Also known as the 'festival of lights', the celebration usually lasts for five days. Residents of Amritsar lit lamps throughout the city to celebrate the occasion. [123], This day is commonly celebrated as Diwali in Tamil Nadu, Goa, and Karnataka. The lighting of the lamps celebrates the light of Mahaviras holy knowledge. During the festival, Hindus, Jains and Sikhs illuminate their homes, temples and workspaces with diyas (oil lamps), candles and lanterns[16] Hindus, in particular, have a ritual oil bath at dawn on each day of the festival. (2021, October 12). 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. It's observed on the 15th day of Kartik, the holiest month in the Hindu lunar calendar. [171][172] Since 2009, Diwali has been celebrated every year at 10 Downing Street, the residence of the British Prime Minister. The Diwali festival dates back to ancient times in India. [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. Diwali is one of the most revered and a pious festival deeply entrenched in Hindu culture. 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. Diwali Celebrations Dates in Different Regions Diwali 2023 (Deepavali 2023) is on Sunday, November 12th in India. The second day, called NarakaChaturdashiorChotiDiwali, commemorates Krishnas destruction of Narakasura; prayers are also offered for the souls of ancestors. 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. The exact dates change each year but this year, Diwali falls on Monday 24 October. 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. The Diwali night's lights and firecrackers, in this interpretation, represent a celebratory and symbolic farewell to the departed ancestral souls. It is celebrated for five days across India and other parts of southern Asia, as well as in many other places around the world. 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. [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. We usually plan for our parents to visit us during this period but the pandemic has made it difficult this year for everyone. The day before Diwali is remembered as Naraka Chaturdasi, the day on which Narakasura was killed by Krishna. In 2021, Diwali is on November 4. [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. The celebration of Diwali aligns with the new moon, so it's celebrated on a different day each year. 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. It is a day off for the general population, and schools and most businesses are closed. "The first day . In South India the festival marks Krishnas defeat of the demon Narakasura. 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. Cook, Sharell. This means that Diwali kicks off on Oct. 22 and is celebrated through Oct. 26,. Because the festival of Diwali is celebrated according to the lunar calendar, the dates are different each year. 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. [23] Another aspect of the festival is remembering the ancestors. Lakshmi is the focus of worship on that day. 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. [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. A Hindu devotee lights oil lamps at a temple during . 2. The holiday falls in late October or early November each year, and in 2021, is on Thursday, November 4. . This is followed by Choti Diwali the next day and Diwali on November 4. 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 as a new-moon day, marks the last day of a 15-day period. All the days except Diwali are named using the designation in the Indian calendar. This is believed to please Yama (Yamraj), the god of death, and to ward off untimely death. Diwali, also known as Deepavali, falls on 4 November this year. The lighting of the lamps celebrates the light of Mahaviras holy knowledge. Diwali 2023: 12 th of November, Sunday Dhan-trayodashi or Dhan teras: Dhan means "wealth" and Trayodashi means "thirteenth day." Thus, as the name . 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. Such events are also mentioned in Sikh historical records. Diwali symbolises the spiritual "victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance". The legislation will come into effect next year, and Diwali will replace Anniversary Day, which is also known as Brooklyn-Queens Day, so that schools can still deliver the 180-day requirement of . Every occasion represents two main things: 1. DIWALI. This year's festival begins on Oct. 22. Naraka Chaturdashi is the second day of the festival on November 3. The festivities vary between different regions. On the third day, Lakshmi Puja, families seek blessings from Lakshmi to ensure their prosperity; light diyas, candles, and fireworks; andvisittemples. [140] It is regionally called Annakut (heap of grain), Padwa, Goverdhan puja, Bali Pratipada, Bali Padyami, Kartik Shukla Pratipada and other names. [181][182], The use of firecrackers on Diwali increases the concentration of dust and pollutants in the air. Diwali festivities usually last for 5 days. ", Christopher H. Johnson, Simon Teuscher & David Warren Sabean 2011, India Journal: Tis the Season to be Shopping, Pakistan parliament adopts resolution for Holi, Diwali, Easter holidays, "The Svanti Festival: Victory over Death and the Renewal of the Ritual Cycle in Nepal", "Diwali Festival 2020 India:Date,Story,Celebration,Diwali Special Gift", "Krishna Killed Narakasur - The Narakasur Legend of Diwali - Diwali Legend", Diwali Celebrating the triumph of goodness, "2020 Yama Deepam date and timings for New Delhi, NCT, India", "The 'Yam-deep' or 'Jam ke Deeya' SWAHA International", "Significance of Yama Deepam on Diwali Eve", "Choti Diwali 2020 date: Kali Chaudas significance, when and how to celebrate", "2020 Hanuman Puja date and time during Diwali for New Delhi, NCT, India", If You Missed Diwali in India, Dallas Is the Place to Be, Manchester Dashehra and Diwali Mela plans announced, Festive season to boost India gold buying, India's banks face pre-Diwali cash crunch, Diwali lights up consumer spending, festive spirit beats inflation, Fear Of Toxic Smog Leads India To Limit Diwali Fireworks, Firework Facts: Americans Incinerate $1 Billion in July Fourth Fireworks Every Year, Oneline sales may surpass Rs 30000 crores in festive months, Average family to spend Rs. The main festival day falls on a different date each autumn, timed to the Hindu lunar calendar, but it . 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. 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? [116] The term Dhan for this day also alludes to the Ayurvedic icon Dhanvantari, the god of health and healing, who is believed to have emerged from the "churning of cosmic ocean" on the same day as Lakshmi. Residents of Amritsar lit lamps throughout the city to celebrate the occasion. The names and events of the individual days of Diwali are as follows: The first day, known as Dhanteras, is dedicated to cleaning homes and purchasing small items of gold. [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. A lunar half-month is 15 days. The festival isn't celebrated in Kerala though. In 2023, Diwali will be celebrated on 19th October (Sunday). Though technically religious, it's also become a cultural event in North America that's celebrated with sweets and special foods. The name is derived from the Sanskrit term dipavali, meaning row of lights. The festival generally symbolizes the victory of light over darkness. Scholars contest the 527 BCE date and consider Mahavira's biographical details as uncertain. A solar calendar (like the Gregorian one) has an average of 365.24 days. Hit ctrl+D to bookmark this page, and share this page with your friends. 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. Amavasya is thought of as the darkest night of the year and is holy to Hindus. This year, Diwali or Deepavali will take place on October 24. [n] Vishwakarma is the presiding Hindu deity for those in architecture, building, manufacturing, textile work and crafts trades. 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. [186], (federal) = federal holidays, (abbreviation) = state/territorial holidays, (religious) = religious holidays, (cultural) = holiday related to a specific racial/ethnic group or sexual minority, (week) = week-long holidays, (month) = month-long holidays, (36) = Title 36 Observances and Ceremonies. 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. (2021, September 4). [154][155][91], Diwali marks a major shopping period in India,[31] and is comparable to the Christmas period in terms of consumer purchases and economic activity. Ubtan is applied by the women which is made up of special gram flour mixed with herbs for cleansing and beautifying themselves. Sometimes these are wrapped with edible silver foil (vark). You can find out more and change our default settings with Cookies Settings.
