Festival Timing

• The five-day Diwali festival begins on the 15th day of Kartik, the eighth month in the Indian calendar, which begins in late October, based on the position of the moon. Diwali is primarily celebrated with bright Diwali lamps and diyas, small oil-burning lamps made from clay. Over the years, numerous myths and legends have been attributed to Diwali, but the over-arching significance of the lighting of the lamps is to banish the darkness of ignorance with the light of knowledge.
  
  

Festival's Five Days

• Each of the five days of Diwali features different celebrations, customs and significance.
  
  On the first day, Dhanteras, or Dhantryaodashi, it's considered good luck for the woman of a household to buy gold, silver and at least two kitchen utensils.
  
  The second day is Choti Diwali, also called Narka-Chaturdashi, in which women of the house make colored rangoli, or decorative floor patterns, in the doorway and courtyard.
  
  The third day, called Lakshmi Puja, is the most important, and is celebrated by the combined worship of five different Hindu deities, especially the goddess Lakshmi. The third day culminates with fireworks, symbolizing the blaze of light descending from the heavens when the goddess descends to earth.
  
  The fourth day is Padwa, also called Kartik Shuddh Padwa or Bali Padyami, and celebrates the love between husband and wife, with newly married daughters and their husbands honored with meals and gifts.
  
  The final day of Diwali is Bahi Duj, also known as Bhaiya Duj or Bhai Dooj. It is a day for sisters to perform prayer ceremonies for the safety of their brothers, who in turn present their sisters with gifts.
  
  

Gambling Custom

• According to mythology, the goddess Parvati liked to pass the time with her husband, Lord Shiva, by playing dice. This legend has led to one of the stranger -- and, in Northern India, more prevalent -- customs associated with Diwali: gambling. Although dice has since been replaced by cards, gambling has become a Diwali tradition, with adherents believing that anyone who gambles during Diwali will prosper in the coming year, and that the goddess of wealth smiles on card players during Diwali.
  
  

Other Customs

• In India, Diwali customs differ from region to region. In southern India, celebrants wake before sunrise and concoct a mixture of oil and a bitter fruit, representing the head of the demon king destroyed by Krishna, and apply the mixture to their foreheads. Diwali also includes a celebration of Annakoot, in which Sri Krishna protected a humble cow herder from a vengeful god, Indra. In Annakoot celebrations, certain temples bathe statues of deities in milk, offering jewels, clothes and food to these gods. Firecrackers are common to most Diwali celebrations, and, according to one belief, the sound of firecrackers sends a message to the gods that people on Earth are joyous and thankful.