Diwali or Deepavali is the Hindu festival of lights celebrated every year in autumn in the northern hemisphere ( spring in southern hemisphere ) . It is an official holiday in Fiji , Guyana , India , Malaysia , Mauritius , Myanmar , Nepal , Singapore , Sri Lanka , Suriname , Trinidad and Tobago , and recently Sindh Province in Pakistan . One of the most popular festivals of Hinduism , it spiritually signifies the victory of light over darkness , good over evil , knowledge over ignorance , and hope over despair . The festival preparations and rituals typically extend over a five-day period , but the main festival night of Diwali coincides with the darkest , new moon night of the Hindu Lunisolar month Kartika in Bikram Sambat calendar . On the same night that Hindus celebrate Diwali , Jains celebrate a festival also called Diwali to mark the attainment of moksha by Mahavira , Sikhs celebrate Bandi Chhor Divas to mark the release of Guru Hargobind from a Mughal Empire prison , and Newar Buddhists , unlike the majority of Buddhists , celebrate Diwali by worshipping Lakshmi .
Diwali is incapable of being a festival.