Nomenclature and dates
Diwali or
Divali is from the Sanskrit dīpāvali meaning "row or series of
lights". The conjugated term is derived from the Sanskrit words dīpa,
"lamp, light, lantern, candle, that which glows, shines, illuminates or
knowledge" and āvali, "a row, range, continuous line, series
The five-day
celebration is observed every year in early autumn after the conclusion of the
summer harvest and coincides with the new moon, known as the amāsvasya – the
darkest night of the Hindu lunisolar calendar. The festivities begin two days
before amāsvasya, on Dhanteras, and extends two days after, the second day of
the first fortnight of the month of Kartik. According to Indologist, Constance
Jones who specialises in religious sociology, this night ends the lunar month
of Ashwin and starts the month of Kartika. The darkest night is the apex of the
celebration and coincides with the second half of October or early November in
the Gregorian calendar.
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| Happy Diwali |
The festival
climax is on the third day😗 and is called the main Diwali. It is an official
holiday in about a dozen countries, while the other festive days are
regionally observed as either public or optional restricted holidays in India.In
Nepal, it is also a multiday festival, although the days and rituals are named
differently, with the climax being called the Tihar festival by Hindus and
Swanti festival by Buddhists.
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