Diwali: Date, Lakshmi Puja Muhurat, Rituals and Significance

When is Diwali?

The main Diwali night is Sunday, 8 November, 2026, corresponding to Kartika Amavasya in the Hindu lunisolar calendar. Because a tithi is defined by the 12-degree elongation between the Sun and Moon, the civil date can differ by a day between India and far-west longitudes. For India Standard Time, Kartika Amavasya covers that civil date, so Lakshmi Puja is performed that evening. Use the year selector on this page to see any other calendar. Plan the surrounding days from your city Panchang: Dhanteras typically falls two days earlier, Naraka Chaturdashi the day before Amavasya, Govardhan Puja the following morning in many North Indian traditions, and Bhai Dooj shortly after. Offices, banks and schools in India generally close on the Amavasya public holiday.

• Main Diwali (Lakshmi Puja) date: Sunday, 8 November, 2026.
• Hindu tithi: Kartika Krishna Amavasya (new moon of Kartika).
• Confirm Dhanteras, Chhoti Diwali and Bhai Dooj from your city Panchang.

Lakshmi Puja muhurat for Diwali

Lakshmi Puja is traditionally performed during Pradosh Kaal — the window after sunset when Amavasya tithi is prevailing. The indicative Pradosh Kaal muhurat for 2026 is 05:42 PM to 07:42 PM (IST). This timing is calculated from local sunset; families in Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai or overseas cities should shift the window to local sunset. Avoid beginning the main puja during Rahu Kalam of that weekday if you can start a few minutes later. Many households also light the first diyas at dusk, then sit for chopda pujan (new account books) in Gujarat and Maharashtra after the Lakshmi-Ganesha aarti.

• Indicative Pradosh Kaal: 05:42 PM to 07:42 PM IST on Sunday, 8 November, 2026.
• Use local sunset if you live outside the Delhi/IST reference.
• Keep the altar, rangoli and diyas ready before dusk so the muhurat is not missed.

Significance of Diwali

Scriptural and regional traditions layer several meanings onto the same Amavasya. In the Ramayana cycle, Ayodhya lights rows of lamps to welcome Rama, Sita and Lakshmana. In the Skanda Purana and other smriti texts, Kartika Amavasya is the night Goddess Lakshmi is worshipped for household prosperity. Jain communities commemorate Lord Mahavira’s nirvana, and many Sikh families observe Bandi Chhor Divas around the same season. Agriculturally, the festival closes the harvest accounts before the new financial year in parts of western India (Bestu Varas / Chopda Pujan). Lighting diyas is both a ritual and a social custom: it symbolises knowledge over ignorance and the community’s shared civic celebration. Fireworks are optional and increasingly regulated; oil lamps, rangoli and family puja remain the core observances.

How to perform Diwali Lakshmi Puja at home

Clean the house in the morning, bathe, and set a clean altar facing east or north with images or murtis of Lakshmi and Ganesha. Place a kalash, rice, coins, sweets, flowers, incense and a lamp. After sunset, light diyas at the threshold, courtyard and windows. Invoke Ganesha first, then Lakshmi, offer panchamrit or sweets, recite a short Lakshmi ashtottara or simple aarti, and distribute prasad. Many families also place a small account book or business ledger for chopda pujan. Keep the main lamp burning through the evening if it is safe to do so. Share sweets with neighbours and avoid wasting food. If you cannot complete a full vidhi, lighting diyas with a sincere Lakshmi aarti during Pradosh Kaal is the essential observance.

• Ganesha is worshipped before Lakshmi on the same altar.
• Rangoli and a row of diyas at the entrance are traditional, not optional decorations only.
• New clothes are customary but not required for the puja to be valid.

Regional celebrations and public holiday

North India emphasises Rama’s homecoming and Lakshmi Puja. West Bengal and the east often pair Kali Puja with the same Amavasya. Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh stress Deepavali oil baths (abhyanga snana) and Naraka Chaturdashi. Gujarat treats the following day as the regional new year in many trading communities. Diwali is a gazetted public holiday in India; stock exchanges and most government offices remain closed on the main date. Diaspora cities (London, New Jersey, Toronto, Singapore, Dubai) usually follow the Indian tithi for temple events, with public fireworks on a nearby weekend. Always match the temple announcement to Kartika Amavasya, not to a Saturday convenience date, if you are observing vrata strictly.

Key sacred rituals

• Lighting diyas (earthen oil lamps) and candles around the house
• Creating colorful Rangoli patterns at entrance thresholds
• Lakshmi & Ganesha Puja in the evening during Pradosh Kaal
• Exchanging sweets and gifts among family and friends
• Wearing new traditional attire and distributing prashad