we wish you and loved ones, happy celebrations of deepawalli festival, that rejuvenates our bonds, strengthens our relations, inspires us to share  prosperity.

may the diwali spirits heighten our spirituality, further the realization of kindness and empathy among us. we wish, our belief in traditions and culture deepens our belonging in nature.

many of us are blessed to celebrate with people we care for, may we gain the affordability to share the blessings among others.

dīpāvalī falls on kārttika amāvasyā, the new moon of the autumn month, the darkest night of the year's festival cycle. the harvest is in and the fields go quiet. it is a time to give thanks for what the land gave and to invite abundance for the year ahead.

दीपावली (dīpa + āvalī) means "a row of lamps". each diya is a small act of refusing darkness.

तमसो मा ज्योतिर्गमय ॥ tamaso mā jyotir gamaya (bṛhadāraṇyaka upaniṣad 1.3.28) "lead me from darkness to light."

the darkness is outer and inner: ignorance, fear and scarcity. the tradition says lakshmī moves through the world on this night and enters homes that are clean, lit and open-hearted. so we clean, light lamps and keep the door open.

राम rāma's return (rāmāyaṇa) || after 14 years of exile and the defeat of rāvaṇa, rāma, sītā and lakṣmaṇa return to ayodhyā. the people light rows of lamps to guide them home on the dark night. || dharma returns; we light the way home.

लक्ष्मी lakshmī from the ocean (samudra-manthana) || when gods and asuras churn the cosmic ocean, lakshmī rises from it and chooses viṣṇu. her emergence and union with viṣṇu are honoured on this night. || abundance comes from effort and churning, and rests with steadiness.

धन्वन्तरि dhanvantari (dhanteras) || from the same churning rises dhanvantari, physician of the gods, holding the pot of अमृत (amṛta), the nectar of life. || health is the first wealth. amṛta is the root of the name umrit.

कृष्ण kṛṣṇa and narakāsura (naraka caturdaśī) || kṛṣṇa, with satyabhāmā, defeats the tyrant naraka and frees 16,000 captives. || inner and outer bondage can be broken.

बलि king bali and vāmana (bali pratipadā) || the generous asura king gives vāmana three steps of land and is sent below, but is granted one return each year. || generosity is honoured even in defeat.

गोवर्धन kṛṣṇa lifts govardhana (annakūṭa) || kṛṣṇa turns the cowherds' worship from indra to the hill, the cows and the land that feed them, then shelters them under the lifted hill. || revere the land that sustains you.

काली kālī pūjā || the fierce mother is worshipped on the new-moon night. || destroying ego and fear is also light.

jain mahāvīra's nirvāṇa || mahāvīra attains liberation at pāvāpurī; lamps replace the lost light of the teacher. || the inner light of knowledge.

sikh bandi chhor divas || guru hargobind is released from gwalior fort with 52 imprisoned kings. || freedom shared, not kept.

the festival days in 2026

the five days, dhanteras to bhāī dūj, are led in by ramā ekādaśī and vāgh bāras. 

wed 4 nov || रमा एकादशी ramā ekādaśī (kārttika kṛṣṇa ekādaśī) || fasting and viṣṇu worship on the ekādaśī named for ramā (lakshmī); the home is cleaned and readied, and the first lamps are lit

thu 5 nov || वाघ बारस vāgh bāras / गोवत्स द्वादशी govatsa dvādaśī (vasu bāras) || cows and their calves are worshipped and fed; in gujarat, old accounts and debts are settled before the new year (explanations of the name vāgh differ)

fri 6 nov || धनतेरस dhanteras (trayodaśī) || dhanvantari and kubera pūjā; buy new metal utensils; a lamp for yama at the doorway || health and the wealth that protects life

sat 7 nov || नरक चतुर्दशी naraka caturdaśī / kālī caudas || oil bath before dawn; clean the home; small lamps || removing impurity and inner darkness

sun 8 nov || दीपावली lakshmī pūjā (amāvasyā) || rows of diyas || welcoming abundance and light

mon 9 nov || गोवर्धन पूजा govardhana pūjā / annakūṭa / bali pratipadā || a "mountain of food" offered, honouring cows and land; नूतन वर्ष new year of vikram saṃvat 2083, kārttika śukla pratipadā (nūtana varṣa, "new year"; called bestu varas in gujarat): new account books are opened, and people greet each other with नूतन वर्षाभिनंदन (nūtana varṣābhinandana, "new-year greetings") and साल मुबारक (sāl mubārak, "happy new year")

tue 10 nov || भाई दूज bhāī dūj (dvitīyā) || brother(s) visit sister(s) and receive blessings; brother(s) vow protection

beyond the five days: lābh pāñcam to dev dīvālī the festival season does not close with bhāī dūj. it runs on for two more weeks. work resumes on lābh pāñcam, and the season closes at the full moon with dev dīvālī, the "dīvālī of the gods".

sat 14 nov || लाभ पांचम lābh pāñcam (kārttika śukla pañcamī; also सौभाग्य पञ्चमी saubhāgya pañcamī) || shops and businesses reopen after the dīvālī holidays. the first sale or entry of the year is made at an auspicious time as शुकन (śukana), a good omen. in the new account books (chopaḍā), opened at the dīvālī pūjā, the first entries are written under a svāstika with शुभ (śubha, "auspicious") and लाभ (lābha, "gain"). gaṇeśa and lakshmī are worshipped. jains keep it as ज्ञान पञ्चमी (jñāna pañcamī) and honour scriptures and books. || rest ends and right work begins. gain is sought only after the auspicious (śubha before lābha).

fri 20 nov || प्रबोधिनी एकादशी prabodhinī ekādaśī (dev uthī) || viṣṇu wakes from his four-month sleep, which ends cāturmāsya. tulasī vivāha, the marriage of tulasī and śālagrāma, is celebrated, and the wedding season reopens. || the world wakes for new undertakings.

mon 23 nov (evening) || देव दीपावली dev dīvālī (kārttika pūrṇimā; also tripurārī pūrṇimā) || śiva destroys the three cities of the asura tripura. the gods are said to come down to the ghats of kāśī (varanasi) to celebrate, and the riverbanks are lit with lakhs of lamps. people take a holy bath (kārttika snāna) at dawn on the 24th and offer lamps on water. sikhs mark guru nānak's birth (gurpurab) at this full moon, and jains begin the śatruñjaya (pālītāṇā) pilgrimage.

the thread through all of them: light over darkness, abundance through right effort, gratitude to the land, and freedom from what binds. the season runs from dhanteras to dev dīvālī, from the last nights of the waning moon, through the new moon, to the full moon. for a farm, dīpāvalī is also the end of the harvest year: the kharif crops are in, the granaries are full, and thanks is given before the land rests.