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. It's a celebration that takes place 15 days after Diwali - the Hindu festival of lights. This is followed by Choti Diwali the next day and Diwali on November 4. iStock.com/triloks What Do People Do? This time the revered festival of Diwali is to be held on the month of October 24, 2022. 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. The Hindu calendar is lunisolar but most festival dates are specified using the lunar portion of the calendar. 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. [91] The telling of these myths are reminiscent of the Hindu belief that good ultimately triumphs over evil. The dates of Diwali change every year as it dependent on the moon cycle. [116], On Yama Deepam (also known as Yama Dipadana or Jam ke Diya), Hindus light a diya, ideally made of wheat flour and filled with sesame oil, that faces south in the back of their homes. [177][s], The use of fireworks also causes an increase in the number of burn injuries in India during Diwali. 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. The festival isn't celebrated in Kerala though. While the dates vary annually based on the Hindu lunar calendar, Diwali usually occurs in October or November. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Every occasion represents two main things: 1. This year, it begins in the first week of November from 2nd-6th. A lunar year varies in length, each month containing approximately 29.5 days (354 days) depending on the moon's movement with respect to the earth. Diwali/Deepavali is a public holiday. Illustrative Islamic records, states Stephen Blake, include those of 16th-century Sheikh Ahmad Sirhindi who wrote, "during Diwali. the ignorant ones amongst Muslims, particularly women, perform the ceremonies they celebrate it like their own Id and send presents to their daughters and sisters,. they attach much importance and weight to this season [of Diwali]. [41], Diwali (English: /dwli/)[9] or Divali[44] is from the Sanskrit dpvali meaning "row or series of lights". When you visit this site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Diwali usually falls in October or November. Diwali falls in either October or November each year, depending on the cycle of the moon. [116] On this day, many Hindus clean their homes and business premises. When is Diwali this year and how to celebrate the Festival of Lights This year's date of celebration starts November 14, 2020. . 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. Diwali falls in either October or November each year, depending on the cycle of the moon. What makes Dev Deepawali different from Diwali? [185] When these compounds pollute the air, they increase the risk of cancer in people. However, in South India, the festival is observed as the defeat of Narakasura. It is usually celebrated on October or November every year. Diwali Calender - When is Diwali in 2022, Diwalifestival.org This year's date of celebration starts November 14, 2020. This day marks the beginning of deepawali celebrations. Where does Diwali get its name? Diwali, also spelled Divali, is one of the major religious festivals in Hinduism, Jainism, and Sikhism. 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. 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. Thus, people worship Hanuman the day before Diwali's main day. [114], On the second day of Diwali, Hanuman Puja is performed in some parts of India especially in Gujarat. Diwali Celebrations Dates in Different Regions Diwali 2023 (Deepavali 2023) is on Sunday, November 12th in India. Diwali was celebrated as a signifier of triumph of good over evil after Krishna's Victory over Narakasura. 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. What Is Diwali and How Do You Celebrate Hindu Festival of Lights? "When Is Diwali (Deepavali)? Meaning "rows of lighted lamps," Diwali is a celebration of light over darkness for different cultures across the world, especially South Asia. [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. At such events a variety of music, dance and arts performances, food, crafts, and cultural celebrations are featured. Important Read: Tips to Celebrate Diwali in 2021 History and Significance of Diwali Why do Hindu festivals fall on different dates every year? People illuminate their homes, temples and offices with diyas, candles and lanterns. Information on Diwali (Deepawali) - Festival of Lights The five days are as follows:. [174][175] Barack Obama became the first president to personally attend Diwali at the White House in 2009. [92][12], Originally a Hindu festival, Diwali has transcended religious lines. Diwali, which is celebrated on different dates each year as it follows the lunar calendar, will begin on October 24 this year and last for five days. Monier Monier Williams (2008 updated, Harvard University), Sanskrit English dictionary, . The dates for Diwali change each year, as they are based on the Hindu lunisolar calendar. Happy Diwali 2022: how will the festival of lights be celebrated this year? Sharell Cook lives in Mumbai full-time and writes about India travel. Residents of Amritsar lit lamps throughout the city to celebrate the occasion. 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? The one festival in India that is celebrated above the caste & religion that is Diwali. The main festival day falls on a different date each autumn, timed to the Hindu lunar calendar, but it . The final day is Bhai Dooj and similarly, celebrates the bonds between brothers and sisters. [109][133] According to Rachel Fell McDermott, a scholar of South Asian, particular Bengali, studies, in Bengal during Navaratri (Dussehra elsewhere in India) the Durga puja is the main focus, although in the eastern and north eastern states the two are synonymous, but on Diwali the focus is on the puja dedicated to Kali. Diwali is celebrated on the 15th day of Kartik which is considered as the most serene months according to 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. Like : If I was born on Sept 18 th - which is a full moon day I need to celebrate my bday on a full moon day in that month( even month is different from calender months) Hop. [59][60] The 16th-century Portuguese traveler Domingo Paes wrote of his visit to the Hindu Vijayanagara Empire, where Dipavali was celebrated in October with householders illuminating their homes, and their temples, with lamps. Find out all about the history, traditions and significance of Diwali in this blogpost. [147] In historic times, this was a day in autumn when brothers would travel to meet their sisters, or invite their sister's family to their village to celebrate their sister-brother bond with the bounty of seasonal harvests. [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. Diwali (Deepavali) Nov 27, 2023: Guru Nanak's Birthday: Dec 25, 2023: Christmas Day: Which are the other holidays in India? 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. In 2022, the five days of Diwali begin on October 22, with the most important festival date taking place on October 24. In 2021, Diwali is on November 4. A variety of sweets are prepared using flour, semolina, rice, chickpea flour, dry fruit pieces powders or paste, milk solids (mawa or khoya) and clarified butter (ghee). [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. It's observed on the 15th day of the month. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Diwali, also known as Deepawali, is the Hindu festival of lights. When Is Diwali in 2021, 2022 and 2023? 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. Diwali is celebrated every year in either October or November, based on the lunar cycle. It is in fact the thirteenth lunar day of Krishna Paksh, the dark forthnight of the month of Kartik. The Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue was founded as Secretariat for non-Christians by Pope Paul VI. Scholars contest the 527 BCE date and consider Mahavira's biographical details as uncertain. Diwali, Divali, Deepavali: How you celebrated the festival of lights It is the main day of the Diwali festival. [43] The lamps from the puja ceremony are then used to light more earthenware lamps, which are placed in rows along the parapets of temples and houses,[130] while some diyas are set adrift on rivers and streams. [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). Some suggest he lived in the 5th-century BCE contemporaneously with the Buddha. It is one of the most important festivals within Hinduism [7] [8] where it generally lasts five days (or six in some regions of India), and is celebrated during the Hindu lunisolar months of Ashvin (according to the amanta tradition) and Kartika (between mid- October and mid- November ). The third day is the day of Lakshmi Puja and the darkest night of the traditional month. How is Diwali celebrated? The festivals and . The Diwali night's lights and firecrackers, in this interpretation, represent a celebratory and symbolic farewell to the departed ancestral souls. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. The reason Diwali's celebration date is different each year is that each of the Hindu calendarsthere are severalis lunisolar, meaning they take into effect both the movements of the sun and the moon. Observances of Diwali differ depending on region and tradition. Part of the inscription, as translated by Kielhorn, reads: "the auspicious festival of lights which disperses the most profound darkness, which in former days was celebrated by the kings Ila, Kartavirya and Sagara, () as Sakra (Indra) is of the gods, the universal monarch who knows the duties by the three Vedas, afterwards celebrated here at Ranga for Vishnu, resplendent with Lakshmi resting on his radiant lap. Homes are decorated, and floors inside and out are covered with rangoli, consisting of elaborate designs made of colouredrice, sand, or flower petals. Diwali, for Vasavada, would always culminate in a large family feast with enough food to feed a small town. Sometimes these are wrapped with edible silver foil (vark). Diwali is one of the major religious festivals in Hinduism, Jainism, and Sikhism. In Australia, over one million Hindus, Jains, Buddhists and Sikhs celebrate versions of the festival, which include Tihar and Bandi Chhor Diwas. [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.