Diwali a Hindu festival with lights, held in the period October to November, to celebrate the new season at the end of the monsoon. It is particularly associated with Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity, and marks the beginning of the financial year in India.

The name comes from Hindi d¯vāl¯, from Sanskrit d¯pāvali ‘row of lights’, from d¯pā ‘lamp’ + vali ‘row’.

Diwali Festival of lights in Hinduism. Homes are lit with numerous tiny clay lamps in commemoration of the defeat of Ravana by Rama, and the festival marks the resumption of social activities, such as pilgrimages and marriages. The story is symbolic of the return of light after the monsoon.

Dīpāvalī (Hindu festival): see DĪVĀLĪ.