What is Diwali, when is it and how do you celebrate the holiday? – NBC10 Philadelphia

Diwali, the festival of lights, is one of the most popular holidays in India, and especially for Hindus.

A celebration of good over evil, it is observed across faiths over five days of gatherings for prayer, feasts and fireworks.

The holiday takes its name from the word “deepavali,” Sanskrit for a row of lamps. It may have its origins in harvest festivals dating back more than 2,500 years.

This year, the main holiday is on Sunday, but celebrations begin days earlier. More than a billion people will observe Diwali across South Asia and the Indian diaspora.

Here are five things to know about Diwali:

What does Diwali celebrate?

The festival marks the triumph of good over evil, knowledge over ignorance, light over darkness and new beginnings associated with the Hindu New Year.

It is celebrated in the Hindu month of Kartik, which typically falls between mid-October and mid-November.

For Diwali – which coincides with the new moon, the darkest night of the lunar cycle – candles and clay lamps called diyas are lit throughout homes and streets.

Other details may vary depending on where the holiday is celebrated, but all celebrations share lights, fireworks, feasting, new clothes and prayer.

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Who celebrates Diwali?

The holiday, which has become both religious and secular, is celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs, Jains and some Buddhists.

In North India, it draws from the Ramayana, where Rama’s people light diyas to guide him, his wife Sita and brother Lakshmana on a triumphant journey home after 14 years in exile. Many people dedicate the holiday to special prayers to Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity, hoping that she will bless them.

In South India, it celebrates another story of exile from the epic Mahabharata, the victory of Lord Krishna’s destruction of the demon Naraka, who is said to have imprisoned women and tormented his subjects. Here, many have an early morning bath with hot oil to symbolize bathing in the holy river Ganges as a form of physical and spiritual purification.

Gambling is a popular tradition due to the belief that whoever gambled on Diwali night would prosper throughout the year.

And in Singapore, in the run-up to Diwali, a silver chariot carrying the goddess Sri Drowpathai Amman is dragged through the streets from the Sri Marjamman Temple, which also hosts Theemithi, a ritual where men walk on burning coals.

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How is Diwali celebrated?

This year the main holiday falls on Thursday 31 October, but there are five days of festivities in total.

The first day, Dhanteras, is often a preparation day when people clean their homes or make decorations.

Day two, Naraka Chaturdasi, is for decorating homes with lamps and marks the slaying of the demon Narakasur.

On the third day, Lakshmi Puja, families gather to celebrate Goddess Lakshmi with prayers, feasts and fireworks.

Friends and relatives visit on the fourth day, Govardhan Puja, with gifts.

On the fifth day, Bhai Dooj, brothers visit their married sisters.

How do you decorate for Diwali?

Exquisite decorations called rangoli are often drawn on the floor of homes in India to welcome gods and goddesses and ward off evil spirits.

Made from chalk and powders, or even turmeric, rice, flour or lentils, they can be geometric or of religious and floral motifs. The word comes from Sanskrit rangavalli or “rows of colors.”

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In what other ways do you celebrate Diwali?

The holidays are also a time to buy new clothes, gold and jewelry, and kitchenware. Sales during the holidays are common.

How to greet someone on Diwali?

Here are some suggestions on how to greet someone celebrating during Diwali:

• “I wish you and your family a happy and prosperous Diwali.”
• “May this festival of lights bring happiness and prosperity to your home.”
• “May the glow of the diyas illuminate your life with happiness and success.”
• “Sending you warm wishes for a sparkling and joyous Diwali celebration.”
• “I wish you a festival filled with laughter, light and love.”
• “May the divine light of Diwali spread peace, prosperity and good health.”
• “May Lord Ganesha and Goddess Lakshmi shower you with their blessings.”

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How is Diwali celebrated in other faiths?

Buddhists, Jains and Sikhs have their own Diwali stories.

Jains observe Diwali as the day when Lord Mahavira, the last of the great teachers, attained nirvana – the state of liberation from the cycle of birth, death and rebirth.

Sikhs celebrate Bandi Chhor Divas – a day that overlaps with Diwali – to commemorate the release of Guru Hargobind, a revered figure in the faith who was imprisoned for 12 years by the Mughal emperor Jahangir in the 17th century.

Buddhists observe the day as one when the Hindu emperor Ashoka, who ruled in the third century BC, converted to Buddhism.

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The Associated Press contributed to this article.

Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra had an extra special Diwali this year. The couple celebrated the “Festival of Lights” with their nine-month-old daughter Malti Marie.