Diwali in India
Diwali is a five-day festival celebrated around the world by Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists and followers of the ancient Indian religion of Jainism. Festivities take place in the autumn - between mid-October and mid-November – to coincide with Kartika the darkest month in the Hindu calendar.
The name ‘Diwali’ derives from the Sanskrit word dipavali, which means a row of lights: ‘dip’ = light and ‘avail’ = a row or a series.![]()
It’s a celebration of light. Although, metaphorically speaking, Diwali is also a celebration of good conquering evil, wisdom overcoming ignorance and hope shining through despair. Strings of brightly coloured fairy lights, flickering tea lights and traditional diyas (oil lamps) adorn interiors and exteriors of homes, temples, offices and shops. In some regions of India, floating candles are set alight and afloat on rivers and lakes.
Several rituals take place prior to festivities, including cleaning, decorating and renovating family homes, religious shrines and places of work. During Diwali, prayers and gifts are offered to the Hindu goddess of wealth and prosperity, Lakshmi. This takes place at local temples as well as smaller village shrines. Families come together for feasts, to give gifts and to let off fireworks during the evening. Indian sweets, mithai, are also made, given and shared amongst friends, families and neighbours.
Our Festivals Vacations
Gerewol festival vacation in Chad
Witness one of Africa's most colourful traditional festivals
From
£2299 to £2349
8 days
ex flights
Timkat Festival in Ethiopia vacation
Join the colorful Ethiopian Christmas and Timket Festivals
From
£3295
16 days
ex flights
Ghana, Togo & Benin tour, Ouidah voodoo festival
The magic of Benin's voodoo festival, plus Ghana and Togo
From
£2825
13 days
ex flights
Mongolia tour, winter landscapes and Khovsgol ice festival
Winter discovery tour with ice festival in northern Mongolia
From
US $1370 to US $1670
11 days
ex flights
Papua New Guinea tour, cultures & customs
A small-group adventure tour to Papua New Guinea
From
US $6595
15 days
ex flights
The Gerewol Festival and Ennedi Mountains tour, Chad
Sandstone mountains, multi-hued lakes and the Wodaabe tribe
From
£5699 to £5899
22 days
ex flights
Mongolia tour, mountains & nomads
Slow travel through Mongolia's northern & central landscapes
From
US $2285
13 days
ex flights
Ethiopia Genna Festival & trekking vacation
Enjoy the elaborate Christian festival in historic Lalibela
From
£1499
10 days
ex flights
Jambay Lakhang Festival vacation in Bhutan
Experience the colourful Jambay Lakhang festival
From
US $3999 to US $4120
12 days
ex flights
Tribal festival vacation in India
A tour covering two major festivals of the animist tribes
From
£2450
16 days
ex flights
Day of the Dead festival vacation, Mexico
Celebrate the Day of the Dead Festival in Mexico
From
£2797
8 days
ex flights
Diwali festival vacation in India
Join our villages in celebrating the festival of light!
From
£996
11 days
ex flights
Goroka Show vacation in Papua New Guinea
Small group tour to attend the Goroka & Kalam Festivals
From
US $6875
8 days
ex flights
Mali festival on the Niger vacation
Special tour and festival of the Niger tour, Mali
From
€1750 to €2050
10 days
ex flights
Music festival on the Niger River, Mali
Discover the music and magic of Mali’Festival of the Niger.
From
€1650 to €2050
16 days
ex flights
Burma hot air balloon festival vacation
Tailormade Myanmar adventure combining trekking and culture
From
US $2695
12 days
ex flights
Festivals of Ghana tour
See three of Ghana's most colourful traditional festivals
From
£2949
10 days
ex flights
Maslenitsa winter cultural festival in Russia
Slavic vacation of Maslenitsa – exciting winter festival!
From
€1370
7 days
ex flights
Trekking with shamans in the Nepal
A demanding but rewarding trek for a Shamanic festival
From
€949
10 days
ex flights
Nomads’ Day Festival vacation in Mongolia
Authentic Mongolian Experience with Nomad's Day Festival
From
£2208
10 days
ex flights
Uzbekistan Spring Festival tour
Visit enchanting Uzbekistan during Persian New Year
From
£3290
11 days
ex flights
Rio Carnival vacation in Brazil
Experience Brazil carnival in Rio in March 2019
From
£3121
9 days
ex flights
Mongolia Eagle Festival vacation
Mongolia tour with Eagle festival departure
From
US $4955
17 days
ex flights
Kenya safari, wildlife and culture
See some of the most breathtaking scenery on earth
From
£3495 to £3795
21 days
ex flights
Mongolia Naadam Festival tour
Explore Mongolia and experience the real Naadam Festival
From
£2465
14 days
ex flights
Yucatan Day of Dead festival tour
Explore Mexican culture and history during 'Day of the Dead'
From
£2995
11 days
ex flights
Naadam Festival vacations in Mongolia
Become a Nomad and celebrate Naadam Festival with the locals
From
£1685
8 days
ex flights
Festivals of Bhutan vacations
Discover misty mountains rising from fast flowing rivers
From
US $5399
11 days
ex flights
How can I join in with Diwali celebrations in India?
Tailor made tours of India can take place at any time of year you wish. Booking a tour to coincide with Diwali celebrations is a great idea for any travelers looking to get swept up in the festivities, as well as learning more about the cultural customs in the company of a local guide. Accommodation and travel arrangements will all be taken care of, and you can tailor an itinerary to include as many urban celebrations or rural traditions as you wish. From temples and tailors to sweet treats and firecrackers, tailor made tours around Diwali always allow for an exciting mix of authenticity and organic encounters.
Small group tours, too, can take place around this time of year. Getting out of Delhi and into the villages around Binsar Valley, for example, offers ample excuses to take a Diwali festival vacation in India as you get to know local people at one of the most important times in the Hindu calendar. Just be aware that small group vacations at Diwali can get booked up very quickly.
David Quick from our specialist tour operator, Village Ways, helps to run small group vacations in India during Diwali. He says: “In India’s rural villages, Diwali is a time of hope and celebration. On our trips, guests are guided by people from our partner communities and so can very much take part in the celebrations. There are village feasts and homes are decorated with Rangoli and alight with lamps. Diwali also coincides with one of the best times to be in the mountains, with crystal clear views and a beautiful natural light that so suits the festival of light itself. So, while celebrations in the cities are loud and large-scale, there is a special intimacy in the rural villages, a sense that the festival is deeply felt and important. It is a wonderful time to travel and discover the quiet side of India.”
Why is Diwali important in India?
There are over one billion people in the world who celebrate Diwali. As 80 percent of the Indian population (that’s roughly 966 million people) is Hindu, this is the place to be to really let in the light. Traditions and rituals are passed down through generations and all over the world Hindus will be connecting with each other by any means possible during Diwali.
Economically, also, this is a huge season. Stores might well close on the Big Day but other than that you can expect everywhere to be open for business. Sweet shops, traditional clothing outlets, shopping malls, goldsmiths and jewellers will often get the most footfall in the run up to Diwali.
Joining in celebrations, or at least finding out a little more about the history and traditions of Diwali, allows us to become part of a truly worldwide community. Empathy and understanding of lifestyles and cultures in other countries is an essential facet of what it means to be a responsible traveler.
Also, if you’ve done your research and are aware of what time of year Diwali takes place (between October and November), you’ll know what to expect. Accommodation might be fully booked at this time of year; temples, shrines and public areas might get crowded; and traveling by train or local bus might be even busier than usual. Travel with a specialist tour operator to have these worries taken out of your hands.
Economically, also, this is a huge season. Stores might well close on the Big Day but other than that you can expect everywhere to be open for business. Sweet shops, traditional clothing outlets, shopping malls, goldsmiths and jewellers will often get the most footfall in the run up to Diwali.
Joining in celebrations, or at least finding out a little more about the history and traditions of Diwali, allows us to become part of a truly worldwide community. Empathy and understanding of lifestyles and cultures in other countries is an essential facet of what it means to be a responsible traveler.
Also, if you’ve done your research and are aware of what time of year Diwali takes place (between October and November), you’ll know what to expect. Accommodation might be fully booked at this time of year; temples, shrines and public areas might get crowded; and traveling by train or local bus might be even busier than usual. Travel with a specialist tour operator to have these worries taken out of your hands.
The five days of Diwali
1. Dhanteras
The first day of Diwali celebrations, when lamps and lights are installed, homes and offices are swept and decorated, and last-minute shopping is undertaken for gifts, sweets and fireworks. Dhanteras is associated with renewal, healing and new beginnings.
2. Naraka Chaturdasi
Naraka Chaturdasi is the day before Diwali. It focuses on liberating the souls of the living and the departed. Naraka = hell and Chaturdasi = 14th, so it means the 14th day of Kartika. Homemade mithai are prepared for the next day’s visitors, gifts are given to co-workers, and deities are visited for prayers.
3. Diwali, Lakshmi Puja
This is when the world at night becomes bathed in light. Shops are shut or close early, relatives are visited or welcomed to family feasts, and new saris, suits and jewellery are worn in readiness for nocturnal firecracker and firework celebrations.
4. Diwali Padva
The day after Diwali is traditionally set aside for husbands and wives to give each other gifts and enjoy a romantic meal together. Newlyweds may also be invited to share the occasion with in-laws.
5. Bhau-Beej
The translation for the final day of Diwali is ‘Brother’s Day’. This is a celebration of the bond between siblings, but brothers are traditionally the ones expected to visit sisters or parents. Prayers are performed by women for their brothers’ safekeeping before the young men are fed, by hand, by their sisters or another female member of the family.
Our top Festivals Vacation
Bhutan vacation, culture and festivals
Festival Tour in Bhutan
From
£2995
13 days
ex flights
Small group travel:
2021: 19 Feb, 20 Apr, 13 Sep, 3 Nov
2021: 19 Feb, 20 Apr, 13 Sep, 3 Nov
Travel Team
If you'd like to chat about Festivals or need help finding a vacation to suit you we're very happy to help.
How did Diwali start?
The origins of Diwali are thought to come from ancient Sanskrit text, most notably the epic tales of Ramayana and the Mahabharata. Ramayana – which is considered to be the first ever Hindu poem – follows the adventures of the exiled Lord Rama as he travels across India with his wife and brother to reclaim his birth right as the crowned king of Ayodhya, a city in modern day Utter Pradesh.
The Mahabharata details the struggles between two sets of cousins – the Kauravas and Pandavas – as they fight for the succession of the Hastinapura throne in the ancient north Indian kingdom of Kuru. Lord Krishna appears as the central character. The Mahabharata is thought to be the longest poem ever written and includes more than 220,000 verses and around 1.8 million words.
Together, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata collectively form the history of Hinduism in Sanskrit and as such are considered incredibly important to the Hindu faith. It’s from these works that the metaphorical and philosophical meaning of Diwali originates, i.e. the conquering of good over evil through compassion, knowledge and following the correct path to enlightenment. Homecoming celebrations for the exiled Lord Rama and festivities to mark the defeat of the evil demon Narakasura by Lord Krishna both occur as part of the original five-day Diwali.
When is Diwali?
Diwali is calculated using the Hindu lunar calendar. Find out which dates Diwali falls on for the next few years:
2019: October 25th – 29th
2020: November 12th – 16th
2021: November 2nd – 6th
2022: October 22nd – 26th
2023: November 5th – 9th
2024: October 30th – November 3rd
2025: October 19th –23rd
More about Festivals
The best time to go to a festival is, basically, when it’s on! Happily, throughout the year, you can find some part of the world rocking to a festival beat or rolling out a ritual.
Attending a local festival in a far flung country provides a fascinating insight into a culture – as well as being fantastic fun.
From Chad to China, Benin to Bhutan, find out where the most exciting events and celebrations take place around the world, with our festivals map and highlights page.
Bhutan festivals are colourful, sociable, spiritual events and, happily, there’s one happening somewhere in the country throughout the year.
From an indigenous Mexican commemoration, to a UNESCO-acclaimed cultural highlight celebrated around the globe, Mexico’s Day of the Dead festival has come a long way in its 3,000-year history.
A huge and relatively new event, the World Nomad Games is the Olympics of the nomadic world, featuring traditional sports from Central Asia and beyond.
An ancient courtship ritual in which tribesmen dress up and wear makeup to attract a wife or a lover, Chad's Gerewol festival is an extraordinary spectacle...
The Nadaam and Eagle festivals in Mongolia are wonderful sporting and social events, offering the chance to delve a little deeper into Mongol culture...
Drawing in musicians from all over the world, the Rainforest World Music Festival in Sarawak is a fun, friendly celebration that features big stage performances and small afternoon workshops.
Turning freezing winter into an excuse for a festival, the Harbin Ice and Snow Festival, China, features snow and ice sculptures carved from blocks of the frozen Songhua River.
Rhythmic drumming, extraordinary costumes and performers channeling spirits – the Voodoo festival, Benin, is an otherworldly cultural treat.
Ethiopia’s Orthodox Christian celebration, Timkat, takes place 19 and 20 January every year and, although it does attract tourist spectators, it is an authentic religious festival, with a lot of colour, singing, drumming and splashing.
The Rio Carnival, held every year in the week before Lent, is the world’s biggest party, with millions of revellers taking to the streets to watch as flamboyant dancers parade alongside floats and bands.
If you’re wondering what to pack, where you’ll stay and what to expect, our specialist vacation providers have lots of advice, to put you in the picture.
Attending a festival isn’t without its responsible tourism concerns, so we take a look at how to travel responsibly.
protection
Photo credits: [Page banner: Sazzad Aryan] [How can I join in?: Public.Resource.Org]
[The 5 days of Diwali: Rosehubwiki, Kuber patel]
[Woman with candles: Swaminathan]
Back to the top
- Recently viewed
