Diwali

American  

[dih-wah-lee, ‐-vah‐, duh‐] / dɪˈwɑ li, ‐ˈvɑ‐, də‐ /

Also Divali,

noun

1. the Hindu festival of lights, celebrated as a religious holiday throughout India, falling between mid-October and mid-November.

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Diwali British  

/ dɪˈwɑːlɪ /

noun

1. a major Hindu religious festival, honouring Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth. Held over the New Year according to the Vikrama calendar, it is marked by feasting, gifts, and the lighting of lamps

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Usage

What is Diwali? Diwali is a major Hindu festival popularly called the “festival of lights.” Generally, Diwali is often considered a celebration of the victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance.The festival commemorates different specific things in different places and among different communities. It is often associated with the goddess Lakshmi or with Rama (an avatar of the god Vishnu). For some Hindus, Diwali marks the start of the New Year.Diwali is also celebrated by some Sikhs, Jains, and Buddhists, though they may interpret and observe it differently.Diwali is a five-day festival, but its third day is typically observed as the main celebration.Diwali is pronounced dih-WAH-lee or dih-VAH-lee and can also be spelled Divali and Dewali. Other variants include Deepavali and Deepawali.

Example Sentences

India’s busy festival season begins this month, with several celebrations dotting the calendar until November, when the Hindu festival of lights, Diwali, celebrated by millions, takes place.

From Reuters

"Hopefully Paytm will be able to go out before Diwali," the source said, referring to the Hindu festival of lights in November.

From Reuters

Referring in particular to the Hindu festival of Diwali when websites organise sales, he added: “I tell my sellers at a time like Diwali if you reduce your prices, I will give you a reduction in rent. What’s wrong?”

From Reuters

Close to midnight, some board members attempted to pass an amendment that would have modified the calendar to insert days off for four religious holidays: Yom Kippur, Eid al-Fitr, Diwali and Good Friday.

From Washington Post

Also included on the list are the four holidays originally recommended as additions to the calendar by a Fairfax County Public Schools task force: Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Diwali and Eid al-Fitr.

From Washington Post