Diwali Explained: The Five Days, Lakshmi Puja Timing and Regional Stories

Diwali (Deepavali) is the festival of lamps, celebrated across five days around the new-moon (Amavasya) of the lunar month that is called Ashwin in the Amanta calendar and Kartika in the Purnimanta calendar. It falls in October or November and marks, in different traditions, the return of Rama to Ayodhya, the victory of Krishna over Narakasura, and above all the worship of Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and well-being.

• Dhanteras (Krishna Trayodashi): the day for cleaning the home and buying something new — traditionally metal, utensils or gold and silver — and for worshipping Dhanvantari, the physician of the gods, and Kubera. Many households light a lamp for Yama in the evening.
• Naraka Chaturdashi or Chhoti Diwali (Krishna Chaturdashi): commemorates Krishna's victory over Narakasura in South and West India. An early-morning oil bath and lamps at dawn are common.
• Diwali or Lakshmi Puja (Amavasya): the main day. Homes and shops are lit with diyas, and Lakshmi and Ganesha are worshipped in the evening. In Bengal and parts of the East the same night is Kali Puja.
• Govardhan Puja or Annakut (Kartika Shukla Pratipada): commemorates Krishna lifting Govardhan hill; a mountain of food is offered. This is also the first day of the year in the Gujarati Vikram Samvat.
• Bhai Dooj (Shukla Dwitiya): siblings honour each other — sisters apply a tilak to their brothers' foreheads and pray for their well-being.

Lakshmi Puja is performed after sunset, during Pradosh Kaal — the period of twilight after sunset — when the Amavasya tithi is in effect. Many almanacs also suggest a sthira (fixed) lagna, such as Vrishabha (Taurus), for the puja because a "fixed" rising sign is regarded as favourable for the goddess to "stay" in the home. The Choghadiya slots of the evening, and the Nishita period around midnight for those who worship Kali and Lakshmi at night, are also consulted. Business communities in Gujarat and Rajasthan perform Chopda Pujan, worshipping new account books, in the same window.

Because the main day is defined by Amavasya at Pradosh, the date depends on when the tithi starts and ends in your city. When Amavasya begins in the afternoon of one day and ends in the afternoon of the next, or covers the evening of only one of the days, almanacs must choose, and sources sometimes differ by a day. The day that has Amavasya during Pradosh is generally the one chosen. A tool that calculates for your own city is more reliable than a national date.

In much of North India Diwali celebrates the return of Rama, Sita and Lakshmana to Ayodhya after fourteen years in exile, with the city lit by lamps. In South India the focus is on Krishna or Vishnu defeating Narakasura, and the day before is the main celebration. In Jainism, Diwali marks the nirvana of Mahavira; in Sikhism, Bandi Chhor Divas commemorates the release of Guru Hargobind from imprisonment. Buddhist Newar communities in Nepal have their own Diwali-season festival, Tihar, which honours crows, dogs, cows and brothers across five days.

Diwali is a cheerful festival, but firecrackers cause burns, fires and noticeable air-quality problems in many cities, and worsen breathing conditions such as asthma. Lamps and candles are best kept away from curtains and children. Many families now choose diyas, rangoli and lights and skip or limit firecrackers.