20/10/2025
Happy Diwali to all those celebrating Diwali from all at Helping Hands Lutterworth.
Diwali, the Festival of Lights, is the biggest event in the Hindu calendar and is also celebrated by Sikhs, Jains and some Buddhists.
Diwali symbolises the triumph of light over darkness, good over evil, truth over falsehood, and knowledge over ignorance. So, when will it be in 2025, and what are the key events, festivals and celebrations?
The festivity - also written as Dipavali, Deepawali, and similar variations - means 'rows of lamps.' Those who are celebrating often decorate their homes with bunting, strings of lights, and oil lamps called diyas, along with table decorations designed using patterns from a traditional art form known as rangoli.
The third day of the festival - the main Diwali night - is held on the darkest night of the lunar month, when there is a new moon. This is on the 15th day of that month and is known as Kartik Amavasya (New Moon Day). It is the darkest night after the Hindu month of Ashvin has ended and the month of Kartika has begun.
When the date of that new moon is known, the Diwali festival can be added to the calendar.
As the Western calendar is based on the sun, Diwali moves each year. But it always falls between the middle of October and the middle of November.
Diwali is traditionally a time for exchanging gifts, friendship, peace, and goodwill to all.
For Hindus, Diwali represents the start of the New Year and the beginning of winter. It honours Lord Rama and his wife Sita returning to their kingdom of Ayodhya following the defeat of the demon King Ravana and Sita's rescue from his evil clutches.
For Sikhs, Diwali celebrates the release from imprisonment of the sixth guru, Guru Hargobind Ji, and 52 Hindu Rajas (kings).
For Jains, Diwali marks the anniversary of the attainment of Moksha, the final liberation of the soul from the cycle of death and rebirth, by Lord Mahavir.
Each day leading up to Diwali has a different meaning and these may also vary between regions or communities.
