“Diwali is celebrated, generally for five days, during the sacred month of Kārtika (mid-October to mid-November), the eighth month of the year (or the seventh month of the Bengali calendar) named after the Pleiades star cluster (Kṛttikā or Kāṛtikā),” Dr. Cogen Bohanec of the Hindu Studies and Sustainability faculty at the Graduate Theological Union, told Newsweek.
Here’s a breakdown of the five days and how to spend them.
Day One
On the first day, people tend to clean their homes and shop for gold or kitchen utensils to help bring good luck.
“While there are a number of regional, sectarian, and religious variations, generally the first day of Diwali is known as Dhanteras, which is often a preparatory day of cleaning and making decorations,” Bohanec said. “It is also the day of the worship of Dhanvantari, the god (an incarnation of Viṣṇu) who imparted Ayurveda, the traditional system of health and medicine, to humanity. It is also accompanied by Vasubaras (aka Govatsa Dwadashi) when the cow and her calf are worshipped.”
Day Two
“The second day is Naraka Chaturdashi, which is in celebration of the god Krishna killing the demon Narakasur, who, upon his death requested that his death be commemorated with a celebration with colorful lights,” Bohanec said. “For other Hindus, this is Kali Chaudas, which is the celebration of the goddess Kali who killed Narakasura. Either way, the slaying of Naraksura is generally taken to represent the removal of laziness and sloth. This day is also associated with the warding off of evil spirits.”
The day is spent decorating homes with clay lamps (dīpa) and creating design patterns on the floor called rangoli using colored powders and sand. The light from the dīpa is believed to ward off evil spirits.
Day Three
The third day of Diwali is known as Lakṣmī Pūjā, which is a ritual and prayer in celebration of the goddess Lakṣmī. It is the main day of the festival, as it resembles the darkest night of the traditional month, where families gather together for Lakṣmī Pūjā, followed by huge feasts and fireworks.
“For Vaiṣṇava Hindus, Lakṣmī is the supreme goddess, and other Hindus generally recognize her as the goddess of prosperity. On this day Lakṣmī is believed to dwell on Earth. She visits her devotees and blesses them, so homes are often cleaned and offerings are prepared in anticipation of and in honor of her arrival,” Bohanec said.
Day Four
Day four marks the first day of the new year, when friends and relatives visit each other with gifts and best wishes for the season ahead.
The fourth day is called Bali Pratipadā, when the King Bali returns to Earth. Bali was a king who demonstrated exceptional devotion to the God Vamana, who was an avatāra of Viṣṇu. Usually, houses are decorated with images of Bali, and appropriate offerings are made.
Day Five
Brothers visit their married sisters, who welcome them with love and a huge meal.
“For some Hindus, the fifth and final day of Diwal is Bhai Dooj, celebrated with ceremonies where sisters and brothers venerate each other,” Bohanec said. “For others, the final day is Vishwakarma Jayanti, in celebration of Vishwakarma, who is the architect of the gods, an event that is often celebrated in industrial settings in honor of, and to bless, the needs of workers.”
Build up to Diwali
“Diwali follows from Navarātri, which is the large, nine-night festival of the goddess in autumn, ending in a tenth day celebrating the triumph of good over evil,” Dr. Bihani Sarkar, departmental lecturer in Sanskrit at the University of Oxford, told Newsweek. “Diwali is a culmination therefore of the entire festive month that begins with the Navarātra. After the tenth day of the Navarātra, marking victory, people celebrate the buildup to Diwali in different ways throughout India.”
“Usually the goddess Lakṣmī is worshipped in households on Lakṣmī Pūjā, the worship of Lakṣmī that takes place before Diwali, because she is the harbinger of plenitude and wealth. Homes are decorated with sacred markings and flowers and there is feasting and celebration.”
She said that in North India, the buildup to Diwali is celebrated with a festival called Dhanteras, which, given its connection to the goddess of wealth, is often marked with gambling parties.
“Delhi households for example are famous for their Dhanteras gambling parties!” Sarkar said. “Diwali is truly ecumenical, and Jains and Sikhs celebrate too by marking the liberation of their leading teachers, in the Jain caste, the liberation of Mahāvīra, in the Sikh caste, the freeing of one of their gurus. Hence it seems that the festival, in all its religious dimensions, even in an early Hindu dimension, commemorated a narrative of the freeing of a great hero.”
