Yesterday marked the start of the five-day festival of Diwali, celebrated by Hindus, Jains, Buddhists, and Sikhs around the world. During Diwali, originally a harvest festival, lamps are lit to celebrate the triumph of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance. Families gather, fireworks are set off, candles and oil lamps are lit, and prayers for prosperity are offered to Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth. Collected below are images from this year’s festival, as celebrants color their world, give prayers, and wish one another a happy Diwali.
Images of Diwali: The Festival of Lights
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![A woman leans over a circle of lit candles to light one more.]()
Read moreA woman lights earthen lamps on the occasion of Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, at her house in Guwahati, India, on October 24, 2022. #
Biju Boro / AFP / Getty -
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![A group of people kneel down to place and light candles near an illuminated temple.]()
Read moreSikh devotees light candles at sunset during the Diwali Festival at the illuminated Gurudwara Bangla Sahib temple in New Delhi, India, on October 24, 2022. #
Imtiyaz Khan / Anadolu Agency / Getty -
![A person with paint-covered hands holds up a small earthen lamp that has been painted red.]()
Read moreA potter makes and sells earthen lamps ahead of Diwali, along a roadside in New Delhi on October 18, 2022. #
Sajjad Hussain / AFP / Getty -
![A person in a small boat leans out to pick lotus flowers.]()
Read moreA farmer cultivates lotus flowers in a reservoir ahead of the Diwali festival in Bhopal, India, on October 23, 2022. #
Gagan Nayar / AFP / Getty -
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![A person selling flowers in a marketplace sits among large piles of flowers]()
Read moreA woman selling flowers waits for customers at a marketplace, ahead of Diwali in Mumbai on October 22, 2022. #
Niharika Kulkarni / Reuters -
![An elevated view of a crowded marketplace.]()
Read moreShoppers fill a street in a market area ahead of Diwali, in Chennai, India, on October 22, 2022. #
Arun Sankar / AFP / Getty -
![A person holds large earrings up to their ears in a store.]()
Read morePeople buy jewelry on the occasion of Dhanteras ahead of the Hindu festival of Diwali at a store in Amritsar, India, on October 22, 2022. #
Narinder Nanu / AFP / Getty -
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![People light candles in prayer.]()
Read moreDevotees offer prayers during Diwali at a temple in Yangon, Myanmar, on October 24, 2022. #
AFP / Getty -
![A person holds a small oil lamp in their hand.]()
Read moreA devotee holds an oil lamp while offering prayers during Diwali at a temple in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on October 24, 2022. #
Ishara S. Kodikara / AFP / Getty -
![People walk around and look at lit candles and lamps arranged on a plaza near a river and illuminated buildings.]()
Read moreDevotees light earthen lamps on the banks of the river Sarayu on the eve of Diwali, in Ayodhya, India, on October 23, 2022. #
Sanjay Kanojia / AFP / Getty -
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![A group of children and adults laugh and watch firecrackers exploding.]()
Read moreChildren watch firecrackers exploding on the eve of Diwali at an orphanage in Jammu, India, on October 23, 2022. #
Channi Anand / AP -
![A night view of a hillside neighborhood with many colorful lights.]()
Read moreHomes are decorated with lanterns and lights during Diwali in Mumbai on October 24, 2022. #
Rafiq Maqbool / AP -
![A small group of people stand inside a colorfully-decorated room in a temple.]()
Read moreDevotees attend prayers inside a temple during Diwali celebrations in Srinagar, Kashmir, on October 24, 2022. #
Faisal Khan / Anadolu Agency / Getty -
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![People walk over sparks from fireworks in a street.]()
Read moreResidents light firecrackers on the occasion of Diwali, in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, India, on October 24, 2022. #
Amarjeet Kumar Singh / Anadolu Agency / Getty -
![A boy smiles as he holds a lit sparkler.]()
Read moreA boy lights fireworks to celebrate Diwali in Guwahati, India, on October 24, 2022. #
Anupam Nath / AP -
![A group of people pose for a photo, most of them holding lit sparklers.]()
Read moreIndians light sparklers while celebrating Diwali in Bur Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on October 24, 2022. #
Giuseppe Cacace / AFP / Getty -
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![A child and adult sit together during a prayer ceremony.]()
Read moreHindus arriving from Malaysia and neighboring countries gather at the Batu Caves to perform a morning prayer ceremony and celebrate the first day of the Diwali festival in Malaysia on October 24, 2022. #
Syaiful Redzuan / Anadolu Agency / Getty -
![An overhead view of a person holding a lit oil lamp.]()
Read moreDevotees light earthen oil lamps at a temple during Diwali celebrations in Srinagar, Kashmir, on October 24, 2022. #
Faisal Khan / Anadolu Agency / Getty -
![People light small oil lamps inside a temple.]()
Read moreDevotees light oil lamps while offering prayers during Diwali at a temple in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on October 24, 2022. #
Ishara S. Kodikara / AFP / Getty -
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![A person stands outside a building, among others, smiling and holding a lit sparkler.]()
Read morePeople take part in Diwali celebrations at the Hindu Center of Charlotte, in North Carolina, on October 24, 2022. #
Peter Zay / Anadolu Agency / Getty
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