98 Fun Facts About Diwali

What is Diwali commonly known as?

Diwali is known as the Festival of Lights: homes, temples and streets are lined with oil lamps on the festival's new-moon night, marking light's victory over darkness.

Which small oil lamps are traditionally lit during Diwali celebrations?

Diyas are the small oil lamps lit in rows during Diwali, filled with ghee or mustard oil and a cotton wick; they symbolize the victory of light over darkness around homes and temples.

Which Hindu goddess of wealth and prosperity is primarily worshipped during Diwali?

Goddess Lakshmi, the Hindu deity of wealth, fortune, and prosperity, is the primary deity worshipped during Diwali. Devotees clean their homes and light diyas to welcome her blessings.

How many days does the Diwali festival traditionally span?

Diwali spans five days, from the thirteenth day of a lunar dark fortnight to the second day of the following bright fortnight, with the main night of lamps on the new moon in the middle.

Which colorful floor art patterns are traditionally created during Diwali?

Rangoli are decorative patterns made on floors using colored powders, rice, flower petals, and sand. They are created at the entrance of homes during Diwali to welcome guests and deities.

Diwali celebrates Lord Rama's return from exile to which city, his kingdom's capital?

Ayodhya, capital of the Kosala kingdom, welcomed Rama, Sita and Lakshmana home from their long forest exile; rows of lamps lit their way, the origin story behind Diwali's lights.

In which month does Diwali typically fall according to the Gregorian calendar?

The date drifts each year because it is pinned to a new moon on the Hindu lunisolar calendar, so it can land anywhere from mid-October to mid-November.

What do people traditionally wear during Diwali celebrations?

Wearing new clothes during Diwali is a widespread tradition. It symbolizes a fresh start and prosperity. Many families shop for new outfits, often choosing traditional attire like sarees, kurtas, and lehengas.

In a Diwali legend, which game does Parvati win against Shiva?

Dice: in the legend Parvati beat Shiva at dice and declared that whoever gambles on Diwali night would prosper all year, the origin of the festival's card and dice games.

What is the first day of the five-day Diwali festival called?

Dhanteras (also called Dhantrayodashi) is the first day of the Diwali festival. 'Dhan' means wealth, and this day is considered auspicious for buying gold, silver, and new utensils.

Which demon king was defeated by Lord Rama, an event celebrated during Diwali?

Ravana, the ten-headed king of Lanka, had abducted Sita; Rama's victory over him with an army of vanaras is the climax of the Ramayana, and Rama's homecoming afterwards is what Diwali celebrates.

Which Diwali sweet comes in besan, motichoor and boondi varieties?

Ladoo (or laddoo) are round sweet balls and one of the most popular Diwali treats. They come in many varieties including besan ladoo, motichoor ladoo, and boondi ladoo, made with ghee, sugar, and various flours or nuts.

What does 'Deepavali' literally mean?

It compounds 'dipa' (lamp) and 'avali' (row or series); the 9th-century writer Rajasekhara called it Dipamalika, a garland of lamps.

Diwali is a national holiday in India and also in which Southeast Asian country?

Diwali is a national holiday in Malaysia, where it is known as Hari Deepavali. Malaysia has a significant Indian diaspora, and the festival is celebrated with open houses, oil lamp lighting, and cultural performances.

On Kali Chaudas, which deity of strength is worshipped to keep roaming spirits at bay?

Hanuman Puja on that night is especially common in Gujarat, and the same day is called Roop Chaudas by those who mark it with a ritual oil bath at dawn.

Which fudge-like sweet, made by cooking khoa (milk solids) with sugar, is a Diwali staple?

Barfi (or burfi) is a dense milk-based sweet popular during Diwali. Made by cooking down milk or khoya with sugar, it comes in many flavors including kaju (cashew), pista (pistachio), and coconut.

The fifth and final day of Diwali, celebrating the bond between brothers and sisters, is called what?

Bhai Dooj (also known as Bhai Tika or Bhau Beej) is the fifth and final day of Diwali. Sisters perform a tilak ceremony for their brothers, praying for their long life, similar to the Raksha Bandhan festival.

The small oil lamps lit in rows at Diwali are traditionally made from what material?

Traditional Diwali diyas are made from clay (terracotta). They are shaped by hand or on a potter's wheel, dried in the sun, and filled with mustard oil or ghee with a cotton wick.

For Jains, Diwali marks the spiritual awakening (moksha) of which important figure?

For Jains, Diwali commemorates the attainment of moksha (liberation) by Lord Mahavira, the 24th and last Tirthankara; they mark it as Mahavira Nirvana Divas with lamps and recitation of his final teachings.

Which Sikh leader's release from Gwalior Fort, alongside 52 imprisoned rajas, is commemorated on Diwali?

Guru Hargobind, the sixth Sikh Guru, is said to have walked out of Gwalior Fort with 52 rajas each holding a tassel of his cloak; the Golden Temple is illuminated on the anniversary.

Which day of Diwali is also known as 'Choti Diwali' or Small Diwali?

Naraka Chaturdashi, the fourteenth day of the dark fortnight before the Diwali new moon, is Choti Diwali; it is also called Roop Chaudas for the ritual pre-dawn oil bath taken that morning.

Which god is associated with Govardhan Puja, the fourth day of Diwali?

Govardhan Puja celebrates Lord Krishna lifting Govardhan Hill to shelter the villagers of Vrindavan from torrential rains sent by Indra; devotees build small hills of cow dung or food to represent the mountain.

What deep-fried, syrup-soaked sweet shaped like a pretzel or spiral is popular during Diwali?

Jalebi are deep-fried batter spirals soaked in saffron-infused sugar syrup. Crispy on the outside and juicy inside, they are a beloved Diwali treat often eaten warm and are popular across South Asia.

Which 7th-century emperor's Sanskrit play Nagananda refers to Deepavali as 'Dipapratipadotsava'?

Harsha, the 7th-century ruler of Kannauj, wrote the Sanskrit play Nagananda, which calls the festival Dipapratipadotsava and describes lamps being lit and gifts given to newly engaged couples.

Which elephant-headed Hindu god is worshipped alongside Lakshmi during Diwali Puja?

Lord Ganesha, the remover of obstacles, is worshipped alongside Goddess Lakshmi during Diwali Puja. Together they represent the blessings of wisdom and wealth. Ganesha is always invoked first in Hindu rituals.

What is the name of the demon killed by Lord Krishna on the day before Diwali?

Narakasura ruled Pragjyotishapura, in present-day Assam, and held 16,000 women captive until Krishna, riding Garuda with his wife Satyabhama, slew him and freed them on the eve of Diwali.

Where is Diwali called 'Tihar', a five-day festival with one day set aside for dogs?

Nepal celebrates Tihar over five days; on Kukur Tihar dogs are garlanded and given tika as messengers of Yama, and the Newar community of the Kathmandu Valley calls the festival Swanti.

Dhanvantari, honoured on Dhanteras, is the god of which Indian discipline?

Ayurveda: Dhanvantari is the divine physician of the gods, said to have emerged from the churning of the ocean, and Dhanteras is observed as his jayanti with prayers for health.

Which Diwali sweet is a deep-fried ball of reduced milk solids soaked in cardamom and rose-flavoured sugar syrup?

Gulab Jamun takes its name from 'gulab' (rose water) and 'jamun', a berry the balls resemble in size; the dough is fried at a low temperature in ghee or oil.

Diwali falls on the new moon of which month in the Hindu calendar?

Kartik: in the North Indian purnimanta reckoning Diwali falls on Kartik Amavasya, the darkest night of that lunar month, which lands in October or November of the Gregorian calendar.

What do Sikhs call the festival they celebrate at Diwali time?

Bandi Chhor Divas, 'prisoner release day', marks the sixth Guru's release from Gwalior Fort; the Golden Temple in Amritsar is lit with lamps and fireworks for it.

Which rhombus-shaped cashew-paste sweet is traditionally eaten at Diwali?

Kaju Katli is made by boiling sugar syrup to the single-thread stage, stirring in ground cashew paste, rolling the slab thin and cutting it into diamonds once it sets.

Which Mughal emperor banned the celebration of Diwali and Holi in 1665?

Aurangzeb issued orders in 1665 banning public celebration of Diwali and Holi, a sharp reversal of the tolerant court policy of his Mughal predecessors, who had joined in the festivities.

On the Bombay Stock Exchange, a special one-hour trading session held on Diwali is called what?

Muhurat Trading is a special one-hour trading session held on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and National Stock Exchange (NSE) on Diwali evening. Considered highly auspicious, it marks the start of the new Samvat (Hindu financial year). The tradition has been observed since 1957.

In Bengal, which fierce goddess takes Lakshmi's place at Diwali?

Diwali in West Bengal coincides with Kali Puja: elaborate idols of the goddess of war, late-night rituals and fireworks, with Lakshmi sidelined.

What is the edible silver foil on Diwali sweets called?

Vark (varak) is silver beaten into edible leaf so thin it is sold pressed between sheets of paper and transferred straight onto sweets, where it is purely decorative and tasteless.

Craftsmen service their tools during Diwali in honour of which deity?

Vishvakarma, the divine architect and engineer, is honoured by artisans during Diwali, when factories, garages and workshops are cleaned and their tools and machines blessed rather than used.

Divali Nagar, Trinidad and Tobago's big Diwali fairground, is held in which town?

Divali Nagar, a 'Diwali village' of stalls, stage shows and lamp displays staged in the days before Diwali, is held in Chaguanas by the National Council of Indian Culture.

Which US state was first to make Diwali an official state holiday, in 2024?

Pennsylvania became the first US state to declare Diwali an official state holiday when its governor signed the law in June 2024, a designation rather than a paid day off.

Which ancient Indian text contains one of the earliest references to the Diwali festival?

The Padma Purana and the Skanda Purana both mention the festival of lamps; they were completed in the second half of the first millennium CE, long after the Vedic texts.

Which Mughal emperor is recorded to have participated in Diwali celebrations at his court?

Akbar's court welcomed the festivities as part of his broader policy of tolerance toward Hindu subjects, a stance later Mughal rulers reversed.

In the Ramayana, how long an exile did Kaikeyi demand for Rama?

14 years: Kaikeyi used an old boon from King Dasharatha to demand Rama's exile for 14 years, and Sita insisted on accompanying her husband into the forest for the full term.

What do 'Shubh' and 'Labh', painted on doorways at Diwali, mean?

Shubh means auspicious and Labh means profit; the words flank doorways and account books to bless the year ahead, and in one telling are the names of Ganesha's two sons.

Which English city's 'Golden Mile' on Belgrave Road hosts what are billed as the largest Diwali celebrations outside the Indian subcontinent?

Leicester's Belgrave Road, the 'Golden Mile', is lined with Indian shops and restaurants; its Diwali lights switch-on and Diwali Day draw tens of thousands and are billed as the biggest celebration outside India.

Which Tamil Nadu town makes most of India's firecrackers?

Sivakasi, in Tamil Nadu's Virudhunagar district, is India's fireworks capital: its hundreds of licensed factories make most of the country's firecrackers, and the town is also a major matchstick and printing centre.

In which year did a sitting US president first join Diwali celebrations at the White House?

In 2009 Obama became the first president to take part in White House Diwali celebrations, lighting a diya in the East Room. Observances had been held at the White House complex since 2003, but without a president attending.

What treatment did 9th-century writer Rajasekhara say homes were given for Deepavali?

Whitewashing: Rajasekhara's Kavyamimamsa says homes were whitewashed for the festival he called Dipamalika, a 'garland of lamps', with oil lamps lighting homes, streets and markets through the night.

In Gujarat, Annakut, the day after Diwali, is also celebrated as what?

Gujaratis mark it by buying 'sabras', everyday essentials such as salt, and children go door to door wishing neighbours a happy new year in exchange for sweets.

Portuguese traveller Domingo Paes described Diwali lamps in which 16th-century Hindu empire?

Vijayanagara: Domingo Paes, who visited the empire's capital around 1520, wrote of householders lighting their homes and temples with rows of lamps for the festival in October.

The first day of Tihar, Kaag Tihar, sets out food on rooftops for which birds?

Crows: on Kaag Tihar food is set out on rooftops for them as messengers of Yama, the god of death, so that grief and bad news stay away for the coming year.

On the morning of Tihar's third day, Gai Tihar, which animal receives tika and garlands?

Cow: on Gai Tihar the cow is garlanded, given tika and fed in the morning, and the same evening is Lakshmi Puja, the most important night of the festival.

Because of ahimsa, most Jains skip which common Diwali custom?

Fireworks: because ahimsa forbids harming the insects and animals crackers kill, Jain Diwali is kept quiet and austere, with recitation of the Uttaradhyayan Sutra, Mahavira's final sermon, instead of bangs.

Varanasi's Dev Deepawali, 15 days after Diwali, lights a million lamps along which river?

The Ganges: on the full moon fifteen nights after Diwali the ghats of Varanasi are lined with lamps for Dev Deepawali, the 'Diwali of the Gods', when the gods are believed to descend to bathe in the river.

Indian border guards traditionally exchange Diwali sweets with which neighbouring country's troops?

Pakistan: at the Attari-Wagah crossing the Border Security Force and the Pakistan Rangers traditionally trade boxes of sweets on Diwali and Eid, a gesture suspended only in years of heightened tension.

Deepavali is a national holiday in which South American country?

Guyana, where descendants of Indian indentured workers are the largest ethnic group, keeps Deepavali as a national holiday, as it does Phagwah, the Holi festival.

In the ocean-churning myth, the gods' physician emerged holding a pot of what?

Amrita, the nectar of immortality, filled the pot Dhanvantari carried when he rose from the Samudra Manthan; the gods and asuras had churned the ocean to obtain it.

Which bird, a symbol of sight in darkness, sometimes sits beside the wealth goddess in art?

The owl: in Bengal the goddess's vahana is the white owl (pecha), read as the power to see through darkness and delusion; more often she is flanked by elephants as Gajalakshmi.

Diwali usually arrives how many days after Vijayadashami (Dussehra)?

20 days: Dussehra falls on the tenth day of a bright fortnight and Diwali on the new moon 20 days later, the span in which homes are cleaned, repainted and decorated.

What do small business owners give staff between Diwali's first and main day?

Bonuses: a Diwali bonus or gift to employees is customary between the first day and the main night, after which shops close early or shut so staff can spend the evening with family.

As a shopping season, Diwali in India is most often compared to which Western holiday period in terms of consumer spending?

Diwali is a major shopping period comparable to Christmas, and jewellery, gold and home refurbishments are auspicious buys because the festival honours the goddess of wealth.

Buying which metal is considered especially auspicious on Diwali's first day?

Gold: buying gold on Diwali's first day is thought to invite the wealth goddess's blessing for the year; silver and new kitchen utensils count too, and the day sees heavy sales of appliances and cars.

In the Govardhan legend, the hill was lifted on which part of the hand?

The little finger: Krishna held Govardhan Hill aloft on the little finger of one hand through seven days of storms until Indra admitted defeat and stopped the rains.

At Diwali-season melas, women traditionally decorate their hands with what?

Henna: at the rural Diwali-season melas, where artisans sell produce and goods alongside acrobats and entertainers, women have their hands patterned with henna (mehndi) for the festival.

In Tihar, doorways are dressed for the wealth-goddess night with garlands of which flower?

Marigolds: sayapatri marigold garlands frame doors and windows for the goddess's night in Tihar, and lamps are left burning at every opening because she is said to bypass dark homes.

In a Diwali-eve legend, King Hima's son was fated to die how on his marriage's fourth day?

By snakebite: the prince's bride piled gold and lamps at the door and sang all night, so Yama, arriving as a serpent, was dazzled and slipped away at dawn; the tale underlies the first day's lamp for Yama.

Yama Deepam lamps, lit behind homes at Diwali to ward off untimely death, face which way?

South: Yama, lord of death, rules the southern direction, so the Yama Deepam, ideally a lamp of wheat-flour dough, is set facing south outside the house; some families light it on the second night instead.

The pre-dawn abhyanga oil massage on Diwali's second day traditionally uses which oil?

Sesame oil is worked into the whole body and head before an ubtan application and a ritual bath, taken while the moon is still up but before sunrise.

On Roop Chaudas, women bathe before dawn with a lamp lit nearby to enhance what?

Beauty: 'roop' means form or looks, and the pre-dawn oil bath beside a lit lamp on Roop Chaudas is believed to bestow radiance and good looks for the year ahead.

Ubtan, the cleansing paste applied on Diwali's second day, is made from which flour?

Gram flour (besan) is the base of ubtan, mixed with turmeric, sandalwood and herbs and rubbed on after the oil massage, just before the ritual bath.

Diwali's fifth day recalls the god of death visiting which sister, a river goddess?

Yamuna: on Diwali's fifth day Yama is said to have visited his sister Yamuna, who fed him and marked his forehead; in the Tihar telling she kept him at puja until he agreed to spare her brother.

In one origin tale of Diwali's sibling day, which sister gave a demon-slayer a tilaka?

Subhadra: after slaying a demon, Krishna visited his sister Subhadra, who welcomed him with sweets, flowers and a tilaka on his forehead, the model for the sibling-day rite.

In Tihar's Bhai Tika, the vertical tika a sister gives her brother has how many colours?

Seven: the saptarangi tika of Bhai Tika is a vertical stripe of seven colours, and sisters also ring their brothers with a line of holy water and oil as a protective barrier.

Children singing Deusi/Bhailo door to door in Tihar are given money and which food?

Sel roti, the ring-shaped rice-flour bread fried for Tihar, is handed to Deusi and Bhailo singers along with money and fruit; the singing starts on the goddess's night and runs through the festival.

The Newar ritual Mha Puja, performed on Tihar's fourth day, is the worship of what?

The self: Mha Puja, 'worship of the self', purifies and strengthens each person's own body and spirit for the year ahead, with a mandala drawn on the floor for every family member.

Tihar's dog day recalls which Pandava refusing to enter heaven without his dog?

Yudhishthira, the eldest Pandava, refused to enter heaven without the dog that had followed him up the Himalayas; the dog revealed itself as the god Dharma, his father, and the gates opened.

Diwali's fourth day marks the annual return to earth of which asura king?

Bali, the asura king pushed into the netherworld by Vishnu's dwarf avatar, was granted a boon to return to earth once a year on Balipratipada and to be reborn as Indra in a future age.

Which dwarf avatar of Vishnu, victor by three steps, is honoured on Diwali's fourth day?

Vamana, the dwarf Brahmin avatar, asked the asura king for three paces of land, then grew to cover earth and sky in two steps; the king offered his own head for the third and earned the day's honours.

The chappan bhog, a spread of dishes offered at the Annakut feast during Diwali, consists of how many items?

'Chappan' simply means fifty-six; 56 dishes are prepared and offered in the evening, and at big temples the offerings can run into thousands.

Which Mughal emperor imprisoned the sixth Sikh Guru, whose release Sikhs mark at Diwali?

Jahangir had the sixth Guru held in Gwalior Fort, and in 1606 had ordered the execution of the Guru's father, Guru Arjan, whose death Sikhs count as the faith's first martyrdom.

In Bengal's Diwali-night goddess puja, which red flowers are the prescribed offering?

Red hibiscus (jaba) is the goddess's prescribed flower, offered at the midnight Diwali puja in Bengal alongside rice, lentils and sweets, while worshippers meditate through the night until dawn.

Jains hold that their 24th Tirthankara attained liberation on Diwali at which place in Bihar?

Pawapuri, in Bihar's Nalanda district, is where Jains hold that the 24th Tirthankara attained moksha; pilgrims gather at its Jal Mandir water temple on Diwali to offer prayers and light lamps.

In October 2025 a Guinness record display on Diwali eve lit roughly how many oil lamps?

About 2.6 million: the Deepotsav on the Saryu ghats on 19 October 2025 lit some 2.6 million diyas, beating the previous year's Guinness mark of about 2.5 million in the same city.

Which 11th-century Persian scholar noted Deepavali's new-moon date in a memoir on India?

Al-Biruni, who travelled with Mahmud of Ghazni's campaigns, recorded in his 11th-century Tarikh al-Hind that Hindus celebrated Deepavali on a new moon; later Venetian and Portuguese travellers described the lamps.

In Maharashtra on Diwali's first day, coriander seeds are pounded with what to offer?

Jaggery: in Maharashtra dry coriander seeds are lightly pounded with jaggery and offered as naivedya on Diwali's first day, the food being shared out afterwards as prasad.

In Goa on Diwali's second day, what is crushed underfoot to symbolise killing the demon?

A bitter berry called kareet is crushed underfoot on Goa's second Diwali morning to symbolise killing the demon, and paper effigies stuffed with grass and firecrackers are burnt at dawn.

On Bengal's Bhoot Chaturdashi, how many lamps are lit to guide the forefathers home?

14: on Bhoot Chaturdashi Bengalis light choddo prodip, 14 lamps for 14 generations of forefathers, and eat choddo shaak, 14 kinds of greens, so no wandering spirit lingers in a dark corner.

Jain tradition dates the nirvana marked on Diwali to which year?

527 BCE is the traditional date of the 24th Tirthankara's nirvana; the Kalpa Sutra says the eighteen kings present lit lamps to replace the 'light of knowledge' that had gone out.

Guru Amar Das invited Sikhs to bathe on Diwali at a Goindwal well with how many steps?

84: the baoli Guru Amar Das built at Goindwal has 84 steps, and Sikhs gathered there at Vaisakhi and Diwali in the 16th century, decades before the sixth Guru's release gave the day its later meaning.

Which Sikh was martyred in 1738 after failing to pay a fine for trying to hold Diwali?

Bhai Mani Singh, custodian of the Harmandir Sahib, had agreed to pay the Mughal governor Zakariya Khan for permission to hold the Diwali gathering at Amritsar; pilgrims stayed away, he could not pay, and he was executed in 1738.

Singapore's Little India, home to Deepavali festivities, is known locally by what name?

The name also survives in Tekka Market, the precinct's best-known wet market.

Which 15th-century Venetian traveller described Indian temples lit by countless oil lamps?

Niccolò de' Conti, a Venetian merchant who travelled in India in the early 15th century, wrote of temples and rooftops hung with innumerable oil lamps and of families in new garments singing, dancing and feasting.

An 18th-century king of which Bengal region helped spread the Diwali-night goddess puja?

Nadia: Raja Krishnachandra of Nadia (Krishnanagar) promoted the goddess's night puja in the 18th century, and its popularity surged again in the 19th with the fame of the saint Ramakrishna of Dakshineswar.

The Newar calendar whose new year falls during Tihar was established in which year CE?

879 CE: Nepal Sambat began on 20 October 879 during the reign of Raghavadeva; the Rana regime replaced it with Bikram Sambat as Nepal's official calendar in 1903, and it was declared a national calendar in 2008.

In Newar Swanti paintings, the wealth goddess holds a Jwālā Nhāykan, a flame-ringed what?

Mirror: the jwālā nhāykan is a ritual mirror ringed with flames; the hairy Khyāh figures often painted beside the goddess are Himalayan creatures sometimes equated with the Yeti.

Which chief disciple of the last Tirthankara gained omniscience on Diwali, say Jains?

Gautam Swami, Indrabhuti Gautama, chief disciple of the last Tirthankara, attained kevala jnana (omniscience) the same night his master reached nirvana, which is why the day ranks among the most important in the Jain calendar.

Which philologist described Diwali's days in a 1799 paper on the Hindu lunar year?

William Jones, the Calcutta judge and philologist, described the festival's days in 'The Lunar Year of the Hindus', published in 1799, calling the main night a 'great festival at night' with illuminations on trees and houses.

Which town's Diwali-night goddess puja is billed as the largest in all of West Bengal?

Barasat, in North 24 Parganas, stages what is billed as West Bengal's largest goddess puja on Diwali night, its themed pandals drawing hundreds of thousands and comparisons with Kolkata's Durga Puja.

In which year did Sikh leaders add their Diwali-time festival to the Nanakshahi calendar?

2003: when the SGPC adopted the Nanakshahi calendar that year, the Diwali-time celebration was listed under its own name, partly to stress the faith's independence from Hinduism.