Diwali 2026 set for November 8; Lakshmi Puja timings and rituals detailed

Diwali, India's most widely observed festival of lights, will fall on November 8, 2026, a Sunday. The celebration is timed according to the Hindu lunar calendar, with the festival occurring on the new moon day, or Amavasya, of the Kartik month.

Lakshmi Puja, the central ritual of Diwali observance, will have specific muhurat or auspicious timing windows for devotees to conduct worship of the goddess of wealth and prosperity. The Amavasya tithi, the darkest night of the lunar cycle, will span defined hours on that date, during which the puja is considered most efficacious.

The worship traditionally involves invocations to both Lakshmi and Ganesha, with the ritual believed to invite divine blessings of prosperity and auspiciousness into homes and businesses. The practice is rooted in Hindu religious traditions that associate this lunar phase with heightened spiritual potency.

Diwali celebrations typically extend beyond the principal puja day, with festivities including the lighting of oil lamps, fireworks, and exchange of sweets. The festival marks significant events in Hindu mythology and is observed across India and by diaspora communities worldwide as a triumph of light over darkness and good over evil.