Diwali Traditions and Date
Diwali is the Indian “festival of lights”—a holiday that celebrates the triumph of good over evil. This year, Diwali will be celebrated on November 12. Though technically religious, it’s also become a cultural event in North America that’s celebrated with sweets and special foods. Learn about Diwali, when it occurs, and common traditions!
What Is Diwali?
Diwali (also called Divali or Deepavali) is a “festival of lights” that celebrates the triumph of light over dark and good over evil, and the blessings of victory, freedom, and enlightenment. The name comes from Sanksrit dipavali, meaning “row of lights.” On the night of Diwali, celebrants light dozens of candles and clay lamps (called diyas), placing them throughout their homes and in the streets to light up the dark night.
In most of India, Diwali consists of a five-day celebration that peaks on the third day with the main celebration of Diwali. In other places where Diwali occurs, usually, only the main day is celebrated.
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Who Celebrates Diwali?
Diwali is primarily celebrated by followers of the Hindu, Sikh, and Jain faiths. However, the holiday is celebrated throughout India, Singapore, and several other South Asian countries as a national holiday, meaning that people outside these religions may participate in Diwali celebrations, too. Hindu, Sikh, and Jain communities in the United Kingdom, United States, Australia, and elsewhere around the globe also regularly celebrate Diwali.
When Is Diwali?
Diwali occurs annually in autumn (or spring, in the southern hemisphere), during the Hindu month of Kartik. (To put it in Western terms, Kartik begins around mid-October and ends in mid-November.) Specifically, Diwali occurs on the darkest day of the lunar month, which is the day of the new Moon.
| Year | Date of Diwali |
|---|---|
| 2023 | Sunday, November 12 |
| 2024 | Friday, November 1 |
| 2025 | Monday, October 20 |
| 2026 | Sunday, November 8 |
Diwali Traditions and Customs
Because Diwali is celebrated by so many people worldwide, traditions are diverse, though there are a few common themes, including the lighting of candles and the gathering of families.
The main celebration of Diwali takes place on the day of the new Moon, when the sky is at its darkest, so a big part of the celebration revolves around light. Candles, clay lamps, and oil lanterns are lit and placed throughout the home, in the streets, in areas of worship, and floated on lakes and rivers. Fireworks are also set off on the night of Diwali—said by some to ward off evil spirits.
Another central theme of Diwali is family. Wearing their best new clothes, families gather together to eat sweets and other special foods, light diyas (decorative oil lamps), and pray for their ancestors. Businesses are generally closed (or close early) on Diwali to allow workers to celebrate with their families, too.
The feast can be quite extravagant, with the table filled with special dishes and sweets. In honor of Diwali, here are a few Indian-inspired recipes to try:
- East Indian Curry Dip
- Raita Cucumber Yogurt Salad
- Palak Panir Spinach and Tofu
- Sweet Potato Lentil Coconut Curry
Diwali in India
In much of India, Diwali consists of five days of celebrations rather than just one.
- On the first day, Indians clean their homes and create intricate rangoli—designs made of colored rice, sand, or flowers created on the floor of the home.
- The second day is spent preparing or buying special food (especially sweets, called mithai), as well as praying for the spirits of ancestors in the afterlife.
- On the third day—the main day of Diwali—families gather and celebrate by lighting lanterns and candles in their homes and in the streets, and by shooting off fireworks! (In southern India, the second day is the main day of celebration, rather the third.)
- Traditions of the fourth day vary, but a common theme is the bond between husband and wife, so husbands will often buy their spouses gifts to celebrate.
- The fifth day focuses on the bond between siblings, specifically between brother and sister.
Do you celebrate Diwali? What traditions do you follow for the holiday? Let us know in the comments below—and Happy Diwali to those who celebrate!
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The author should have given religious aspect too else it becomes irrelevant. Religious beliefs drive festivals in all religions.
Thank you for a well written, factual article on Diwali. Growing up I called Diwali Deepavali. It was a time to look forward to fireworks, sweets and families getting together.
It is a time to exchange gifts, meet and greet old and new friends and family and celebrate another year of success and wish everyone for a future year of prosperity, peace, penance, perseverance and patience.
Happy Diwali!
I DID NOT THIS SWBAT
We recently moved to an area with a dense Indian population and we learned about Diwali for the first time. We and our kids love it. It’s provided a great teaching opportunity for our kids. The neighborhoods are so beautifully decorated and the concept and idea behind Diwali is so uplifting and transcends culture.
Inability to mention religious context shows your bias and fear of backlash. Would you write an article on Christmas without any mention of its religious context? A student doing that in high school would probably fail.
I think this is a very well written article, taking out the religious biases and indoctrinations.
Anyone, like millions across the world already have, will seek out the religious aspects if they so choose.
We have to many National holidays religious or otherwise In the next 100 yrs people will probably be taking more time off for holidays than actually working I favor allowing the Diwali custom to be recognized but not make it a National holiday
Soon there won't be any reason to attend school. It will be just one big holiday. I get that we want to be sensitive to everyone's culture but at some point, the kids need to be in class. Even these optional holidays force a teacher not to teach anything because they don't want someone to miss something so they teach nothing that day. It may come to a point where only statutory holidays are allowed or we make up time for these other days off at the end of the school year, but somehow kids need the time in class to learn. That's the point of going to school. Social studies aren't the entire curriculum, reading, writing, and arithmetic are.
School is still in session during the Diwali celebration. If a family chooses to keep their children home to participate and celebrate in their cultural or religious holiday, that is their choice. When my children were little they did not attend school on Good Friday (Easter) and it was important to our family that they participate in our religious and cultural traditions. We were not worried or fretting that they were missing schoolwork and were certainly not adversely affected academically.
Of course the two longest “religious” holidays are Easter and Xmas, I guess you would be happy for those to be just single day school breaks or not at all.
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