What is Diwali?

What is Diwali?

A woman praying in front of fireworks

Diwali is a religious celebration. 
 
It is celebrated by people who believe in Hinduism.

woman praying near HIndu statues

Hinduism is a type of religion . 

A woman pointing to a Hindu poster

Someone who believes in Hinduism is called Hindu. 

people of different faiths and fireworks

Though it’s a Hindu festival, people from other religions sometimes celebrate Diwali as well.  

October and November calendar months

Diwali happens once a year in October or November.

5 days circled on a calendar month

Diwali celebrations go on for five days. 

A woman in front of candles and lights

Sometimes Diwali is called the “festival of lights.” 

That’s because people celebrate by using lots of lights. This can be things like: 

A candle
  • Candles
lighting a diya oil lamp
  • Lighting a lamp called a diya
fireworks
  • Fireworks
A house lit up at night with lots of lights

People also celebrate Diwali by:

  • Putting lights on their house or shop.
A Hindu family greeting each other
  • Going to see family and friends 
A Hindu couple sharing food
  • Sharing food and giving sweets as gifts 
praying inside a temple
  • Going to the temple to pray.
going into a Hindu temple

A temple is a place where people of the same religion come together for religious events.