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Deepavali, Festival of Lights

Diwali 2026 Date: Sunday, 8 November 2026

Diwali 2026 is on Sunday, 8 November 2026, Amavasya (Krishna paksha) of Kartik (Purnimanta) · Ashwin (Amanta).

Updated 4 Oct 2026 · dates for New Delhi

Quick facts

Date
Sunday, 8 November 2026
Hindu date
Amavasya (Krishna paksha)
Kartik (Purnimanta) · Ashwin (Amanta)
Tithi begins / ends
11:28 AM → 12:32 PM, 9 Nov
Pradosh Kaal
5:31 PM – 7:55 PM
Sunrise · Sunset (New Delhi)
6:38 AM · 5:31 PM
Vikram Samvat
2083 (Gujarati: 2082)

Dates

YearDateHindu date
2026Sunday, 8 November 2026Amavasya (Krishna paksha)Open in calendar
2027Friday, 29 October 2027Amavasya (Krishna paksha)Open in calendar

Dates are for New Delhi. Dates that have already passed are not listed. Later years are added once they have been checked.

About Diwali

Diwali, or Deepavali, is the festival of lights and the most widely celebrated Hindu festival. Its main day falls on the new-moon night (Amavasya) of the month of Kartik in the Purnimanta calendar, which is Ashwin in the Amanta calendar, and it is the centre of a five-day celebration that begins with Dhanteras. Homes are cleaned and lit with oil lamps (diyas), and families worship Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity, together with Ganesha.

Regions tell the day differently. Many remember Rama’s return to Ayodhya, others the victory of Krishna over Narakasura, and for many business communities it marks the start of the new financial year.

How the date is decided

Diwali is kept on the Amavasya that is running during Pradosh Kaal, the window that begins at sunset. When Amavasya covers the evening of two consecutive days, panchangs do not all agree; this calendar takes the day on which it is also present at sunrise. Because sunset times differ, the date can also fall a day apart between cities.

How it is observed

Puja vidhi: how to do the puja

  1. Clean the house and the puja corner, draw rangoli at the entrance and set up a wooden chowki covered with a red or yellow cloth.
  2. Place idols or pictures of Ganesha and Lakshmi on the chowki, with a kalash of water, mango leaves and a coconut beside them.
  3. In the Pradosh Kaal shown above, light a large ghee diya that can burn through the night, and begin with Ganesha: sprinkle Ganga jal and offer roli, akshat (unbroken rice) and flowers.
  4. Worship Lakshmi with kumkum, flowers (a lotus if you can find one), sweets, kheel-batashe and coins, and recite a Lakshmi mantra or the Shri Suktam.
  5. Trading families also worship the new account books, the pen and the cash box (Chopda or Bahi-khata pujan).
  6. Sing the Ganesha and Lakshmi aartis, then light diyas around the house, starting from the puja room, and share the prasad.

Puja samagri checklist

Tick things off as you gather them; your list is kept on this device.

Katha: The story of Diwali

After fourteen years of exile and the defeat of Ravana, Rama returned to Ayodhya with Sita and Lakshmana on the new-moon night of Kartik. The people lit rows of lamps along every street to welcome him home, and Diwali has been kept with lamps ever since.

The same night is also told as the night Lakshmi emerged from the churning of the ocean of milk and chose Vishnu, which is why she is worshipped on Diwali, and why houses are cleaned and lit to welcome her.

Aarti: Jai Ganesh Deva

जय गणेश जय गणेश, जय गणेश देवा। माता जाकी पार्वती, पिता महादेवा॥ एक दंत दयावंत, चार भुजा धारी। माथे सिंदूर सोहे, मूसे की सवारी॥ जय गणेश जय गणेश, जय गणेश देवा॥ पान चढ़े फल चढ़े, और चढ़े मेवा। लड्डुअन का भोग लगे, संत करें सेवा॥ जय गणेश जय गणेश, जय गणेश देवा॥ अंधन को आँख देत, कोढ़िन को काया। बाँझन को पुत्र देत, निर्धन को माया॥ जय गणेश जय गणेश, जय गणेश देवा॥ 'सूर' श्याम शरण आए, सफल कीजे सेवा। माता जाकी पार्वती, पिता महादेवा॥ जय गणेश जय गणेश, जय गणेश देवा॥
Read it in Roman letters
Jay ganesh jay ganesh, jay ganesh deva Mata jaki parvati, pita mahadeva Ek dant dayavant, char bhuja dhari Mathe sindur sohe, muse ki savari Jay ganesh jay ganesh, jay ganesh deva Pan charhe phal charhe, aur charhe meva Ladduan ka bhog lage, sant karen seva Jay ganesh jay ganesh, jay ganesh deva Andhan ko ankh det, korhin ko kaya Banjhan ko putra det, nirdhan ko maya Jay ganesh jay ganesh, jay ganesh deva 'sur' shyam sharan ae, saphal kije seva Mata jaki parvati, pita mahadeva Jay ganesh jay ganesh, jay ganesh deva

The traditional Ganesha aarti, sung before any other aarti in a puja. Words vary slightly between families.

Aarti: Om Jai Lakshmi Mata

ॐ जय लक्ष्मी माता, मैया जय लक्ष्मी माता। तुमको निशदिन सेवत, हरि विष्णु विधाता॥ ॐ जय लक्ष्मी माता॥ उमा, रमा, ब्रह्माणी, तुम ही जग-माता। सूर्य-चन्द्रमा ध्यावत, नारद ऋषि गाता॥ ॐ जय लक्ष्मी माता॥ दुर्गा रूप निरंजनी, सुख सम्पत्ति दाता। जो कोई तुमको ध्यावत, ऋद्धि-सिद्धि धन पाता॥ ॐ जय लक्ष्मी माता॥ तुम पाताल-निवासिनि, तुम ही शुभदाता। कर्म-प्रभाव-प्रकाशिनी, भवनिधि की त्राता॥ ॐ जय लक्ष्मी माता॥ जिस घर में तुम रहतीं, सब सद्गुण आता। सब सम्भव हो जाता, मन नहीं घबराता॥ ॐ जय लक्ष्मी माता॥ तुम बिन यज्ञ न होते, वस्त्र न कोई पाता। खान-पान का वैभव, सब तुमसे आता॥ ॐ जय लक्ष्मी माता॥ शुभ-गुण मन्दिर सुन्दर, क्षीरोदधि-जाता। रत्न चतुर्दश तुम बिन, कोई नहीं पाता॥ ॐ जय लक्ष्मी माता॥ महालक्ष्मीजी की आरती, जो कोई जन गाता। उर आनन्द समाता, पाप उतर जाता॥ ॐ जय लक्ष्मी माता॥
Read it in Roman letters
Om jay lakshmi mata, maiya jay lakshmi mata Tumko nishdin sevat, hari vishnu vidhata om jay lakshmi mata Uma, rama, brahmani, tum hi jag-mata Surya-chandrama dhyavat, narad rishi gata om jay lakshmi mata Durga rup niranjni, sukh sampatti data Jo koi tumko dhyavat, riddhi-siddhi dhan pata om jay lakshmi mata Tum patal-nivasini, tum hi shubhdata Karma-prabhav-prakashini, bhavnidhi ki trata om jay lakshmi mata Jis ghar men tum rahtin, sab sadgun ata Sab sambhav ho jata, man nahin ghabrata om jay lakshmi mata Tum bin yajna na hote, vastra na koi pata Khan-pan ka vaibhav, sab tumse ata om jay lakshmi mata Shubh-gun mandir sundar, kshiroddhi-jata Ratna chaturdash tum bin, koi nahin pata om jay lakshmi mata Mahalakshmiji ki arti, jo koi jan gata Ur ananda samata, pap utar jata om jay lakshmi mata

The Lakshmi aarti sung on Diwali night and at every Lakshmi puja. Words vary slightly between families.

Diwali 2026 in other cities

CityDateCompared with New Delhi
New DelhiSunday, 8 November 2026same as New Delhi
LondonSunday, 8 November 2026same as New Delhi
New YorkSunday, 8 November 2026same as New Delhi
TorontoSunday, 8 November 2026same as New Delhi
SydneySunday, 8 November 2026same as New Delhi
DubaiSunday, 8 November 2026same as New Delhi
SingaporeSunday, 8 November 2026same as New Delhi
JohannesburgSunday, 8 November 2026same as New Delhi
Add to your calendar. Download (.ics) · Subscribe — works with Google Calendar, Apple Calendar and Outlook. Dates are for New Delhi.

Frequently asked questions

When is Diwali in 2026?

Diwali 2026 falls on Sunday, 8 November 2026 (New Delhi). The tithi runs from 11:28 AM to 12:32 PM, 9 Nov.

When is Diwali in 2027?

Diwali 2027 falls on Friday, 29 October 2027 (New Delhi).

Why does the date of Diwali change every year?

Diwali follows the Hindu lunisolar calendar. It is tied to Amavasya (Krishna paksha) of the month of Kartik (Purnimanta) · Ashwin (Amanta), not to a fixed Gregorian date. A lunar year is about eleven days shorter than a solar year, so the date moves earlier by roughly that much each year, until a leap month (Adhik Maas) is added and it jumps back.

Is Diwali on the same day everywhere?

For the cities checked (New Delhi, London, New York, Toronto, Sydney, Dubai, Singapore, Johannesburg) the date is the same. Dates can still differ in other places, because tithis are read at local sunrise or sunset.

See it in the calendar. Open the Vikram Samvat calendar for November 2026 and change the city to get dates for your own sunrise.

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