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Hanukkah falls on the eve of the 25th of the Jewish month of Kislev and lasts eight days. That lands it somewhere in December on the Gregorian calendar (though in 2013 it fell on Thanksgiving in November, an extremely rare occurrence). Also called the Festival of Lights, Hanukkah celebrates events from more than 2,000 years ago.
- Overview
- The meaning of Diwali—and its many legends
- How Diwali is celebrated
Observed by more than a billion people across faiths, this five-day festival of lights brings prayer, feasts, fireworks and, for some, a new year.
Diwali is India’s most important festival of the year—a time to celebrate the triumph of light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance, and good over evil. Widely observed among more than a billion people from a variety of faiths across India and its diaspora, the five days of Diwali are marked by prayer, feasts, fireworks, family gatherings, and charitable giving. For some, Diwali is also the beginning of a new year.
But Diwali is perhaps best known as a festival of lights. Derived from the Sanskrit dipavali, which means “row of lights,” Diwali is known for the brightly burning clay lamps that celebrants line up outside their homes. (See dazzling pictures of Diwali, the festival of lights.)
The dates of this festival are based on the Hindu lunar calendar, which marks each month by the time it takes the moon to orbit Earth. Diwali begins just before the arrival of a new moon between the Hindu months of Asvina and Kartika—which typically falls in October or November of the Gregorian calendar.
Diwali is so widely celebrated—it’s an important religious festival for Hindus, but is also observed among Jains, Sikhs, and Buddhists—that it has no single origin story. But while each religion has its own historical narrative behind the holiday, they all ultimately represent the victory of good over evil.
(Parents and educators: Learn about Diwali with your kids.)
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Diwali: Festival of Lights
In India, one of the most significant festivals is Diwali, or the festival of lights. It's a five-day celebration that includes good food, fireworks, colored sand, and special candles and lamps.
In Hinduism alone—which is considered the world’s oldest living religion, dating back to the second millennium B.C.—there are several versions of the Diwali story that vary among geographic communities. These, however, are all epic tales of victory won by men who were considered incarnations of the Hindu god Vishnu, regarded as the sustainer of the universe, and whose role it is to restore the balance of good and evil in times of trouble.
Just as the legends of Diwali differ from region to region so, too, do the holiday’s rituals. What most have in common, though, are the abundance of sweets, family gatherings, and the lighting of clay lamps that symbolize the inner light that protects each household from spiritual darkness.
Left:
A potter arranges earthen lamps, which are used to decorate homes and temples during Diwali, at a workshop in Ahmedabad, India, on November 9, 2020.
Photograph by Amit Dave, Reuters
Right:
During Diwali, many people decorate their floors with rangoli, or intricate and colorful designs made from powder, rice, flower petals, or sand.
- 3 min
- Amy McKeever
Diwali ( English: / dɪˈwɑːliː /; Deepavali, [4] IAST: Dīpāvalī) is the Hindu festival of lights, with variations celebrated in other Indian religions. [a] It symbolises the spiritual "victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance".
- Deepavali
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Dec 7, 2023 · By Amy Briggs. December 07, 2023. • 6 min read. It's time to celebrate Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights that lasts for eight days and nights in honor of a 2,000-year-old miracle in which ...
- 2 min
- Amy Briggs
Nov 9, 2023 · FILE - A slum colony is decorated with lanterns and lights during Diwali, the festival of lights in Mumbai, India, Oct. 24, 2022. Diwali is the most important festival of the year in India and for Hindus in particular. It is celebrated across faiths by more than a billion people in the world’s most populous nation and the diaspora.
- dbharath@ap.org
- Religion Reporter
Jan 29, 2019 · Deepawali, Deepavali, or Diwali is the biggest and the brightest of all Hindu festivals. It is the festival of lights: deep means "light" and avali "a row" to become "a row of lights." Diwali is marked by four days of celebration, which literally illuminates the country with its brilliance and dazzles people with its joy.
May 5, 2024 · Diwali (Divali) is a major Hindu religious festival that lasts for five days during the lunar months of Ashvina and Karttika (October–November). The name is derived from the Sanskrit term dipavali, meaning ‘row of lights,’ which are lit on the new-moon night.
