Diwali this year is a close-knit family affair. Diwali, also known as Deepavali, falls on 4 November this year. Diwali Diwali (or Deepawali, Deepavali) is an ancient Hindu festival that is celebrated in autumn every year. [21][22] Many towns organise community parades and fairs with parades or music and dance performances in parks. In some months, a day needs to be dropped to correlate with a shorter lunar cycle. Retrieved from https://www.learnreligions.com/when-is-diwali-1539426. Diwali, Divali, Deepavali: How you celebrated the festival of lights On this day, sisters will give gifts to their brothers and invite them to enjoy a meal. ( See calendar ). What Is Diwali and How Do You Celebrate Hindu Festival of Lights? What makes Dev Deepawali different from Diwali? The Diwali festival actually runs for five days, with the main event happening on the third day in most places in India. Merchants perform religious ceremonies and open new account books. 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. In some parts of India, the day after Lakshmi Puja is marked with the Govardhan Puja and Balipratipada (Padwa). It is commemorated on the 15th day of Kartik, the Hindu calendar's holiest month. It is traditionally a puja, or a celebration that worships, honors, and shows devotion to the divine. Diwali 2022 - The Festival of Lights - Sadhguru The main festival day falls on a different date each autumn, timed to the Hindu lunar calendar, but it . This legend is remembered through the ritual of building small mountain-like miniatures from cow dung. https://www.learnreligions.com/when-is-diwali-1770209 (accessed March 4, 2023). Happy Diwali Festival 2021: its meaning and traditional Diwali food [140], This day ritually celebrates the bond between the wife and husband,[143] and in some Hindu communities, husbands will celebrate this with gifts to their wives. Traditionally, Marathi Hindus and South Indian Hindus receive an oil massage from the elders in the family on the day and then take a ritual bath, all before sunrise. [50] It is mentioned in mentioned in early Sanskrit texts, such as the Padma Purana and the Skanda Purana, both of which were completed in the second half of the 1st millennium CE. 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 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). [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. [4] Diwali is celebrated by Hindus, Jains, Sikhs, and Newar Buddhists,[29] although for each faith it marks different historical events and stories, but nonetheless the festival represents the same symbolic victory of light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance, and good over evil. This festival gets its name from "Deepa" meaning "Light" and "Avali" meaning "Row". When is Diwali celebrated every year? - Quora Why is Diwali Celebrated | TD active Holidays [92][12], Originally a Hindu festival, Diwali has transcended religious lines. 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. Diwali is celebrated for five days, each with its own special significance. It symbolizes the victory of good over evil and an even deeper meaning is to drive away our inner darkness with light. While Diwali spans five days, the holiday reaches its peak on day three this year, falling on Oct. 24, 2022. [117] Some Hindus observe Yama Deepa on the second night before the main day of Diwali.[118][119]. [107] According to some observers, this traditional celebration by Newar Buddhists in Nepal, through the worship of Lakshmi and Vishnu during Diwali, is not syncretism but rather a reflection of the freedom within Mahayana Buddhist tradition to worship any deity for their worldly betterment.[29]. [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. The day before Diwali is remembered as Naraka Chaturdasi, the day on which Narakasura was killed by Krishna. [75][76] Another early 13th-century Sanskrit stone inscription, written in the Devanagari script, has been found in the north end of a mosque pillar in Jalore, Rajasthan evidently built using materials from a demolished Jain temple. Gambling, especially in the form of card games, is encouraged as a way of ensuring good luck in the coming year and in remembrance of the games of dice played by Shiva and Parvati on Mount Kailasa or similar contests between Radha and Krishna. Diwali is also known as the 'Festival of Light' because it is celebrated using lights, fireworks and lanterns in private homes and public places. In other regions, parents invite a newly married daughter, or son, together with their spouses to a festive meal and give them gifts. It's the holiday season and Diwali is around the corner. Diwali: Hindu Festival of Lights | Live Science The Prayer Hymn (Aarti) for the Hindu Diwali Celebration, The Real Reason for the Hindu Raksha Bandhan Celebration, Hindu Calendar: Days, Months, Years and Epochs, Fasting, Praying, and Regular Hindu Rituals. [141][142] In another interpretation, it is thought to reference the legend of Parvati and her husband Shiva playing a game of dyuta (dice) on a board of twelve squares and thirty pieces, Parvati wins. There are many stories around the celebration of Diwali. Dipa oil lamps are often lit for Diwali celebrations. Amavasya is thought of as the darkest night of the year and is holy to Hindus. Diwali is celebrated every year in either October or November, based on the lunar cycle. In 2022, Diwali is on Monday 24 October. [124] Many visit their favourite Hindu temple. As per India's official holiday calendar, Diwali in 2020 will be on Saturday, November 14, coinciding with the 15th day of Kartik, the holiest month in the Hindu lunar calendar. It began sending official greetings and message to Muslims in 1967 on. Ths festival of lights, i.e. The dates of Diwali change every year, though the five day festival generally falls between late October and early November. 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. In South India the festival marks Krishnas defeat of the demon Narakasura. According to the ancient calendar, Diwali is observed on Amavasya (or new moon) the 15th day of the month of Kartik, every year. 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 Hindu calendar is lunisolar but most festival dates are specified using the lunar portion of the calendar. Five Days of Diwali - Diwali 5 Days, Diwalifestival.org On that day sisters pray for the success and well-being of their brothers. [117][118][119], The third day is the height of the festival,[126] and coincides with the last day of the dark fortnight of Ashwin or Kartik. The first day of Diwali is called Dhanvantari Triodasi or Dhanwantari Triodasi also called Dhan Theras. But when Diwali occurs in the calendar changes every year. The third day is Diwali and the height of the festival. Diwali 2023 - Private travel in Asia, tailor-made tours | Asia Highlights [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. [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. [123], This day is commonly celebrated as Diwali in Tamil Nadu, Goa, and Karnataka. Thus, people worship Hanuman the day before Diwali's main day. [60] It is mentioned in the Ramayana that Diwali was celebrated for only 2 years in Ayodhya. This year, Diwali will be on Thursday, Nov. 4. The festival typically lasts for four to five days and coincides with the new moon on the Hindu lunisolar calendar,. [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. Learn Religions. [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. Das, Subhamoy. Diwali is celebrated in the Hindu month of Kartik. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. While different historical events are observed in different regions and by different faiths, Diwali represents the triumph of light over darkness, and knowledge over ignorance for all the cultures that celebrate it. The women, in particular, adorn themselves in colourful attire and decorate their hands with henna. [121] It is also celebrated as Roop Chaudas in some North Indian households, where women bathe before sunrise, while lighting a Diya (lamp) in the bath area, they believe it helps enhance their beauty it is a fun ritual that young girls enjoy as part of festivities. The lighting of the lamps celebrates the light of Mahaviras holy knowledge. What is Diwali and how is it celebrated? | BBC Good Food [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 height of Diwali is celebrated on the third day coinciding with the darkest night of Ashvin or Kartika. This year (2021), Diwali begins on Tuesday 2 November, with the peak day of celebrations happening on the third day, Thursday 4 November. DEV DEEPAWALI - November 26, 2023 - National Today The course of the five days includes cleaning . [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. Naraka Chaturdashi is also a major day for purchasing festive foods, particularly sweets. This time the revered festival of Diwali is to be held on the month of October 24, 2022. Diwali celebrates Rama's eventual defeat of the evil spirit Ravana, and his triumphant return to his home. [77][78][i], The religious significance of Diwali varies regionally within India. Dates for 2020 to 2025." They also spend time with family and friends to enjoy good food and fireworks. At such events a variety of music, dance and arts performances, food, crafts, and cultural celebrations are featured. It's observed on the 15th day of the month. Diwali festivities usually last for 5 days. The doors and windows of houses are kept open in the hope that Lakshmi will find her way inside and bless the residents with wealth and success. [184], During Diwali, the levels of suspended particulate matter increase. Such events are also mentioned in Sikh historical records. [23] Some Hindus, Jains and Sikhs will send Diwali greeting cards to family near and far during the festive season, occasionally with boxes of Indian confectionery. Diwali, for Vasavada, would always culminate in a large family feast with enough food to feed a small town. Every autumn, the observance sees millions of people attend. Everyone Practices Cancel Culture | Opinion, Deplatforming Free Speech is Dangerous | Opinion.