Diwali | What it Is & How It’s Celebrated
Diwali, also known as the “Festival of Lights,” is a holiday celebrated by Hindus, Jains, Sikhs, and some Buddhists. It symbolizes different things for different people, but its meaning usually relates to the victory of light over darkness and good over evil.
The date of Diwali changes each year, though it usually falls during October and November. The holiday is celebrated over five days, during which people decorate with lights and flowers, pray and perform rituals, exchange gifts, and share traditional foods.
If you’d like to send someone Diwali wishes, QuillBot’s AI Chat can help you out.
What is Diwali?
Diwali is a Hindu holiday celebrated by millions of people worldwide. Variations of Diwali are also celebrated by Sikhs, Jains, and some Buddhists. It’s primarily observed in South Asia and by the South Asian diaspora living in the United States, the United Kingdom, etc. Diwali holds a similar significance for its celebrants as Christmas does for Christians.
Diwali meaning
The name Diwali comes from the Sanskrit word dīpāvali, meaning “row of lights” or “series of lights.” In Sanskrit, dīpa means “light” or “lamp,” and āvali means “row” or “line.”
Because Diwali is celebrated by millions of people across cultures, religions, and languages, different groups use different names. It’s also known as Divali, Deepavali, and Deepawali, all of which share the same Sanskrit etymology.
When is Diwali?
Diwali is observed according to the Hindu lunisolar calendar. It’s celebrated over five days, with the main day of celebrations taking place on the new moon, or the darkest night. On the Gregorian calendar, Diwali falls between mid-October and mid-November.
Diwali 2025
The main day of Diwali 2025 falls on Monday, October 20th. Compare this to Diwali 2024, which took place on October 31st, and Diwali 2023, which was celebrated on November 13th. The full five days of the 2025 festival are October 18th, 19th, 20th, 21st, and 22nd.
What does Diwali celebrate?
Diwali celebrates the spiritual victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance. While the core message is universal, the specific stories and traditions behind the holiday vary by region and religion.
For example, for different Hindus, Diwali is said to celebrate:
- The day Rama returned home after defeating the demon king Ravana
- The day Krishna and Satyabhama defeated the evil being Narakasura
- Various gods and goddesses, including Ganesha (wisdom) and Lakshmi (prosperity)
While for other faiths, it commemorates different events:
- For Sikhs, the release of Guru Hargobind from a Mughal prison
- For Jains, when Lord Mahavira was liberated from the cycle of birth and death
- For some Buddhists, the day Emperor Ashoka converted to Buddhism
Although somewhat reductive, you could therefore say Diwali celebrates the victory of that which makes life possible and peaceful over that which does not.
How to celebrate Diwali
Celebrations vary by community and region, but some common traditions unite people across religions and cultures. For example, many people across religions light diyas, or oil lamps, during Diwali.
Diwali is typically marked by five days of observances, each with its own rituals and significance. Some examples are found in the table below, though there are also many other practices for each day.
| Day | Name | How it’s celebrated |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dhanteras | People clean their homes and purchase items like gold, silver, or new utensils. This is thought to bring good fortune. They also decorate with diyas and rangoli (colorful floral or geometric designs) to invite happiness and prosperity. |
| 2 | Naraka Chaturdashi | Celebrants bathe before sunrise and apply oils to the skin to symbolize purification. They also share sweet and savory snacks to celebrate light over darkness. |
| 3 | Lakshmi Puja | Families and friends gather to worship Lakshmi and light diyas to invite her blessings of wealth and prosperity. There are also often fireworks and feasts on this day. |
| 4 | Govardhan Puja | Devotees prepare large meals to share with their communities and the gods. It is sometimes celebrated as Annakut, literally “mountain of food.” It also marks the new year for some. |
| 5 | Bhai Dooj | Brothers and sisters celebrate their bond. Sisters perform rituals for their brothers’ well-being, and brothers give gifts in return. It’s similar to Raksha Bandhan. |
Diwali is also, more generally, celebrated with:
- Decorations, particularly lamps, candles, lanterns, and strings of lights
- Food, especially sweets like laddus, barfis, and halwas
- Gifts between family and friends, often of sweets and dried fruits
- Community events like temple gatherings, fireworks, and melas (market festivals)
- Adornments like colorful clothing and henna body art
Happy Diwali wishes
Wishing someone a happy Diwali is a way to share joy and good fortune. Some common wishes include:
- Happy Diwali!
- Happy Deepavali!
- Shubh Deepavali! [“happy Diwali” in Hindi and other languages]
- Wishing you prosperity, happiness, and light this Diwali.
- I hope your Diwali is full of light, love, peace, and prosperity.
- Wishing you a Diwali filled with love, laughter, and endless light.
- May Diwali and its lights bring peace, prosperity, and joy to you and your family.
- On this Diwali, may your home be illuminated with happiness and harmony.
- Let this Diwali burn away all your troubles and brighten your life with positivity.
Frequently asked questions about Diwali
- What’s the difference between Deepavali and Diwali?
-
The only difference between Deepavali and Diwali is the names themselves. Both refer to the same holiday: the Hindu “Festival of Lights” that is also celebrated by Jains, Sikhs, and some Buddhists.
Some people refer to this holiday as Deepavali, and others as Diwali. To learn more about who uses which name, ask QuillBot’s AI Chat .
- What are some traditional Diwali foods?
-
Some traditional Diwali foods are:
- Laddus, spherical sweets
- Barfis, milk-based sweets similar to fudge
- Jalebis, sweets made of deep-fried batter
- Samosas, pastries with savory filling
- Chaklis, spiral-shaped savory snacks
- Pakoras, savory fritters
Many families also prepare festive meals featuring regional vegetarian dishes.
Want to try making some of these traditional Diwali foods? Ask QuillBot’s AI Chat for recipes!
- What is rangoli?
-
Rangoli are colorful designs created during Diwali. Patterns, often floral or geometric, are created on the ground or on tabletops using colored materials like rocks, sand, minerals, flour, and plants.
If you’d like to see what rangoli look like, you can ask QuillBot’s AI image generator to show you.
- What is a diya?
-
A diya is an oil lamp used by Hindus, Jains, Sikhs, and some Buddhists in religious rituals and during holidays like Diwali.
Diyas are made from clay or mud and have cotton wicks dipped in either ghee or oil. The warm, bright glow of a diya is considered to represent prosperity, knowledge, and wisdom.
To learn more about diyas, ask QuillBot’s AI Chat.
Cite this Quillbot article
We encourage the use of reliable sources in all types of writing. You can copy and paste the citation or click the "Cite this article" button to automatically add it to our free Citation Generator.
Santoro, K. (2025, September 09). Diwali | What it Is & How It’s Celebrated. Quillbot. Retrieved October 28, 2025, from https://quillbot.com/blog/wishes-and-expressions/diwali/
