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Grewal, a scholar of Sikhism and Sikh history, Diwali in the Sikh tradition is older than the sixth Guru Hargobind legend. This event is free and UCF students of all backgrounds are encouraged to attend. [186], (federal) = federal holidays, (abbreviation) = state/territorial holidays, (religious) = religious holidays, (cultural) = holiday related to a specific racial/ethnic group or sexual minority, (week) = week-long holidays, (month) = month-long holidays, (36) = Title 36 Observances and Ceremonies. In 2023, Diwali is on November 12. [116] On this day, many Hindus clean their homes and business premises. One tradition links the festival to legends in the Hindu epic Ramayana, where Diwali is the day Rama, Sita, Lakshman and Hanuman reached Ayodhya after a period of 14 years in exile after Rama's army of good defeated demon king Ravana's army of evil. This year, Diwali falls at the start of November beginning with Dhanteras on November 2. Diwali takes places every year, either in October or November, depending on the position of the Moon. Scholars contest the 527 BCE date and consider Mahavira's biographical details as uncertain. [135][136] At dusk, lamps placed earlier in the inside and outside of the home are lit up to welcome Lakshmi. The holiday overlaps with the Hindu New Year and as a result is associated with a chance to reset and start anew. [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. According to the ancient calendar, Diwali is observed on Amavasya (or new moon) the 15th day of the month of Kartik, every year. "The first day . The third day is the day of Lakshmi Puja and the darkest night of the traditional month. Diwali celebrations burst into life on the third day of the five day festival of lights, which falls between October and November with a changing date each year. The Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue was founded as Secretariat for non-Christians by Pope Paul VI. One of the earliest reports on this variation was by Wilson in 1847. Though technically religious, it's also become a cultural event in North America that's celebrated with sweets and special foods. [168], Diwali has increasingly attracted cultural exchanges, becoming occasions for politicians and religious leaders worldwide to meet Hindu or Indian origin citizens, diplomatic staff or neighbours. People will wear their best clothes and pray to Lakshmi as lamps are lit outside homes and temples. [116] The term Dhan for this day also alludes to the Ayurvedic icon Dhanvantari, the god of health and healing, who is believed to have emerged from the "churning of cosmic ocean" on the same day as Lakshmi. For Jains, it is a time to celebrate Lord Mahavira, the founder of Jainism, and the moment reached a state of enlightenment. Facts about Diwali 1) Diwali is an important religious festival originating in India. The women, in particular, adorn themselves in colourful attire and decorate their hands with henna. This is done via a bathing ritual called Abhyanga Snan. [174][175] Barack Obama became the first president to personally attend Diwali at the White House in 2009. Subhadra welcomes him with a tilaka on his forehead. https://www.learnreligions.com/when-is-diwali-1770209 (accessed March 4, 2023). The devotion and dedication of Hanuman pleased Rama so much that he blessed Hanuman to be worshipped before him. Diwali Diwali (or Deepawali, Deepavali) is an ancient Hindu festival that is celebrated in autumn every year. Diwali or Deepavali, also known as the "Festival of Lights," is the biggest festival in theHindu calendar, celebrated in early fall of each year. [124] Many visit their favourite Hindu temple. In India, while everyone celebrates Deepavali, people don't amass in public, but rather in small groups with their friends and families in homes, neighborhoods, and local temple communities. Major temples and homes are decorated with lights, festive foods shared with all, friends and relatives remembered and visited with gifts. ( See calendar ). In South India the festival marks Krishnas defeat of the demon Narakasura. [13][14][93][94], A scholar of Jain and Nivethan, states that in Jain tradition, Diwali is celebrated in observance of "Mahavira Nirvana Divas", the physical death and final nirvana of Mahavira. Diwali, for Vasavada, would always culminate in a large family feast with enough food to feed a small town. Diwali 2021: What the holiday . Some Muslims joined the Hindu community in celebrating Diwali in the Mughal era. Diwali is observed as a Gazetted Holiday throughout the nation. 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). Amavasya is thought of as the darkest night of the year and is holy to Hindus. Diwali is one of the major religious festivals in Hinduism, Jainism, and Sikhism. The day also marks a major shopping day to purchase new utensils, home equipment, jewelry, firecrackers, and other items. The festival isn't celebrated in Kerala though. The day of Diwali itself falls on November 4.. The dates change each year because they are based on the Hindu lunar calendar, but it typically happens in October and November. This celebration lasts five days and takes place during the Hindu lunisolar month, Kartika. On the eve of his first visit to India as President of the United States, Obama released an official statement sharing his best wishes with "those celebrating Diwali". Learn about Diwali, when it occurs, and common traditions! [91] The telling of these myths are reminiscent of the Hindu belief that good ultimately triumphs over evil. These lamps symbolize the light of inner spirituality that protects us from the spiritual darkness that threatens to engulf us. Das, Subhamoy. The Hindu calendar is lunisolar but most festival dates are specified using the lunar portion of the calendar. [116] Some communities, particularly those active in Ayurvedic and health-related professions, pray or perform havan rituals to Dhanvantari on Dhanteras. [43][55], Emperor Harsha refers to Deepavali, in the 7th-century Sanskrit play Nagananda, as Dpapratipadotsava (dpa = light, pratipad = first day, utsava = festival), where lamps were lit and newly engaged brides and grooms received gifts. [156] It is traditionally a time when households purchase new clothing, home refurbishments, gifts, gold, jewelry,[157][158] and other large purchases particularly as the festival is dedicated to Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity, and such purchases are considered auspicious. The word Deepawali comes from the Sanskrit word deep, which means an Indian lantern/lamp. 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. [116][114] Women and children decorate doorways within homes and offices with rangolis, colourful designs made from rice flour, flower petals, colored rice or colored sand,[23] while the boys and men decorate the roofs and walls of family homes, markets, and temples and string up lights and lanterns. 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). It takes place on November 26 this year. Learn Religions, Sep. 4, 2021, learnreligions.com/when-is-diwali-1770209. The festival typically lasts for four to five days and coincides with the new moon on the Hindu lunisolar calendar,. What makes Dev Deepawali different from Diwali? Diwali falls in either October or November each year, depending on the cycle of the moon. [23] Some Hindus, Jains and Sikhs will send Diwali greeting cards to family near and far during the festive season, occasionally with boxes of Indian confectionery. [181][182], The use of firecrackers on Diwali increases the concentration of dust and pollutants in the air. It is commemorated on the 15th day of Kartik, the Hindu calendar's holiest month. It also marks the beginning of the Hindu New Year. Diwali or Deepavali - "The festival of lights" is one of the most important festivals for Hindus. [125], Some Hindus observe Yama Deepam (also known as Yama Dipadana or Jam ke Diya) on the second day of Diwali, instead of the first day. [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. Diwali this year is a close-knit family affair. [140] According to Handelman and Shulman, as quoted by Pintchman, this legend is a Hindu metaphor for the cosmic process for creation and dissolution of the world through the masculine destructive power, as represented by Shiva, and the feminine procreative power, represented by Parvati, where twelve reflects the number of months in the cyclic year, while thirty are the number of days in its lunisolar month. Answer (1 of 6): Hindus do not follow date system. It is observed by the Vajrayana Buddhist minority among the Newarpeople of Nepal. The darkest night is the apex of the celebration and coincides with the second half of October or early November in the Gregorian calendar. Spiritually, Diwali symbolizes the victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance. The Hindu lunar calendar has two parts: dark (Krishna paksha, or "waning moon" in Sanskrit) and light (hukla paksha, or "waxing moon"), and the new moon (amavasya) always occurs in between the parts, typically on the 15th. [9][10][11] It is a post-harvest festival celebrating the bounty following the arrival of the monsoon in the subcontinent.[12]. Some suggest he lived in the 5th-century BCE contemporaneously with the Buddha. He explained that though the actual Hindu festival day is the same, it is identified differently in regional calendars because there are two traditions in the Hindu calendar. 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. [165] About two-thirds of Indian households, according to the ASSOCHAM forecast, would spend between 5,000 (US$63) and 10,000 (US$130) to celebrate Diwali in 2017. For planning purposes, here are the dates for the main celebrations for Diwali for the next few years: 2019: Sunday, October 27 (starts on October 25, ends on October 29) 2020: Saturday, November 14 (November 12-16) 2021: Thursday, November 4 (November 2-6) 2022: Monday, October 24 (October 22-26) 2023: Wednesday, November 7 (November 5-9) Diwali celebrates Rama's eventual defeat of the evil spirit Ravana, and his triumphant return to his home. Dates for 2020 to 2025." Diwali usually falls in October or November. When people are exposed to these pollutant particles, they may suffer from eye, nose, and throat-related problems. Diwali festivities include a celebration of sights, sounds, arts and flavours. [110] Some regions of India start Diwali festivities the day before Dhanteras with Govatsa Dwadashi. [12][114] Families also prepare homemade delicacies for Lakshmi Pujan, regarded as the main day of Diwali. The dates for Diwali change each year, as they are based on the Hindu lunisolar calendar. Ubtan is applied by the women which is made up of special gram flour mixed with herbs for cleansing and beautifying themselves. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. In the diaspora, all the countries in the world outside of the Indian subcontinent where Indian people have settled, Diwali is considered a public celebration open to Hindus and anyone else. When Is Diwali in 2021, 2022 and 2023? Ritually, in honour of Lakshmi, the female player always wins. It is usually celebrated on October or November every year. However you celebrate Diwali, Denver's growing Indian food scene offers a rich culinary experience for those who enjoy fresh ingredients, diverse textures, and complex combinations of spices from the South Asian subcontinent. Diwali/Deepavali is a public holiday. [161] Other goods that are bought in substantial quantities during Diwali include confectionery and fireworks. [107] According to some observers, this traditional celebration by Newar Buddhists in Nepal, through the worship of Lakshmi and Vishnu during Diwali, is not syncretism but rather a reflection of the freedom within Mahayana Buddhist tradition to worship any deity for their worldly betterment.[29]. Here is the schedule for Diwali 2022: Day 1: October 22, 2022 Trayodashi - Dhanteras; Day 2: October 23, 2022 Chaturdashi - Choti Diwali; Day 3: October 24, 2022 Amavasya - Diwali Cook, Sharell. Retrieved from https://www.learnreligions.com/when-is-diwali-1539426. Diwali Celebrations Dates in Different Regions Diwali 2023 (Deepavali 2023) is on Sunday, November 12th in India. This is followed by Choti Diwali the next day and Diwali on November 4. [154][155][91], Diwali marks a major shopping period in India,[31] and is comparable to the Christmas period in terms of consumer purchases and economic activity. It is intended to signify a brother's duty to protect his sister as well as sisters blessing their brothers. [68] In his paper on The Lunar Year of the Hindus, Jones, then based in Bengal, noted four of the five days of Diwali in the autumn months of Aswina-Cartica [sic] as the following: Bhutachaturdasi Yamaterpanam (2nd day), Lacshmipuja dipanwita (the day of Diwali), Dyuta pratipat Belipuja (4th day), and Bhratri dwitiya (5th day). Firecrackers also cause light pollution. Dhan-trayodashi or Dhan teras: Dhan means "wealth" and Trayodashi means "thirteenth day." Thus, as the name . Naraka Chaturdashi is the second day of the festival on November 3. This year, it begins in the first week of November from 2nd-6th. (2021, October 12). According to Truschke, Aurangzeb did so because he found the festivals "distasteful" and also from "concerns with public safety" lurking in the background. The Diwali-related inscription is the 4th inscription and it includes the year Vikrama Era 1268 (c. 1211 CE). Diwali is observed on the day of Amavasya or the new moon and marks the start of the Hindu New Year. The auspicious time to conduct Lakshmi Puja will begin at 6:09 pm and end at 8:04 pm, according to the Drik Panchang. Diwali is the Indian "festival of lights"a holiday that celebrates the triumph of good over evil. [52] In Nepal, it is also a multiday festival, although the days and rituals are named differently, with the climax being called the Tihar festival by Hindus and Swanti festival by Buddhists. 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. [103][104][k], Diwali is not a festival for most Buddhists, with the exception of the Newar people of Nepal who revere various deities in Vajrayana Buddhism and celebrate Diwali by offering prayers to Lakshmi. (2021, September 4). In Bengal the goddess Kali is worshipped. The height of Diwali is celebrated on the third day coinciding with the darkest night of Ashvin or Kartika. Some 200,000 New Yorkers celebrate Diwali each year, per state Assemblymember Jenifer Rajkumar . [117] Some Hindus observe Yama Deepa on the second night before the main day of Diwali.[118][119]. Diwali is known as the festival of lights in India. [123], This day is commonly celebrated as Diwali in Tamil Nadu, Goa, and Karnataka. Hence Deepavali has been . [184], During Diwali, the levels of suspended particulate matter increase. Sainsbury's bans fireworks across . [70][71][g] Examples include a 10th-century Rashtrakuta empire copper plate inscription of Krishna III (939967 CE) that mentions Dipotsava,[72] and a 12th-century mixed Sanskrit-Kannada Sinda inscription discovered in the Isvara temple of Dharwad in Karnataka where the inscription refers to the festival as a "sacred occasion". Cookies collect information about your preferences and your device and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. The Diwali night's lights and firecrackers, in this interpretation, represent a celebratory and symbolic farewell to the departed ancestral souls. Communities prepare over one hundred dishes from a variety of ingredients, which is then dedicated to Krishna before being shared among the community. Many light diyas and keep them burning throughout the night. Hindu temples on this day prepare and present "mountains of sweets" to the faithful who have gathered for darshan (visit). For Sikhs, the celebration highlights the release of guru Hargobind Singh from prison and his return to Amritsar. This legend is remembered through the ritual of building small mountain-like miniatures from cow dung. Cook, Sharell. It celebrates the sister-brother bond, similar in spirit to Raksha Bandhan but it is the brother that travels to meet the sister and her family. One particular firework called anar (fountain) has been found to be responsible for 65% of such injuries, with adults being the typical victims. Dates for 2020 to 2025." 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 ). 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. In 2022, Diwali is on October 24. Find out all about the history, traditions and significance of Diwali in this blogpost. Goddess of Wealth, Lakshmi Devi is worshipped on this day and it is customary to purchase precious articles. The fourth day has different names in different regions and typically celebrates the marital bond. In some parts of India, the day after Lakshmi Puja is marked with the Govardhan Puja and Balipratipada (Padwa). [53][54], The five-day long festival originated in the Indian subcontinent and is likely a fusion of harvest festivals in ancient India. We usually plan for our parents to visit us during this period but the pandemic has made it difficult this year for everyone. [43], The artisan Hindu and Sikh community celebrates the fourth day as the Vishwakarma puja day. In Sri Lanka and. [95] According to the Jain tradition, this practice of lighting lamps first began on the day of Mahavira's nirvana in 527 BCE,[j] when 18 kings who had gathered for Mahavira's final teachings issued a proclamation that lamps be lit in remembrance of the "great light, Mahavira". 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. [77][78][i], The religious significance of Diwali varies regionally within India. 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. The name of this festival is derived from 'avali,' which means 'row,' and 'deepa,' meaning "clay lamps." He has written several books about Hinduism for children and young adults. DIWALI. Diwali symbolises the spiritual "victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance". The legislation will come into effect next year, and Diwali will replace Anniversary Day, which is also known as Brooklyn-Queens Day, so that schools can still deliver the 180-day requirement of . This year, celebrations began on Saturday, with the "main Diwali " falling today, Monday October 24, which marks the . The exact dates change each year because it follows the lunar calendar, but it is typically celebrated in October or November over a 5-day span: On day. [43][82] Along with Lakshmi, who is representative of Vaishnavism, Ganesha, the elephant-headed son of Parvati and Shiva of Shaivism tradition, is remembered as one who symbolises ethical beginnings and the remover of obstacles. [159][160] According to Rao, Diwali is one of the major festivals where rural Indians spend a significant portion of their annual income, and is a means for them to renew their relationships and social networks. Diwali is a five-day religious festival. Deepavali means a row of lights, where 'deep' means light and 'avali' means row. Diwali (Deepavali) Nov 27, 2023: Guru Nanak's Birthday: Dec 25, 2023: Christmas Day: Which are the other holidays in India? The dates of Diwali change every year as it dependent on the moon cycle. [101] According to J.S. It's believed that on this day the Goddess Lakshmi, often associated with wealth, abundance and good fortune, visits people's homes and fulfils their desires. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. A lunar day is uniquely identified by three calendar elements: msa (lunar month), paka (lunar fortnight) and tithi (lunar day). Das, Subhamoy. More Topics They install diyas, small earthen oil-filled lamps that they light up for the next five days, near Lakshmi and Ganesha iconography. There are many stories around the celebration of Diwali. 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. It is an official holiday in a dozen countries, while the other festive days are regionally observed as either public or optional restricted holidays in India. [143] In Gujarat, Annakut is the first day of the new year and celebrated through the purchase of essentials, or sabras (literally, "good things in life"), such as salt, offering prayers to Krishna and visiting temples. 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 Catholic dicastery Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, founded as Secretariat for non-Christians by Pope Paul VI, began sending official greetings and the Pope's message to the Hindus on Diwali in the mid-1990s.