Diwali 2025 : The Festival of Lights, or Diwali, is one of the most important Hindu holidays. People all over India and the world celebrate it with great joy. Dhanteras is on Monday, October 20, 2025. The big Lakshmi Puja is on Tuesday, October 21, 2025. The party lasts for five days, and each day has its own traditions and stories.
Diwali 2025 : Key Dates and Muhurat
- Dhanteras (Day 1): Saturday, October 18; 7:16 PM to 8:20 PM is a good time for Lakshmi Puja.
- Important: It’s the start of Diwali, a festival where people clean and arrange their homes, buy new things, and light lamps to bring good luck.
- Naraka Chaturdashi, also known as Chhoti Diwali (Day 2), is on Sunday, October 19. It is a holiday that celebrates Lord Krishna’s win over the demon Narakasura. Rituals and lighting of diyas are common early in the morning.
- Monday, October 20 is Lakshmi Puja (Main Diwali Day). Lucky Time: 6:59 PM to 8:32 PM IST
- Goddess Lakshmi is worshiped as the goddess of wealth and success, and homes are decorated with rangoli and lit with diyas.
- Wednesday, October 22 is the fourth day of Govardhan Puja or Annakut.
- Meaning: It’s a celebration of Lord Krishna lifting the Govardhan Hill to protect the villagers, and people who worship him make and give a wide range of foods.
- Bhai Dooj (Day 5): October 23, Thursday
- Meaning: It honors the bond between brothers and sisters; sisters put tilak on their brothers’ foreheads and pray for their health.
Rituals and customs for the Lakshmi Puja
- Families do Lakshmi Puja during the Pradosh Kaal, the lucky twilight time, on the main day of Diwali. Often, the practices include:
- Cleaning and Decorating: To welcome Goddess Lakshmi, homes and offices should be cleaned inside and out.
- Lighting Diyas: Putting oil lights, or diyas, around the house to get rid of negativity and bring in good vibes.
- Setting up for a puja means putting symbols or pictures of Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Ganesha on a clean surface.
- Giving sweets, fruits, flowers, and coins to the gods as offerings.
- Mantras and Aarti: Saying holy mantras and doing aarti are ways to ask for benefits.
- People think that these actions will bring wealth, happiness, and success into their homes.
There are stories behind every day.
- Dhanteras: This day celebrates how Lord Dhanvantari, the god of health, came out of the ocean stirring with a pot of nectar. It’s also the day that King Hima’s wife kept an eye on things and lit lamps, which saved her son from death.
- On Naraka Chaturdashi, people celebrate Lord Krishna’s success over the demon Narakasura, which is a sign that good will win over evil.
- The Lakshmi Puja honors Goddess Lakshmi, who is the goddess of wealth and success. People think that she brings good luck for the coming year to homes that are clean and well-lit.
- The Govardhan Puja remembers the time when Lord Krishna lifted the Govardhan Hill to show how powerful and caring he is by protecting locals from the heavy rain.
- Happy Bhai Dooj! This holiday honors the link between brothers and sisters. As part of aarti, sisters call their brothers to their homes and pray for their health.
