Diwali – The Festival of lights

Diwali is the most important festival of the year in India, a time to celebrate the triumph of light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance, and good over evil. The five days of Diwali, celebrated by more than a billion people of various faiths across India and its diaspora, are marked by prayers, feasts, fireworks, family gatherings and donations.

But Diwali is better known as the festival of lights. It derives from the Sanskrit word dipavali, meaning "string of lights," and is famous for the gleaming clay lamps that are placed in front of the houses of those who celebrate this festival.

The dates of this festival are based on the Hindu lunar calendar, which marks each month according to the time it takes for the Moon to orbit around the Earth. Diwali begins just before the arrival of a new moon between the Hindu months of asvina and kartika, which normally coincide with the Gregorian calendar months of October or November. In 2022, Diwali begins on October 24.

The meaning of Diwali and its many legends

Diwali is celebrated so widely – it is an important religious festival for Hindus, but also for Jains, Sikhs and Buddhists – that there is no single story of its origin. But although each religion has its own historical narrative about this holiday, in the end they all represent the victory of good over evil.

In addition to these stories, Diwali is also a celebration of the Hindu goddess of wealth and good luck, Lakshmi. In the ancient agrarian society of India, Diwali coincided with the last harvest before winter, a time to pray to Lakshmi for good fortune. Today, Indian businesses still consider Diwali to be the first day of the new fiscal year.

How Diwali is celebrated

Just as Diwali legends differ between regions, so do the rituals. What most have in common is the abundance of sweets, family gatherings and the lighting of clay lamps that symbolize the inner light that protects each home from spiritual darkness.