There are many stories around the celebration of Diwali. "When Is Diwali (Deepavali)? Diwali for the year 2022 is observed on 24 October, which falls on a Monday. Calendar Of Deepavali Holidays 2022.We present you with all the dates Diwali will have from 2022 till 2040. [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. [47][b], The five-day celebration is observed every year in early autumn after the conclusion of the summer harvest. [56][57] Rajasekhara referred to Deepavali as Dipamalika in his 9th-century Kavyamimamsa, wherein he mentions the tradition of homes being whitewashed and oil lamps decorated homes, streets and markets in the night. Indian Independence Day Independence Day is celebrated every year during August 15. Each day has a different name and rituals. 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). The Hindu calendar is lunisolar but most festival dates are specified using the lunar portion of the calendar. This year, celebrations began on Saturday, with the "main Diwali " falling today, Monday October 24, which marks the . Diwali or Deepavali, also known as the "Festival of Lights," is the biggest festival in theHindu calendar, celebrated in early fall of each year. Food is a major focus with families partaking in feasts and sharing mithai. In 2021, Diwali is on November 4. [92][12], Originally a Hindu festival, Diwali has transcended religious lines. Goddess Lakshmi, the goddess of good fortune and prosperity, is the primary deity worshiped during Diwali. It is celebrated in October or November each year. 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? Diwali, also spelled Divali, is one of the major religious festivals in Hinduism, Jainism, and Sikhism. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. The dates of Diwali change every year, though the five day festival generally falls between late October and early November. On the Gregorian calendar, the festival falls between October and November. In India, the holiday always falls on the 15th of Kartik, the first month of the Hindu lunar calendar . Because Diwali is such a meaningful celebration, festivities are often planned years in advance. 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. This year, the biggest day of festivities (Lakshmi Puja) will take place on November 4, 2021. [124], As the evening approaches, celebrants will wear new clothes or their best outfits, teenage girls and women, in particular, wear saris and jewelry. 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]. Some Muslims joined the Hindu community in celebrating Diwali in the Mughal era. [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. Diwali, like many other Indian holidays, is based on the Indian lunar calendar, so the (internationally used) date of the festival changes each year, but it typically falls between mid-October and early November. [50] More Topics (The corresponding dates in the Gregorian calendar usually fall in late October and November.) UCF's Indian Student Association (ISA) will host Diwali event at the Hindu Society of Central Florida Nov. 4 at 6 p.m. What is Diwali? [m] Contemporary Bengali celebrations mirror those found elsewhere, with teenage boys playing with fireworks and the sharing of festive food with family, but with the Shakti goddess Kali as the focus. Updates? Lasting over five days, the holiday is celebrated by millions of Hindus, Jains, and Sikhs worldwide. [143], In some rural communities of the north, west and central regions, the fourth day is celebrated as Govardhan puja, honouring the legend of the Hindu god Krishna saving the cowherd and farming communities from incessant rains and floods triggered by Indra's anger,[143] which he accomplished by lifting the Govardhan mountain. 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. Diwali Celebrations Dates in Different Regions Diwali 2023 (Deepavali 2023) is on Sunday, November 12th in India. Many participate in other socio-political events as a symbol of support for diversity and inclusiveness. Diwali festivities include a celebration of sights, sounds, arts and flavours. [101] According to J.S. https://www.learnreligions.com/when-is-diwali-1770209 (accessed March 4, 2023). [68] In his paper on The Lunar Year of the Hindus, Jones, then based in Bengal, noted four of the five days of Diwali in the autumn months of Aswina-Cartica [sic] as the following: Bhutachaturdasi Yamaterpanam (2nd day), Lacshmipuja dipanwita (the day of Diwali), Dyuta pratipat Belipuja (4th day), and Bhratri dwitiya (5th day). It is a day in which people rid themselves of evil and everything negative. Although most important for Hindus, the festival is also observed by Jains, Sikhs, and some Buddhists. Diwali is observed on the day of Amavasya or the new moon and marks the start of the Hindu New Year. After firing, the fine dust particles get settled on the surrounding surfaces which are packed with chemicals like copper, zinc, sodium, lead, magnesium, cadmium and pollutants like oxides of sulfur and nitrogen. Diwali celebrations burst into life on the third day of the five day festival of lights, which falls between October and November with a changing date each year. The Hindu calendar is based on both the sun and moon (while the Gregorian calendar is only based on the sun). The day of Diwali itself falls on November 4. The celebration of Diwali aligns with the new moon, so it's celebrated on a different day each year. Confectioners and shops create Diwali-themed decorative displays, selling these in large quantities, which are stocked for home celebrations to welcome guests and as gifts. [143], The last day of the festival, the second day of the bright fortnight of Kartik, is called Bhai Duj (literally "brother's day"[146]), Bhau Beej, Bhai Tilak or Bhai Phonta. It also marks the beginning of the Hindu New Year. It is celebrated in India and other countries such as Nepal, Malaysia, Fiji, and Mauritius. Every autumn, the observance sees millions of people attend. The auspicious time to conduct Lakshmi Puja will begin at 6:09 pm and end at 8:04 pm, according to the Drik Panchang. 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. The Diwali festival dates back to ancient times in India. The final day is Bhai Dooj and similarly, celebrates the bonds between brothers and sisters. Merchants perform religious ceremonies and open new account books. 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 darkest night is the apex of the celebration and coincides with the second half of October or early November in the Gregorian calendar. The Diwali-related inscription is the 4th inscription and it includes the year Vikrama Era 1268 (c. 1211 CE). 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. Corrections? Kartik overlaps with October and November. [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). They follow thithi which is based on the movement of planets and Sun. 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. This year it was from November 5th-9th and in 2019 it will be October 25-29th. This year, Diwali will be on Thursday, Nov. 4. According to Audrey Truschke, the Sunni Muslim emperor Aurangzeb did limit "public observation" of many religious holidays such as Hindu Diwali and Holi, but also of Shia observance of Muharram and the Persian holiday of Nauruz. October 18, 2019 By Simran Jeet Singh (RNS) With more than a billion people celebrating Diwali every year, the festival is one of the largest and most significant religious observances. [165] About two-thirds of Indian households, according to the ASSOCHAM forecast, would spend between 5,000 (US$63) and 10,000 (US$130) to celebrate Diwali in 2017. Learn Religions, Sep. 4, 2021, learnreligions.com/when-is-diwali-1770209. Firecrackers also cause light pollution. Diwali celebrations can last for about five days. This year, Diwali falls at the start of November beginning with Dhanteras on November 2. 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. Some celebrate Diwali as a commemoration of the marriage of Lakshmi and Vishnu, while othersobserve it as the birthday of Lakshmi. Related: 25 Diwali Facts When is Diwali 2022? In Bengal the goddess Kali is worshipped. However you celebrate Diwali, Denver's growing Indian food scene offers a rich culinary experience for those who enjoy fresh ingredients, diverse textures, and complex combinations of spices from the South Asian subcontinent. [73] According to Lorenz Franz Kielhorn, a German Indologist known for translating many Indic inscriptions, this festival is mentioned as Dipotsavam in verses 6 and 7 of the Ranganatha temple Sanskrit inscription of the 13th-century Kerala Hindu king Ravivarman Samgramadhira. The course of the five days includes cleaning . "When Is Diwali (Deepavali)? [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. Diwali is celebrated every year in either October or November, based on the lunar cycle. [108] During Diwali, people wear their finest clothes, illuminate the interior and exterior of their homes with saaki (earthen lamp), diyas and rangoli, perform worship ceremonies of Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity and wealth,[l] light fireworks, and partake in family feasts, where mithai (sweets) and gifts are shared. 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. For example, the Singaporean government, in association with the Hindu Endowment Board of Singapore, organises many cultural events during Diwali every year. The date of the five day festival changes every year in accordance with the Hindu and lunar calendar. This year, Diwali begins on Monday 24 October on the Gregorian calendar. Diwali is the Indian "festival of lights"a holiday that celebrates the triumph of good over evil. [48][127], The youngest members in the family visit their elders, such as grandparents and other senior members of the community, on this day. [91] The telling of these myths are reminiscent of the Hindu belief that good ultimately triumphs over evil. [23] Another aspect of the festival is remembering the ancestors. 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. Fireworks are often set off in the evening to celebrate Diwali. Each day of the festival has special significance. In North India the festival also celebrates the royal homecoming of Rama (along with Sita, Lakshmana, and Hanuman) to the city of Ayodhya after defeating Ravana, the 10-headed king of the demons, thus connecting the festival with the holiday of Dussehra. You can find out more and change our default settings with Cookies Settings. The day also marks a major shopping day to purchase new utensils, home equipment, jewelry, firecrackers, and other items. Subhamoy Das is the co-author of "Applied Hinduism: Ancient Wisdom for Today's World." Learn about Diwali, when it occurs, and common traditions! [120] The term "chhoti" means little, while "Naraka" means hell and "Chaturdashi" means "fourteenth". Unlike some other festivals, the Hindus typically do not fast during the five-day long Diwali including Lakshmi Pujan, rather they feast and share the bounties of the season at their workplaces, community centres, temples, and homes. Learn Religions. Also known as the 'festival of lights', the celebration usually lasts for five days. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. Diwali is the biggest holiday of the year in India. Monier Monier Williams (2008 updated, Harvard University), Sanskrit English dictionary, . Every year on the darkest night in the northern hemisphere, millions illuminate their homes and streets to celebrate the victory of good over evil. Diwali is one of the most revered and a pious festival deeply entrenched in Hindu culture. You can find out more and change our default settings with Cookies Settings. Diwali symbolises the spiritual "victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance". While Diwali spans five days, the holiday reaches its peak on day three this year, falling on Oct. 24, 2022. 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). People often think of Diwali as a Hindu festival, but it is also celebrated by Sikhs and Jains . Naraka Chaturdashi, also known as Chhoti Diwali, is the second day of festivities coinciding with the fourteenth day of the dark fortnight of Ashwin or Kartik. [43][55], Emperor Harsha refers to Deepavali, in the 7th-century Sanskrit play Nagananda, as Dpapratipadotsava (dpa = light, pratipad = first day, utsava = festival), where lamps were lit and newly engaged brides and grooms received gifts. The Catholic dicastery Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, founded as Secretariat for non-Christians by Pope Paul VI, began sending official greetings and the Pope's message to the Hindus on Diwali in the mid-1990s. Diwali is for mere mortals; Dev Deepawali is the festival of the gods. It coincides with the day of Kali Chaudas. Patrice J. Williams is a travel and style content creator, fact-checker and author of the thrift shopping book. Diwali, the festival of lights, is a religious observance commemorated by Hindus, Sikhs, Jains and some Buddhists around the world. [81], Many Hindus associate the festival with Goddess Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity, and wife of Vishnu. Sikhs historically referred to this festival as Diwali. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. This year's festival begins on Oct. 22. According to a Government of Himachal Pradesh and India publication, the Vishvakarma puja is observed on the fourth day of Diwali in the Himalayan state. 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. The festivals and . [12] According to Goldstein, these are then shaped into various forms, such as laddus, barfis, halwa, kachoris, shrikhand, and sandesh, rolled and stuffed delicacies, such as karanji, shankarpali, maladu, susiyam, pottukadalai. Bhalla said the dates change each year based on the Hindu lunar calendar, but typically happens in October and November. Observances of Diwali differ depending on region and tradition. They install diyas, small earthen oil-filled lamps that they light up for the next five days, near Lakshmi and Ganesha iconography. [41], Diwali (English: /dwli/)[9] or Divali[44] is from the Sanskrit dpvali meaning "row or series of lights". [13][14][93][94], A scholar of Jain and Nivethan, states that in Jain tradition, Diwali is celebrated in observance of "Mahavira Nirvana Divas", the physical death and final nirvana of Mahavira. [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). Diwali is celebrated over five days in most of North India. Small business owners give gifts or special bonus payments to their employees between Dhanteras and Lakshmi Pujan. [103][104][k], Diwali is not a festival for most Buddhists, with the exception of the Newar people of Nepal who revere various deities in Vajrayana Buddhism and celebrate Diwali by offering prayers to Lakshmi. The festival falls sometime between October and November. For other uses, see, Indoor Diwali decorations in front of an altar, Line of lamps at Bedara Kannappa temple, Mysore, Diyas lit for Diwali at Golden Temple, Punjab, Decorative lights for Diwali on a house in Haryana. Diwali (Deepavali) Nov 27, 2023: Guru Nanak's Birthday: Dec 25, 2023: Christmas Day: Which are the other holidays in India? 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). In 2023, it falls on a Sunday, and some businesses may choose to follow Sunday opening hours. (2021, October 12). It's celebrated across five days with the day of Diwali observed on the new moon or Amavasya. This means that Diwali kicks off on Oct. 22 and is celebrated through Oct. 26,. [143] In Gujarat, Annakut is the first day of the new year and celebrated through the purchase of essentials, or sabras (literally, "good things in life"), such as salt, offering prayers to Krishna and visiting temples. In 2023, Diwali is on November 12. It is a time when families come together, friends are reunited and everyone celebrates the triumph of good over evil. The second day is Naraka Chaturdashi. Some diyas may also be set adrift on streams and river and the evening is marked with fireworks. [43][82] Along with Lakshmi, who is representative of Vaishnavism, Ganesha, the elephant-headed son of Parvati and Shiva of Shaivism tradition, is remembered as one who symbolises ethical beginnings and the remover of obstacles. 2. Symbolising the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness, Diwali usually falls in the early autumn, coinciding with the new moon, deemed the darkest night of the Hindu lunar calendar. This is believed to please Yama, the god of death, and to ward off untimely death. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. Dhan-trayodashi or Dhan teras: Dhan means "wealth" and Trayodashi means "thirteenth day." Thus, as the name . 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. Typically the holiday falls in October or November, as it's observed on the 15th day of Kartik, the holy month of the Hindu lunar calendar . The word "Deepavali" means "a row of lights" in Sanskrit, and its origins were likely as an ancient harvest festival. The day of Diwali itself falls on November 4.. Answer (1 of 6): Hindus do not follow date system. Learn Religions. The festivities vary between different regions. It is a day off for the general population, and schools and most businesses are closed. It's observed on the 15th day of the month. Diwali's date is determined by the India calendar and changes every year, ranging from October to November. The main festival is on Sunday, but festivities begin on Friday, a day called Dhanteras. Diwali 2023: 12 th of November, Sunday [49] (According to Indologist Constance Jones, this night ends the lunar month of Ashwin and starts the month of Kartik[50] but see this note[c] and Amanta and Purnima systems.)