Diwali celebrations
Hindu lamp festival
Diwali celebrations mark the Hindu festival of lights, typically lasting five days in autumn.
Families clean and decorate homes, light clay lamps called diyas, exchange sweets and gifts, and set off fireworks.
The festival honors the triumph of light over darkness and good over evil: The whole neighborhood comes alive during Diwali celebrations.
Though Hindu in origin, Diwali celebrations extend to Jain, Sikh, and secular communities across South Asia and its diaspora.
- festival of lightsHoliday centered on glowing displays
- clay lampsCeramic vessels holding wicks
- pujaHindu worship ritual
- oil lampsFuel-burning light vessels
- family gatheringsRelatives meeting socially
row of lights · barfi · spiritual cleansing · kheer · community feasts · lanterns · Lakshmi · goddess worship · gulab jamun · sparklers · candles · gift exchange · new clothes · good luck · family traditions · card games · pakoras · charity events
Diwali celebrationsfuneral rites
Customs for honoring deceased
mourning rituals · Yom Kippur · memorial services · shiva · Tisha B'Av
Diwali celebrationsHanukkah celebrations
Eight-day Jewish commemoration
Hanukkah · Eid celebrations · Eid al-Fitr · Chinese New Year · Easter