Five Days of Diwali 2026: Dates, Meaning and Rituals

Diwali, the festival of lights, is celebrated over five days across India and by Indian communities around the world. The five days begin with Dhanteras and end with Bhai Dooj, and each day has its own story, its own ritual and its own tithi on the Hindu lunar calendar. In 2026 the festival runs from Friday, 6 November to Wednesday, 11 November, with the main day of Lakshmi Puja on Sunday, 8 November.

The Five Days of Diwali 2026 at a Glance

Day	Date in 2026	Festival	Tithi	What is done
Day 1	Fri, 6 November	Dhanteras	Kartika Krishna Trayodashi	Homes and shops are cleaned, gold, silver or new utensils are bought, and a lamp is lit for Yamraj outside the door.
Day 2	Sat, 7 November	Naraka Chaturdashi / Choti Diwali	Kartika Krishna Chaturdashi	Oil bath before sunrise, ubtan, fresh clothes and rows of diyas; in Tamil Nadu and Goa this morning is the main Deepavali.
Day 3	Sun, 8 November	Diwali / Lakshmi Puja	Kartika Krishna Amavasya	Lakshmi and Ganesha puja in the evening, rangoli at the entrance, diyas in every room, sweets and gifts.
Day 4	Tue, 10 November	Govardhan Puja / Annakut	Kartika Shukla Pratipada	A hill of cow dung is made and worshipped, a mountain of food (Annakut) is offered to Krishna.
Day 5	Wed, 11 November	Bhai Dooj	Kartika Shukla Dwitiya	Sisters apply tilak and aarti to their brothers and pray for their long life; brothers give gifts.

The dates above follow the tithis of the panchang. In 2026 the Pratipada tithi begins on the afternoon of 9 November, so the panchang keeps Govardhan Puja and the Gujarati new year on 10 November – some websites list 9 November instead, which is why the two dates are seen side by side. A puja muhurat can also differ by a few minutes from city to city, so check a local panchang for the exact window.

Why the Diwali Date Changes Every Year

Diwali is fixed by the tithi, not by the calendar. It is celebrated on Kartika Krishna Amavasya, the new moon of the lunar month of Kartika. The Hindu lunar year runs about eleven days shorter than the solar year, so that Amavasya moves, and in 2026 it falls on 8 November. Lakshmi Puja is done in Pradosh Kaal, the window that begins after sunset; because that window is measured from local sunset, the muhurat printed for one city will not match another.

Day 1 – Dhanteras: Friday, 6 November 2026

Tithi: Kartika Krishna Trayodashi. Dhanteras, also called Dhantrayodashi, is the first day of the festival and is dedicated to wealth, health and preparation. According to the Puranas, Dhanvantari, the physician of the gods and the source of Ayurveda, came out of the churning of the ocean (Samudra Manthan) holding the pot of amrita on this day. The evening is also linked to Yamraj, and a lamp called Yam Deep is lit outside the house to ask for protection from untimely death.

Homes and shops are cleaned, entrances are decorated with rangoli and small footprints of Lakshmi, and families buy gold, silver, steel utensils or a new vehicle. In the evening, Lakshmi and Kuber are worshipped and the first diyas of the festival are lit.

• Clean the house and the shop, and place a rangoli at the entrance.
• Buy something in metal – gold, silver, steel or a new utensil – as a symbol of prosperity.
• In the evening, light a lamp facing south outside the door for Yamraj.
• Worship Lakshmi and Kuber with a diya, sweets and a short mantra.

Mantra: Om Dhanvantaraye Namah (ॐ धन्वंतरये नमः). Read more about the day in the essence of Dhanteras.

Day 2 – Naraka Chaturdashi or Choti Diwali: Saturday, 7 November 2026

Tithi: Kartika Krishna Chaturdashi. The second day marks the victory of Krishna over the demon Narakasura, who had taken 16,000 women captive and troubled the three worlds. Krishna, helped by Satyabhama, killed him and freed the women, and the day is celebrated as the end of that fear. In Gujarat the same day is Kali Chaudas, when the house is cleaned of negative energy before Lakshmi Puja.

The traditional ritual is an oil bath before sunrise, with sesame oil and ubtan, followed by fresh clothes and rows of diyas. In Tamil Nadu and Goa the main Deepavali celebration happens on this morning, not on the next evening – the day begins with the oil bath and a sweet called lehiyam before sunrise.

• Bathe before sunrise with oil and ubtan; in many homes the eldest member applies oil first.
• Wear new clothes and light diyas along the walls, windows and courtyard.
• Make a small offering of sweets and, in some regions, break a bitter fruit to mark the end of trouble.
• Clean the kitchen and the puja room so the house is ready for the main day.

Mantra: Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya (ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय). Read the story in Dhanteras and Naraka Chaturdashi.

Day 3 – Diwali or Lakshmi Puja: Sunday, 8 November 2026

Tithi: Kartika Krishna Amavasya. This is the main day of the festival and the darkest night of the lunar month, which is why it is lit with the most lamps. For most of North India it marks the return of Rama to Ayodhya after fourteen years of exile and the defeat of Ravana; the people of Ayodhya lit lamps to welcome him home, and that is the origin of the row of lights.

In the evening, Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, is worshipped with Ganesha, the remover of obstacles. In Gujarat shopkeepers open new account books on this day (Chopda Pujan); in Bengal the same night is Kali Puja; for Sikhs it is Bandi Chhor Divas, the day Guru Hargobind Sahib reached Amritsar after his release from Gwalior fort.

The puja is done in Pradosh Kaal. For New Delhi in 2026 that window is about 05:54 PM to 07:50 PM IST; it follows local sunset, so use your own city’s panchang. Keep the house clean, light diyas in every room, leave one at the entrance and one near the tulsi plant, and offer lotus flowers, sweets and fruits.

Mantra: Om Shreem Mahalakshmyai Namah (ॐ श्रीं महालक्ष्म्यै नमः). More in Lakshmi mantras to chant and rangoli and toran in Diwali.

Day 4 – Govardhan Puja and Annakut: Tuesday, 10 November 2026

Tithi: Kartika Shukla Pratipada. The fourth day recalls the story of Krishna lifting Mount Govardhan on his little finger to shelter the people of Braj from the storm sent by Indra. To thank him, the people of Braj began to worship the hill and the cattle instead of the rain god, and the day became a festival of gratitude for nature and for food.

Families make a small hill of cow dung or clay, decorate it, and offer it food and flowers. The Annakut – literally a mountain of food – is prepared and offered to Krishna before the family eats. In Maharashtra the same tithi is Bali Pratipada, which marks the return of King Bali, and in Gujarat the new year (Bestu Varas) is celebrated on this Pratipada, on 10 November 2026.

• Make and decorate a Govardhan hill from clay or cow dung, and worship it with diyas.
• Prepare Annakut – a large spread of food – and offer it before the family eats.
• In Maharashtra, worship King Bali and take the customary blessing from elders.
• Feed the cows and other animals before the family meal.

Mantra: Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya. The full story is in Govardhan Puja and Annakut.

Day 5 – Bhai Dooj: Wednesday, 11 November 2026

Tithi: Kartika Shukla Dwitiya. The last day celebrates the bond between brothers and sisters. The story is of Yamuna, who welcomed her brother Yama, the god of death, with a tilak and a meal, and in return he promised that any brother who receives this tilak from his sister will not be troubled by untimely death.

Sisters apply a tilak of roli and rice, do aarti with a lamp and pray for their brothers long life; brothers give gifts and promise to protect their sisters. The same day is called Bhau Beej in Maharashtra, Bhai Phonta in Bengal and Bhai Tika in Nepal.

• Prepare a tilak of roli, rice and sandalwood, and a small aarti thali.
• Sisters apply the tilak and do aarti, then offer sweets and a coconut.
• Brothers give a gift and a promise of protection.
• Families end the festival with a shared meal.

Which of the Five Days Is the Main Diwali?

The third day is the main Diwali. It falls on Kartika Krishna Amavasya, and the Lakshmi Puja on its evening is the puja most families plan for weeks. Dhanteras and Naraka Chaturdashi prepare for it, and Govardhan Puja and Bhai Dooj close the festival. If a family can celebrate only one day, it is 8 November 2026 in most of India; in Tamil Nadu and Goa the main Deepavali morning is 7 November.

Lakshmi Puja at Home: 8 Simple Steps

1. Clean the house and make a rangoli at the entrance, with small footprints of Lakshmi at the door.
2. Set a clean altar with Lakshmi and Ganesha, and place a kalash with water, mango leaves and a coconut.
3. Wash the idols, offer fresh clothes or a red cloth, and light a diya with ghee.
4. Light diyas in every room, at the entrance, near the tulsi plant and in the puja room.
5. Take a sankalp – state your name and the reason for the puja – then invoke Ganesha first.
6. Offer lotus or marigold flowers, sweets, fruits and a coconut to Lakshmi and Ganesha.
7. Chant the Lakshmi mantra or the Shri Suktam, and then do the aarti with the family.
8. Distribute the prasad, light the last lamps, and leave the house lit through the night.

The Same Five Days, Different Names

Diwali is one festival with many local names. The tithis are the same, but the customs and the words change from state to state, and that is why the same night can be Lakshmi Puja in one house and Kali Puja in another.

Region	What the five days are called there
North India	Dhanteras, Choti Diwali, Diwali, Govardhan Puja, Bhai Dooj
Gujarat	Dhanteras, Kali Chaudas, Diwali (with Chopda Pujan for account books), Bestu Varas or new year, Bhai Beej
Maharashtra	Dhanatrayodashi, Narak Chaturdashi, Lakshmi Pujan, Bali Pratipada, Bhau Beej
Tamil Nadu and South India	Deepavali is celebrated mainly on Naraka Chaturdashi, with the oil bath before sunrise
West Bengal	Kali Puja is held on the night of Diwali; the five days are still called Dhanteras to Bhai Dooj
Nepal	The same days are part of Tihar, which ends with Bhai Tika
Sikh tradition	Bandi Chhor Divas, marking the release of Guru Hargobind Sahib from Gwalior fort

Religious and Cultural Significance of Diwali

Diwali is celebrated in honour of Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity, and it is believed that she blesses her devotees with good fortune on this night. Business owners treat Diwali as an auspicious time to start new ventures and open new account books. The festival is also a family occasion – houses are cleaned and decorated, sweets are exchanged, and gifts carry gratitude rather than obligation.

The festival is not only Hindu. Jains mark the day when Lord Mahavira attained moksha, Sikhs remember Guru Hargobind Sahib’s release, and in Bengal the night is given to Kali. Read more about how the festival is kept in different parts of the country in Diwali of North India and South India.

An Eco-Friendly and Safe Diwali

Over the years Diwali has become linked with air and noise pollution from firecrackers, and with accidents caused by unsafe handling. The safer way to keep the festival is also the older way: light diyas and lamps instead of crackers, use LED lights, make rangoli with natural colours, and keep the celebration inside the family.

• Choose clay diyas and LED lights over crackers.
• Use natural rangoli colours, flowers or rice flour instead of chemical powders.
• Keep a bucket of water and a first-aid box ready if any crackers are used.
• Keep pets indoors – the noise is far harder on them than on people.
• Avoid plastic decorations and dispose of flowers and diyas responsibly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Diwali is a festival of light, family and gratitude. Whether you keep all five days or only the main Lakshmi Puja, the meaning stays the same – light a lamp, share something sweet, and make room for the people who matter.