[117] Some Hindus observe Yama Deepa on the second night before the main day of Diwali.[118][119]. Answer (1 of 6): Hindus do not follow date system. It's associated with Lord Ram's return to his kingdom in Ayodhya after exile and rescuing his wife from demon king Ravan on Dussehra. "When Is Diwali (Deepavali)? But when Diwali occurs in the calendar changes every year. Diwali 2021: What the holiday . Furthermore, when specifying the masa, one of two traditions are applicable, viz. The one festival in India that is celebrated above the caste & religion that is Diwali. Diwali is celebrated on the fifteenth day of the Hindu month of Kartika and, much like Easter, the date changes every year. Dates for 2020 to 2025." It's observed on the 15th day of Kartik, the holiest month in the Hindu lunar calendar. [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. In 2023, Diwali is on November 12. 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. Subhamoy Das is the co-author of "Applied Hinduism: Ancient Wisdom for Today's World." A diya that is filled with sesame oil is lit at back of their homes facing in the southern direction. Lakshmi is the focus of worship on that day. The five day festival falls in the first week of Novmber. Every occasion represents two main things: 1. [124], As the evening approaches, celebrants will wear new clothes or their best outfits, teenage girls and women, in particular, wear saris and jewelry. each day of the five-day Diwali comes with a different set of traditions. Hindus celebrating Diwali in India. In 2023, it falls on a Sunday, and some businesses may choose to follow Sunday opening hours. [52] In Nepal, it is also a multiday festival, although the days and rituals are named differently, with the climax being called the Tihar festival by Hindus and Swanti festival by Buddhists. For example, the Singaporean government, in association with the Hindu Endowment Board of Singapore, organises many cultural events during Diwali every year. Diwali Celebrations Dates in Different Regions Diwali 2023 (Deepavali 2023) is on Sunday, November 12th in India. 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. Goddess Lakshmi, the goddess of good fortune and prosperity, is the primary deity worshiped during Diwali. This year, Diwali will be celebrated on October 24. The celebration will include dancing, a fashion show and other performances, as well as free food. [79] Throughout the epic, Rama's decisions were always in line with dharma (duty) and the Diwali festival serves as a reminder for followers of hinduism to maintain their dharma in day to day life. Though technically religious, it's also become a cultural event in North America that's celebrated with sweets and special foods. [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). It is in fact the thirteenth lunar day of Krishna Paksh, the dark forthnight of the month of Kartik. Many light diyas and keep them burning throughout the night. "There were a hundred-plus of us at my cousin's house each year," she explains. [151], During the season of Diwali, numerous rural townships and villages host melas,[152] or fairs, where local producers and artisans trade produce and goods. Diwali/Deepavali is a public holiday. This festival gets its name from "Deepa" meaning "Light" and "Avali" meaning "Row". The fifth day, called Bhai Dooj, Bhai Tika, or Bhai Bij, celebrates the bond between brothers and sisters. [48][127], The youngest members in the family visit their elders, such as grandparents and other senior members of the community, on this day. [13][14][15][16] The festival is widely associated with Lakshmi,[17][18] goddess of prosperity and Ganesha, god of wisdom and the remover of obstacles, with many other regional traditions connecting the holiday to Sita and Rama, Vishnu, Krishna, Durga, Shiva, Kali, Hanuman, Kubera, Yama, Yami, Dhanvantari, or Vishvakarman. [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. Amavasya Tithi on Diwali begins at. Diwali 2023: 12 th of November, Sunday The festival isn't celebrated in Kerala though. Find out all about the history, traditions and significance of Diwali in this blogpost. [60] It is mentioned in the Ramayana that Diwali was celebrated for only 2 years in Ayodhya. The second day is Naraka Chaturdashi. Diwali takes places every year, either in October or November, depending on the position of the Moon. The auspicious time to conduct Lakshmi Puja will begin at 6:09 pm and end at 8:04 pm, according to the Drik Panchang. According to Pintchman, the start of the 5-day Diwali festival is stated in some popular contemporary sources as the day Goddess Lakshmi was born from Samudra manthan, the churning of the cosmic ocean of milk by the Devas (gods) and the Asuras (demons) a Vedic legend that is also found in several Puranas such as the Padma Purana, while the night of Diwali is when Lakshmi chose and wed Vishnu. [23] Another aspect of the festival is remembering the ancestors. It's observed on the 15th day of Kartik, the holiest month in the Hindu lunar calendar. [12][114] Families also prepare homemade delicacies for Lakshmi Pujan, regarded as the main day of Diwali. They follow thithi which is based on the movement of planets and Sun. [50] 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. [137][138] According to Pintchman, who quotes Raghavan, this ritual may also be linked to the tradition in some communities of paying respect to ancestors. Diwali is one of the most revered and a pious festival deeply entrenched in Hindu culture. [79], Hindus of eastern India associate the festival with the Goddess Kali, who symbolises the victory of good over evil. [28][29][30], Diwali is also a major cultural event for the Hindu, Sikh, and Jain diaspora. [9][10][11] It is a post-harvest festival celebrating the bounty following the arrival of the monsoon in the subcontinent.[12]. [184], During Diwali, the levels of suspended particulate matter increase. Diwali is the Indian "festival of lights"a holiday that celebrates the triumph of good over evil. 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. The dates for Diwali change each year, as they are based on the Hindu lunisolar calendar. Grewal, a scholar of Sikhism and Sikh history, Diwali in the Sikh tradition is older than the sixth Guru Hargobind legend. When Is Diwali in 2021, 2022 and 2023? Diwali is celebrated for five days, each with its own special significance. Major temples and homes are decorated with lights, festive foods shared with all, friends and relatives remembered and visited with gifts. Dev Deepawali or Dev Diwali takes place on the full-moon night of the Hindu month of Kartika. [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. In 2021, Diwali is on November 4. Subhadra welcomes him with a tilaka on his forehead. [81], Many Hindus associate the festival with Goddess Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity, and wife of Vishnu. [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. It began sending official greetings and message to Muslims in 1967 on. Lasting over five days, the holiday is celebrated by millions of Hindus, Jains, and Sikhs worldwide. [64][65][d][e], Publications from the British colonial era also made mention of Diwali, such as the note on Hindu festivals published in 1799 by Sir William Jones, a philologist known for his early observations on Sanskrit and Indo-European languages. Each day has a special significance as follows. [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. [126] Family members light up firecrackers, which some interpret as a way to ward off all evil spirits and the inauspicious, as well as add to the festive mood. On the Gregorian calendar, the festival falls between October and November. You can find out more and change our default settings with Cookies Settings. The name is derived from the Sanskrit term dipavali, meaning row of lights. The festival generally symbolizes the victory of light over darkness. The meaning of Diwaliand its many legends Diwali is so widely. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. A 2017 estimate states 50,000 tons (100million pounds) of fireworks are exploded annually in India over the Diwali festival. Diwali this year is a close-knit family affair. In 2022, Diwali is on Monday 24 October. Updates? Dates for 2020 to 2025. In some parts of India, the day after Lakshmi Puja is marked with the Govardhan Puja and Balipratipada (Padwa). It is celebrated for five days across India and other parts of southern Asia, as well as in many other places around the world. People often think of Diwali as a Hindu festival, but it is also celebrated by Sikhs and Jains . Diwali (Deepavali) Nov 27, 2023: Guru Nanak's Birthday: Dec 25, 2023: Christmas Day: Which are the other holidays in 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. 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. https://www.learnreligions.com/when-is-diwali-1539426 (accessed March 4, 2023). [n] Vishwakarma is the presiding Hindu deity for those in architecture, building, manufacturing, textile work and crafts trades. Sikhs historically referred to this festival as Diwali. [79] The festival formally begins two days before the night of Diwali, and ends two days thereafter. The Diwali-related inscription is the 4th inscription and it includes the year Vikrama Era 1268 (c. 1211 CE). It coincides with the day of Kali Chaudas. 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. Some Muslims joined the Hindu community in celebrating Diwali in the Mughal era. The darkest night is the apex of the celebration and coincides with the second half of October or early November in the Gregorian calendar. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. The main festival is on Sunday, but festivities begin on Friday, a day called Dhanteras. [124] Many visit their favourite Hindu temple. However, in South India, the festival is observed as the defeat of Narakasura. This year, Diwali begins on Monday 24 October on the Gregorian calendar. Monier Monier Williams (2008 updated, Harvard University), Sanskrit English dictionary, . 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. [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. [19] Diwali is also marked with fireworks and the decoration of floors with rangoli designs, and other parts of the house with jhalars. ( See calendar ). [123], This day is commonly celebrated as Diwali in Tamil Nadu, Goa, and Karnataka. It coincides with the new moon (amvasy) and is deemed the darkest night of the Hindu lunisolar 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. On this day, sisters will give gifts to their brothers and invite them to enjoy a meal. The third day is Diwali and the height of the festival. The women, in particular, adorn themselves in colourful attire and decorate their hands with henna.

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