Diwali 2026

What this countdown tracks

Diwali 2026 – the Hindu festival of lights – with its main day, Lakshmi Puja, falling on Sunday November 8, 2026. The five-day celebration begins with Dhanteras on November 6 and concludes with Bhai Dooj on November 10, observed by over a billion people across India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Fiji, Trinidad, Singapore, Malaysia, and the global Indian diaspora.

About Diwali

Diwali, also spelled Deepavali ("a row of lamps"), commemorates the return of Lord Rama, his wife Sita, and his brother Lakshmana to Ayodhya after fourteen years of exile and the defeat of the demon king Ravana, as told in the Ramayana. The people of Ayodhya welcomed them home by lighting rows of oil lamps – diyas – along the streets and in their homes, and that act of welcome has become the festival's defining ritual.

For Hindus, Diwali also celebrates the goddess Lakshmi, the consort of Vishnu and the goddess of wealth and prosperity, who is said to visit homes that are clean, well-lit, and beautifully decorated on the new moon of Kartik. Different regions add their own layers. In south India, Diwali commemorates Krishna's defeat of the demon Narakasura. In west India, it marks the day Vishnu, in his Vamana avatar, sent King Bali to the underworld. Jains observe Diwali as the day Mahavira attained nirvana in 527 BCE; Sikhs observe it as Bandi Chhor Divas, when Guru Hargobind was released from Mughal imprisonment in 1619. Each tradition centers on a moment of liberation, return, or victory of light over darkness.

The five days proceed in a recognizable order: Dhanteras (the worship of Dhanvantari and gold-buying), Naraka Chaturdashi (the predawn oil bath), Lakshmi Puja (the main day), Govardhan Puja (Krishna's lifting of the hill), and Bhai Dooj (sister-brother bond).

How it's observed

The visual signature of Diwali is light – diyas of clay and ghee placed in rows along window ledges, doorways, balconies, and rangoli-decorated thresholds, with strings of electric lights extending the same idea across whole neighbourhoods. Fireworks dominate the night of Lakshmi Puja, though several Indian cities have moved to "green Diwali" with limited firework windows and noise-pollution caps. Households are deep-cleaned in the days leading up; women draw rangoli patterns at the front door each morning; new clothes are worn; gold and silver jewellery and utensils are bought on Dhanteras. The signature foods are mithai – ladoo, barfi, gulab jamun, soan papdi – and savoury snacks like chakli and namak para, given as gifts in decorative boxes. Lakshmi-Ganesh puja is performed at home in the evening, followed by the lighting of diyas around the house and a family meal. In Bengal, the same nights are Kali Puja, with night-long worship of the goddess Kali. In Tamil Nadu, the predawn oil bath of Naraka Chaturdashi is the central ritual rather than Lakshmi Puja.

Why this date specifically

Diwali falls on Amavasya (the new moon) of the Hindu lunisolar month of Kartik – the darkest night of the lunar month, deliberately chosen as the moment for lights to do the most work. In 2026, the Kartik Amavasya begins on the afternoon of November 8 and ends on the afternoon of November 9 in Indian Standard Time. Because the puja is performed in the evening with the new moon already in place, November 8 is the universally observed Lakshmi Puja day for 2026. The Hindu calendar's roughly eleven-day shorter lunar year is why Diwali drifted from October 22 in 2025 (in some regional panchangs) to early November in 2026.

What to watch for / notable observances in 2026

• November 6 – Dhanteras and the traditional gold-buying day in India; gold prices typically peak
• November 7 – Naraka Chaturdashi / Choti Diwali, with predawn oil baths in south India
• November 8 – Lakshmi Puja, the main night, with fireworks across India
• November 9 – Govardhan Puja and Annakut feast, especially in Mathura, Vrindavan, and Gujarat
• November 10 – Bhai Dooj, sister-brother bond ceremony
• Public holiday in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia, Mauritius, Trinidad, Fiji, and Guyana
• Leicester (UK) Diwali switch-on and Trafalgar Square Diwali – the largest Diwali events outside India

Related festivals to track

Diwali sits inside a longer Hindu autumn arc that begins with Navratri 2026 and Dussehra 2026; it also overlaps with the Sikh observance of Bandi Chhor Divas. For comparable festivals of light across traditions, see Hanukkah 2026 and the Jewish festival hub. The full family calendar lives at the Hindu festival hub.

FAQ

When is Diwali in 2026? Lakshmi Puja, the main day, falls on Sunday November 8, 2026; the five-day festival runs from November 6 to November 10.

How is Diwali observed? With oil-lamp lighting, fireworks, Lakshmi-Ganesh puja in the evening, gift-giving, sweets, new clothes, and family gatherings over five days.

Is Diwali a public holiday? Yes, in India (Lakshmi Puja and often Govardhan Puja), Nepal, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Fiji, Trinidad, Singapore, and Malaysia.

What is the typical greeting? "Shubh Deepavali" or "Happy Diwali" – often expanded to "Diwali ki shubhkamnayein" (Diwali greetings).