(NewsNation) — This week, Hindus around the world are celebrating one of their most important holidays, Diwali. It’s an occasion that has become popular in recent years among Americans of all faiths. But what is the meaning behind the holiday, and how do people celebrate?
Diwali is the five-day festival of lights, symbolizing the victory of good over evil, knowledge over ignorance and spiritual light over darkness, according to the Hindu American Foundation. The name comes from the Sanskrit word "deepavali," which means row of lights, and it is commemorated with the lighting of candles, clay lamps and firecrackers.
Followers celebrate Diwali by gathering in local temples, homes and community centers or any appropriate place where family and friends can make positive goals and appreciate good fortune.
Celebrations generally include special food and sweets, candle-lighting, reciting prayers and singing songs to the Hindu god Vishnu, known as the sustainer of the universe, and the goddess Lakshmi, who is known as the goddess of wealth and prosperity.
Diwali traces its roots back to the Ramayana, one of India’s greatest epics dating back to the 7th century B.C., that tells the tale of a prince named Rama, who was considered the embodiment of "dharma" or righteous living. As the eldest son of his father, Rama was meant to inherit the throne but was instead exiled to the forest for 14 years by his jealous stepmother. Diwali celebrates Rama’s return from exile.
A devotee offers prayers and lights a traditional oil lamp on the occasion of 'Diwali', the Hindu festival of lights at a temple in Colombo on October 20, 2025. (Photo by Ishara S. KODIKARA / AFP) (Photo by ISHARA S. KODIKARA/AFP via Getty Images)
Members of the business community participate in 'Chopda Pujan', the worship of account books, as part of a ritual to mark the festival of Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, at the Swaminarayan Akshardham temple in Ahmedabad on October 20, 2025. (Photo by Shammi MEHRA / AFP) (Photo by SHAMMI MEHRA/AFP via Getty Images)
A devotee lights oil lamps during 'Diwali', the Hindu festival of lights, at a temple in Yangon on October 20, 2025. (Photo by Sai Aung MAIN / AFP) (Photo by SAI AUNG MAIN/AFP via Getty Images)
AYODHYA, INDIA - OCTOBER 19: Local residents watch a firework show on the banks of the Saryu river on the eve of Diwali festival on October 19, 2025 in Ayodhya , India. (Photo by Ritesh Shukla/Getty Images)
A devotee prepares fruits and flower offerings to Hindu Goddess Lakshmi during the Hindu festival of lights, Diwali at Vishnu temple in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Nov. 4, 2021. Millions of people across Asia are celebrating the Hindu festival of Diwali, which symbolizes new beginnings and the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
A Hindu devotee holds an oil lamp while offering prayers during Diwali, the festival of lights, at a Hindu temple in Colombo on November 4, 2021.
Hindu devotees pray at a temple during Diwali, the festival of lights, in Hong Kong, Thursday, Nov. 4, 2021. Millions of people across Asia are celebrating the Hindu festival of Diwali, which symbolizes new beginnings and the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
People watch a firecracker light up during Diwali celebrations in New Delhi, India, Thursday, Nov. 4, 2021. Millions of people across Asia are celebrating the Hindu festival of Diwali, which symbolizes new beginnings and the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
A woman and her daughter make a rangoli, a traditional decoration, at the entrance to their home during Diwali celebrations in New Delhi, India, Thursday, Nov. 4, 2021. Diwali, the festival of lights, is one of Hinduism's most important festivals dedicated to the worship of Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of wealth. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
Firecrackers light up the sky over lamps lined on the banks of the river Saryu in Ayodhya, India, Sunday , Oct. 23, 2022. Hindus believe the city is the birthplace of Ram. Millions of people across Asia are celebrating the Hindu festival of Diwali, which symbolizes new beginnings and the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
Traders perform rituals during Chopada Pujan, or a mass prayer ceremony dedicated to the worship of account books, on the occasion of Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, at the Swaminarayan Gurukul in Ahmedabad, India, Thursday, Nov. 4, 2021. Millions of people across Asia are celebrating the Hindu festival of Diwali, which symbolizes new beginnings and the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness. Millions of people across Asia are celebrating the Hindu festival of Diwali, which symbolizes new beginnings and the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness. In eastern Ahmedabad city in Gujarat state, devotees worshipped their account books as the festival also marks the start of the new Hindu financial year. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)
A roadside vendor displays garlands of marigold flowers, popularly used as offering to Hindu deities, during Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, in Kolkata, India, Thursday, Nov. 4, 2021. Millions of people across Asia are celebrating the Hindu festival of Diwali, which symbolizes new beginnings and the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness. (AP Photo/Bikas Das)
Devotees pray during Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, at the Sri Mariamman Temple in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia, Thursday Nov. 4, 2021. Millions of people across Asia are celebrating the Hindu festival of Diwali, which symbolizes new beginnings and the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness. The festival is celebrated mainly in India but Hindus across the world, particularly in other parts of Asia, also gather with family members and friends to socialize, visit temples and decorate houses with small oil lamps made from clay. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)
Hindu devotees ring a bell as they pray at a temple during Diwali, the festival of lights, in Hong Kong, Thursday, Nov. 4, 2021. Diwali is one of Hinduism's most important festivals, dedicated to the worship of the goddess of wealth Lakshmi. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
A Nepalese woman puts marigold petals on a police dog during Tihar festival celebrations at a kennel division in Kathmandu, Nepal, Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2021. Millions of people across Asia are celebrating the Hindu festival of Diwali, which symbolizes new beginnings and the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness. The festival is marked as Tihar, also known as Deepawali, in neighboring Nepal. There, the five-day celebrations began Tuesday and people thronged markets and shopped for marigold flowers, which hold huge cultural significance during the festival. On Wednesday, devotees celebrated dogs that are regarded as the guardian of the Hindu death god Yama. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
An artist applies henna on the hand or a woman during the Hindu festival of lights, Diwali, in Taipei, Taiwan, Thursday, Nov. 4, 2021. Millions of people across Asia are celebrating the Hindu festival of Diwali, which symbolizes new beginnings and the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)
People crowd a market area on the eve of Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, in Jammu, India, Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2021. Diwali is one of Hinduism's most important festivals, dedicated to the worship of the goddess of wealth Lakshmi. (AP Photo/Channi Anand)
People light lamps on the banks of the river Saryu in Ayodhya, India, Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2021. Over 900,000 earthen lamps were lit and were kept burning for 45 minutes as the north Indian city of Ayodhya retained its Guinness World Record for lighting oil lamps as part of the Diwali celebration – the Hindu festival of lights. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
On Diwali, people dress up in new festive clothes, go to Hindu temples and perform "puja," or worship ceremonies, to the goddess Lakshmi and Ganesha, the elephant-headed god of new beginnings.
Considering the millions of Indian Americans in the U.S., Diwali is celebrated widely in communities across the country. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there were an estimated 5.2 million people in the U.S. who identified as Indian as of 2023.
