 2023 (Full List) - Edarabia This day marks the beginning of deepawali celebrations. Diwali is a five-day festival begins with Dhanteras and ends with Bhai Dooj. "When Is Diwali in 2021, 2022 and 2023?" Diwali is the biggest holiday of the year in India. To learn more, visit ISA's Instagram. One tradition links the festival to legends in the Hindu epic Ramayana, where Diwali is the day Rama, Sita, Lakshman and Hanuman reached Ayodhya after a period of 14 years in exile after Rama's army of good defeated demon king Ravana's army of evil. Why do Hindu festivals fall on different dates every year? What makes Dev Deepawali different from Diwali? The Hindu calendar is lunisolar but most festival dates are specified using the lunar portion of the calendar. DIWALI - Changes Annually - National Day Calendar (The corresponding dates in the Gregorian calendar usually fall in late October and November.) Residents of Amritsar lit lamps throughout the city to celebrate the occasion. The duration will be 1 hour 56 minutes. Monier Monier Williams (2008 updated, Harvard University), Sanskrit English dictionary, . They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Amavasya is thought of as the darkest night of the year and is holy to Hindus. We usually plan for our parents to visit us during this period but the pandemic has made it difficult this year for everyone. Some diyas may also be set adrift on streams and river and the evening is marked with fireworks. Amavasya Tithi on Diwali begins at. Grewal, a scholar of Sikhism and Sikh history, Diwali in the Sikh tradition is older than the sixth Guru Hargobind legend. Although not a primary festival of Buddhism, Diwali is celebrated by some Buddhists as a commemoration of the day when Emperor Ashoka converted to Buddhism in the 3rd century bce. Guru Amar Das, the third Guru of the Sikhs, built a well in Goindwal with eighty-four steps and invited Sikhs to bathe in its sacred waters on Baisakhi and Diwali as a form of community bonding. It is celebrated in October or November each year. Retrieved from https://www.learnreligions.com/when-is-diwali-1539426. It is intended to signify a brother's duty to protect his sister as well as sisters blessing their brothers. This festive day is interpreted by some to symbolise Yama's sister Yamuna welcoming Yama with a tilaka, while others interpret it as the arrival of Krishna at his sister Subhadra's place after defeating Narakasura. It is a day in which people rid themselves of evil and everything negative. As per India's official holiday calendar, Diwali in 2020 will be on Saturday, November 14, coinciding with the 15th day of Kartik, the holiest month in the Hindu lunar calendar. What Is Diwali? Here's What to Know About the Holiday [176], Every year during Diwali, Indian forces approach their Pakistani counterparts at the border bearing gifts of traditional Indian confectionery, a gesture that is returned in kind by the Pakistani soldiers who give Pakistani sweets to the Indian soldiers. . 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. 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 is typically a four- or five-day event, starting two days before the new moon and extending two days afterward. A few, notably the Mughal emperor Akbar, welcomed and participated in the festivities,[62][63] whereas others banned such festivals as Diwali and Holi, as Aurangzeb did in 1665. In 2022, the five days of Diwali begin on October 22, with the most important festival date taking place on October 24. [43], The puja and rituals in the Bengali Hindu community focus on Kali, the goddess of war, instead of Lakshmi. In the lead-up to Diwali, celebrants prepare by cleaning, renovating, and decorating their homes and workplaces with diyas (oil lamps) and rangolis (colorful art circle patterns). Diwali is usually celebrated twenty days after the Vijayadashami festival, with Dhanteras, or the regional equivalent, marking the first day of the festival when celebrants prepare by cleaning their homes and making decorations on the floor, such as rangolis. This begins with the first day known as "Dhanteras' or the worship of wealth. [19] Diwali is also marked with fireworks and the decoration of floors with rangoli designs, and other parts of the house with jhalars. There are many stories around the celebration of Diwali. [56], Diwali was also described by numerous travelers from outside India. What is Diwali? All About the 2022 Festival of Lights They celebrate by lighting lamps, decorating temples and monasteries, and worshipping the Buddha. 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. Each day of the festival has special significance. Traditionally, Marathi Hindus and South Indian Hindus receive an oil massage from the elders in the family on the day and then take a ritual bath, all before sunrise. New York City makes Diwali public school holiday from 2023 [161] Other goods that are bought in substantial quantities during Diwali include confectionery and fireworks. What Is Diwali? When and How to Celebrate This Indian Holiday | Martha Lakshmi is the focus of worship on that day. Subhadra welcomes him with a tilaka on his forehead. During the festival, diyas are lit and placed in rows along the parapets of temples and houses and set adrift on rivers and streams. When you visit this site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. [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. [121] The day and its rituals are interpreted as ways to liberate any souls from their suffering in "Naraka", or hell, as well as a reminder of spiritual auspiciousness. When Is Diwali 2021 and How Is the Festival of Lights Celebrated? [124] Many visit their favourite Hindu temple. This year, Diwali 2022 begins on Monday, October 24, 2022 (24/10/2022), and finishes on Wednesday, October 26, 2022 (26/10/2022). Learn Religions. In some parts of India, the day after Lakshmi Puja is marked with the Govardhan Puja and Balipratipada (Padwa). The festival of Diwali commemorates the return of Lord Rama to his kingdom after defeating Ravana. [114][43][82] On the evening of Dhanteras, families offer prayers (puja) to Lakshmi and Ganesha, and lay offerings of puffed rice, candy toys, rice cakes and batashas (hollow sugar cakes). [43], The artisan Hindu and Sikh community celebrates the fourth day as the Vishwakarma puja day. For Jains, it is a time to celebrate Lord Mahavira, the founder of Jainism, and the moment reached a state of enlightenment. [116] On this day, many Hindus clean their homes and business premises. The holiday overlaps with the Hindu New Year and as a result is associated with a chance to reset and start anew. [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. On this day, sisters will give gifts to their brothers and invite them to enjoy a meal. Sharell Cook lives in Mumbai full-time and writes about India travel. A 2017 estimate states 50,000 tons (100million pounds) of fireworks are exploded annually in India over the Diwali festival. [9][10][11] It is a post-harvest festival celebrating the bounty following the arrival of the monsoon in the subcontinent.[12]. For the Jain community, the festival commemorates the enlightenment and liberation (moksha) of Mahavira, the most recent of the Jain Tirthankaras, from the cycle of life and death (samsara). [41], Diwali (English: /dwli/)[9] or Divali[44] is from the Sanskrit dpvali meaning "row or series of lights". [125], Some Hindus observe Yama Deepam (also known as Yama Dipadana or Jam ke Diya) on the second day of Diwali, instead of the first day. This is believed to please Yama (Yamraj), the god of death, and to ward off untimely death. In 2019, Diwali started on October 25 as reported by The Fact. [86][87], Trade and merchant families and others also offer prayers to Saraswati, who embodies music, literature and learning and Kubera, who symbolises book-keeping, treasury and wealth management. Celebrate Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights | HowStuffWorks The second day, called NarakaChaturdashiorChotiDiwali, commemorates Krishnas destruction of Narakasura; prayers are also offered for the souls of ancestors. People illuminate their homes, temples and offices with diyas, candles and lanterns. Bhalla said the dates change each year based on the Hindu lunar calendar, but typically happens in October and November. When is Navaratri in 2021, 2022, and 2023? Diwali was celebrated as a signifier of triumph of good over evil after Krishna's Victory over Narakasura. [61], Islamic historians of the Delhi Sultanate and the Mughal Empire era also mentioned Diwali and other Hindu festivals. [156] It is traditionally a time when households purchase new clothing, home refurbishments, gifts, gold, jewelry,[157][158] and other large purchases particularly as the festival is dedicated to Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity, and such purchases are considered auspicious.