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They follow thithi which is based on the movement of planets and Sun. In North India the festival also celebrates the royal homecoming of Rama (along with Sita, Lakshmana, and Hanuman) to the city of Ayodhya after defeating Ravana, the 10-headed king of the demons, thus connecting the festival with the holiday of Dussehra. It is commemorated on the 15th day of Kartik, the Hindu calendar's holiest month. This is followed by Choti Diwali the next day and Diwali on November 4. These lamps symbolize the light of inner spirituality that protects us from the spiritual darkness that threatens to engulf us. [185] When these compounds pollute the air, they increase the risk of cancer in people. The holiday falls in late October or early November each year, and in 2021, is on Thursday, November 4. . Complete guide to visiting India during Diwali - Explore With Lora [114][43][82] On the evening of Dhanteras, families offer prayers (puja) to Lakshmi and Ganesha, and lay offerings of puffed rice, candy toys, rice cakes and batashas (hollow sugar cakes). It is well preserved on the north wall of the second. For the Jain community, the festival commemorates the enlightenment and liberation (moksha) of Mahavira, the most recent of the Jain Tirthankaras, from the cycle of life and death (samsara). The duration will be 1 hour 56 minutes. Dates for 2020 to 2025. [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. [23][140] According to one tradition, the day is associated with the story of Bali's defeat at the hands of Vishnu. Every year Hindus, Sikhs, and Jains around the world celebrate the Indian Festival of Lights called Diwali. (The corresponding dates in the Gregorian calendar usually fall in late October and November.) New York City makes Diwali public school holiday from 2023 Diwali will become a public school holiday in New York City starting next year, Mayor Eric Adams (D) announced Thursday.. Why it matters: Diwali, a celebration of light over darkness that starts on Oct. 24 this year, is one of the most sacred holidays observed by Hindus, Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists. Das, Subhamoy. Diwali is also celebrated to mark the return of Rama to Ayodhya after defeating the demon-king Ravana and completing his fourteen years of exile. [169][r], Many governments encourage or sponsor Diwali-related festivities in their territories. "The first day . Diwali takes places every year, either in October or November, depending on the position of the Moon. The word "avali" means row and "deepa . According to McDermott, while the Durga Puja is the largest Bengali festival and it can be traced to the 16th-century or earlier, the start of Kali puja tradition on Diwali is traceable to no earlier than about the mid-18th-century during the reign of Raja Krishnacandra Ray. A lunar year varies in length, each month containing approximately 29.5 days (354 days) depending on the moon's movement with respect to the earth. The meaning of Diwaliand its many legends Diwali is so widely. The fifth day, called Bhai Dooj, Bhai Tika, or Bhai Bij, celebrates the bond between brothers and sisters. [108] During Diwali, people wear their finest clothes, illuminate the interior and exterior of their homes with saaki (earthen lamp), diyas and rangoli, perform worship ceremonies of Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity and wealth,[l] light fireworks, and partake in family feasts, where mithai (sweets) and gifts are shared. Communities prepare over one hundred dishes from a variety of ingredients, which is then dedicated to Krishna before being shared among the community. Diwali 2021: What is it and who celebrates the holiday? - WTSP Learn Religions. [109][133] According to Rachel Fell McDermott, a scholar of South Asian, particular Bengali, studies, in Bengal during Navaratri (Dussehra elsewhere in India) the Durga puja is the main focus, although in the eastern and north eastern states the two are synonymous, but on Diwali the focus is on the puja dedicated to Kali. [124], As the evening approaches, celebrants will wear new clothes or their best outfits, teenage girls and women, in particular, wear saris and jewelry. Diwali is a five-day festival begins with Dhanteras and ends with Bhai Dooj. Diwali symbolises the spiritual "victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance". Every autumn, the observance sees millions of people attend. [101] According to J.S. When is Navaratri in 2021, 2022, and 2023? It is one of the most important festivals within Hinduism[7][8] where it generally lasts five days (or six in some regions of India), and is celebrated during the Hindu lunisolar months of Ashvin (according to the amanta tradition) and Kartika (between mid-October and mid-November). Since the 18th century, Diwali has been celebrated in Sikhism as the time of Guru Hargobinds return to Amritsar from captivity in Gwalioran echo of Ramas return to Ayodhya. [31][32][33] The main day of the festival of Diwali (the day of Lakshmi Puja) is an official holiday in Fiji,[34] Guyana,[35] India, Malaysia,[a][36] Mauritius, Myanmar,[37] Nepal,[38] Pakistan,[39] Singapore,[40] Sri Lanka, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago. "When Is Diwali (Deepavali)? The exact dates change each year but this year, Diwali falls on Monday 24 October. [92][12], Originally a Hindu festival, Diwali has transcended religious lines. When is Diwali 2021? Start date of Hindu festival of lights - mirror Major celebrations occur on the third day of the five-day long festival . The first day of Diwali is called Dhanvantari Triodasi or Dhanwantari Triodasi also called Dhan Theras. In some parts of India, the day after Lakshmi Puja is marked with the Govardhan Puja and Balipratipada (Padwa). amnta / primnta. Diwali always falls some time between October and November, but the exact date varies each year as the Hindu calendar is based on the Moon. According to Pintchman, in some Hindu traditions the women recite tales where sisters protect their brothers from enemies that seek to cause him either bodily or spiritual harm. The date of the five day festival changes every year in accordance with the Hindu and lunar calendar. [102] The festival of Diwali, according to Ray Colledge, highlights three events in Sikh history: the founding of the city of Amritsar in 1577, the release of Guru Hargobind from the Mughal prison, and the day of Bhai Mani Singh's martyrdom in 1738 as a result of his failure to pay a fine for trying to celebrate Diwali and thereafter refusing to convert to Islam. There are many stories around the celebration of Diwali. This festive day is interpreted by some to symbolise Yama's sister Yamuna welcoming Yama with a tilaka, while others interpret it as the arrival of Krishna at his sister Subhadra's place after defeating Narakasura. Diwali was not a public holiday in Pakistan from 1947 to 2016. Each day has a different name and rituals. 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). Diaspora, Identity, and Festivalization, The Festival of 'Deepavali' as Marks of Tradition and Identity for Working, Married Hindu Women: Continuity and Change, Celebrations as Social Investments: Festival Expenditures, Unit Price Variation, and Social Status in Rural India, M.A., English Literature, University of North Bengal. Diwali is the Indian "festival of lights"a holiday that celebrates the triumph of good over evil. Diwali falls in either October or November each year, depending on the cycle of the moon. Diwali is known as the festival of lights in India. Hindus celebrating Diwali in India. Diwali 2023: 12 th of November, Sunday [81], Many Hindus associate the festival with Goddess Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity, and wife of Vishnu. After firing, the fine dust particles get settled on the surrounding surfaces which are packed with chemicals like copper, zinc, sodium, lead, magnesium, cadmium and pollutants like oxides of sulfur and nitrogen. This legend is remembered through the ritual of building small mountain-like miniatures from cow dung. Diwali falls in either October or November each year, depending on the cycle of the moon. Diwali is celebrated for almost five days consecutively. Sharell Cook lives in Mumbai full-time and writes about India travel. 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). Diwali as a new-moon day, marks the last day of a 15-day period. It is in fact the thirteenth lunar day of Krishna Paksh, the dark forthnight of the month of Kartik. It was in early 20th-century, states Harjot Oberoi, a scholar of Sikh history, when the Khalsa Tract Society triggered by the, Hindus of eastern and northeastern states of India associate the festival with the goddess. In 2022, Diwali will begin on October 22, and end on October 26. Over time, these spring and autumn festivals became the most important of Sikh festivals and holy sites such as Amritsar became focal points for annual pilgrimages. Observances of Diwali differ depending on region and tradition. Choti Diwali is the major shopping day for festive, Annakut community meals (left), Krishna holding, A sister ritually feeding her brother on Bhai Duj-Diwali, Dhanteras, Dhanatrayodashi, Yama Deepam (Day 1), Naraka Chaturdashi, Kali Chaudas, Chhoti Diwali, Hanuman Puja, Roop Chaudas, Yama Deepam (Day 2), Annakut, Balipratipada (Padwa), Govardhan Puja (Day 4), Bhai Duj, Bhau-Beej, Vishwakarma Puja (Day 5). [120] The term "chhoti" means little, while "Naraka" means hell and "Chaturdashi" means "fourteenth". 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. The 5 days of Diwali A lunar day is uniquely identified by three calendar elements: msa (lunar month), paka (lunar fortnight) and tithi (lunar day). All the days except Diwali are named using the designation in the Indian calendar. When Is Diwali 2021 and How Is the Festival of Lights Celebrated? The Prayer Hymn (Aarti) for the Hindu Diwali Celebration, Hindu Calendar: Days, Months, Years and Epochs, The Real Reason for the Hindu Raksha Bandhan Celebration, History and Significance of Diwali, the Festival of Lights, Reasons to Celebrate Diwali the Festival of Lights, Calendar of Hindu Festivals, Fasts, and Religious Events 20202025, The History of Vasant Panchami, the Birth of Hindu Goddess Saraswati, A Guide to the 6 Seasons of the Hindu Calendar, A Guide to Lohri, The Hindu Winter Bonfire Festival, Evaluating Population Exposure to Environmental Pollutants During Deepavali Fireworks Displays Using Air Quality Measurements of the Safar Network, Whose Diwali Is It? It's the holiday season and Diwali is around the corner. 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 course of the five days includes cleaning . The Lacshmipuja dipanwita, remarked Jones, was a "great festival at night, in honour of Lakshmi, with illuminations on trees and houses".[68][f].