Celebrate Dipaawali Happy Diwali 2015 - 2016

About Diwali 

Deepawali or Diwali is certainly the biggest and the brightest of all Hindu festivals. It's the festival of lights (deep = light and avali = a row i.e., a row of lights) that's marked by four days of celebration, which literally illumines the country with its brilliance, and dazzles all with its joy. This year Diwali falls on Wednesday, November 11, 2015. Each of the four days in the festival of Diwali is separated by a different tradition, but what remains true and constant is the celebration of life, its enjoyment and goodness.

What is Diwali? 

Diwali, or Deepavali, is one of the biggest Indian festivals and also a major occassion in Nepal. The festival has great religious significance for Hindus, Sikhs, Jains and the Nepalese. In India, Diwali is now considered to be more of a national festival, and is enjoyed by most Indians regardless of faith. It is commonly celebrated by decorating homes with lamps and candles, bursting of firecrackers and sparklers, eating sweets and other mouthwatering dishes, praying to Gods and Goddesses, observing religious rituals, wearing new dresses and sending wishes and gifts to one another. 

Celebrate Dipaawali Happy Diwali 2015 - 2016

Hindus and Sikhs alike regard it as a celebration of life and use the occasion to strengthen family and social relationships. One of the most important Hindu festivals, Diwali marks the beginning of a new year in some Hindu calendars. For Hindus, the festival is not only the time to make merry but also the time to worship divine beings considered sacred in Hinduism like Lord Ganesha, Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Mahabali. It is also a significant festival for the Sikh faith. For Jains, it is an occasion to remember Lord Mahavira. In Nepal, Diwali is celebrated by many Buddhists as Tihar or Swanti.

How to Celebrate

For Hindus this is one of the most important days of the year, and it involves spending time with family and performing traditional activities. Families clean their homes from top to bottom so that when the lamps are lit it will be suitable for the Goddess of wealth and knowledge, Lakshmi, to enter their home and bless them with good fortune for the upcoming year, as well as the God of good luck, Ganesh. Traditional families will make an offering to the goddess of fruit, rice pudding, flowers and other assorted gifts. To offer these goods the family performs a “puja,” which involves saying sacred words and singing. Unlike Western holidays, it’s also considered very important to refrain from eating meat and drinking alcohol in honor of the divine spirits being invited into your home.

When is Diwali? 

Though the number of days of the celebration of the festival differ with different communities, the actual days of observance of Diwali are common and fall on exactly the same set of days across Nepal and India. Going by the Gregorian calendar, Diwali in India is observed generally in the months of October or November. The festival comes exactly twenty days after Dussehra, another sacred Hindu occassion, and is celebrated for five consecutive days at the end of Hindu month of Ashvin. Diwali is on 11th November, 2015 and 30 October 2016.

DIWALI FESTIVAL DATES:

9 Nov 15 - Dhanteras

10 Nov 15 - Choti Diwali

11 Nov 15 -Diwali

13 Nov 15 - Bhai Dooj

Diwali Dates for years 2000 - 2031

Year Gregorian          Date Year Gregorian Date

Diwali 2000 26 October 2000 Diwali 2016 30 October 2016

Diwali 2001 14 November 2001 Diwali 2017 19 October 2017

Diwali 2002           04 November 2002 Diwali 2018            07 November 2018

Diwali 2003           25 October 2003 Diwali 2019 27 October 2019

Diwali 2004 12 November 2004 Diwali 2020 14 November 2020

Diwali 2005           01 November 2005 Diwali 2021 04 November 2021

Diwali 2006           21 October 2006 Diwali 2022 24 October 2022

Diwali 2007 09 November 2007 Diwali 2023 12 November 2023

Diwali 2008 28 October 2008 Diwali 2024            01 November 2024

Diwali 2009 17 October 2009            Diwali 2025 21 October 2025

Diwali 2010 05 November 2010       Diwali 2026 08 November 2026

Diwali 2011 26 October 2011            Diwali 2027 29 October 2027

Diwali 2012 13 November 2012       Diwali 2028 17 October 2028

Diwali 2013 03 November 2013  Diwali 2029 05 November 2029

Diwali 2014 23 October 2014 Diwali 2030            26 October 2030

Diwali 2015 11 November 2015       Diwali 2031 14 November 2031