What is Diwali and How Do People Celebrate?
Diwali is known as the festival of lights. This festival is celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, and some Buddhists.
What is Diwali?
The word Diwali means ‘rows of lighted lamps’. Diwali is a five-day festival, and each day has its own special meaning. The dates change each year because Diwali follows the lunar calendar, but it always falls between October and November.
There are many stories linked to Diwali. These stories vary across different religions and regions. The main idea in all of them is the victory of good over evil.
Celebrating Diwali
The focus of Diwali for many people is welcoming Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth. People light many lamps, called diyas, and candles. They leave doors and windows open. This is to help Lakshmi find her way into their homes. They hope she will bring good fortune and prosperity.
Other ways people celebrate include:
- Cleaning their homes before the festival starts. This prepares the home for a new, fresh year.
- Wearing new clothes to mark the special occasion and a new beginning.
- Exchanging gifts with family and friends. These gifts are often sweets and dried fruits.
- Preparing festive meals and special sweet treats, called mithai.
- Decorating homes and buildings with fancy lights and colourful patterns, called rangoli.
- Enjoying huge fireworks displays in the evening. These lights add to the festive atmosphere and symbolise the defeat of darkness.
Happy Diwali
If you celebrate Diwali, we hope you have a fantastic time! If you don’t, now you know a bit more about this special festival.
