Days Until Diwali 2026

In 2026, a Hindu temple priest in Toronto preparing the puja-thali for an 800-strong congregation, a Delhi grandmother coordinating sweets distribution across 23 cousins, and a London Sikh family lighting diyas to commemorate Bandi Chhor Divas all need the same answer live on one tab: how many days until Sunday 8 November 2026 — Lakshmi Puja, the main Diwali night. This tool runs a flickering diya SVG, an intricate rangoli pattern, and a five-day breakdown so the entire festival is visible at a glance.

Diwali (Sanskrit: dīpāvalī, 'row of lamps') is dated by the Hindu lunisolar calendar to the new moon (amavasya) of Karthika month. The 2026 Karthika amavasya falls on Sunday 8 November, with the puja muhurat (auspicious window) starting at sunset and peaking at moonrise. The festival predates written records; the earliest Sanskrit reference is in the Padma Purana (c. 500 AD), but archaeological evidence of butter-lamp festivals on Karthika new moon goes back to the Magadhan empire (c. 4th century BC).

The festival's mythological roots are layered. Vaishnavas mark Rama's return to Ayodhya after 14 years of vanavasa and victory over Ravana — ayodhya residents lit diyas to welcome him. Shaktas celebrate Lakshmi's emergence from the cosmic ocean during the samudra manthan (ocean churning). Jains observe Mahavira's attainment of moksha at Pavapuri in 527 BC. Sikhs commemorate Bandi Chhor Divas — Guru Hargobind's release from Mughal imprisonment in 1619 with 52 Hindu kings.

The five-day structure is geographically variable. North India follows the Dhanteras → Choti Diwali → Lakshmi Puja → Govardhan → Bhai Dooj sequence. South India (Tamil Nadu, Karnataka) treats Naraka Chaturdashi as the principal day. Bengalis pivot to Kali Puja on the same amavasya night. Gujarati merchants begin their new financial year on Bestu Varas (the day after Diwali), opening fresh ledger books (chopda pujan).

Lakshmi Puja involves specific items: a clean entrance with rangoli (geometric powder pattern, often lotus-themed), a thali with kumkum, akshat (uncooked rice), flowers (marigold and rose), incense, a ghee diya (clay oil lamp), prasad of sweets, and a Lakshmi yantra or murti. The mantra "Om Shreem Mahalakshmiyei Namaha" is chanted 108 times. The puja peaks at the muhurat — for 2026 Delhi, the Lakshmi puja muhurat is 18:30-20:15 IST on 8 November.

Diwali sweets vary by region: Maharashtrian shankarpali and karanji, North-Indian gulab jamun and besan ladoo, Gujarati ghughra and mathiya, Bengali nimki and narkel naru, South-Indian mysore pak and adhirasam. The mithai-exchange tradition is at minimum 800 years old (recorded in 12th-century Chola inscriptions) and is the largest annual sweets-buying event in the world — India's organised mithai sector grossed INR 65,000 crore during Diwali 2024 alone.

Modern Diwali in the diaspora: London's Diwali on Trafalgar Square (since 2003) draws 30,000 visitors. Leicester's Belgrave Road celebration is the largest outside India. Toronto, Sydney, Singapore and Mauritius declare Diwali a public-school holiday. NASA traditionally tweets Diwali greetings; Indian Prime Minister Modi customarily visits border-posted soldiers on the day. The Indian Stock Exchange holds a one-hour symbolic Muhurat Trading session on Lakshmi Puja evening — in 2025 the Sensex closed up 0.85% in 70 minutes.