People watch a light show on the banks of the Sarayu River on the eve of Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, in Ayodhya on October 23, 2022.

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About a billion people worldwide and in the US will celebrate Diwali this week.

Diwali, also known as Deepavali and the Hindu Festival of Lights, is one of the most celebrated holidays in India. It overlaps with other harvest rituals and festivals. The dates for the holiday vary every year because they follow the lunar calendar. Diwali originated in India more than 2,500 years ago. The annual festival, which extends to the Indian diaspora, is usually celebrated for five days or even just one day, depending on where a person lives or how they celebrate.

This year’s celebration also coincides with the US presidential election, where Vice President Kamala Harris, who is black and South Asian, could make history if elected president. Harris, who is Christian, has expressed her pride in her Indian heritage and has celebrated Diwali in recent years at her official residence in Washington, DC. In a 2021 message, she called on those to “remember to honor the light in each other.”

The possibility that someone of South Asian descent could ascend to the highest office in the US has made Diwali even more exciting for some South Asian Americans, including Deepak Sarma, who is 54 years old, and says Harris’ presence in politics helps them reach the next level.

“We are part of the American landscape,” said Sarma, the first distinguished public humanities scholar at Case Western Reserve University.

Sarma and others who celebrate Diwali share the significance of the holiday in their lives.

Here are some things you need to know about Diwali.

Diwali is not only celebrated by Indians and Hindus

Diwali is mainly celebrated by Hindus and Indians in the Indian diaspora for various reasons. It is also celebrated in various ways among other South Asian religions.

“Various religious traditions in India each adapt their religious themes and stories to Diwali. For example, some Hindus believe that Diwali marks the return of Lord Rama, an avatar of Vishnu, after fourteen years of exile,” says Sarma, who uses the pronouns “they/them/theirs.” “Other Hindus believe it is the celebration of the murder of the asura (demon) Narakasura by Lord Krishna, another avatar of Vishnu.”

Some Hindus see Diwali as an opportunity to worship and celebrate the Hindu goddess of wealth, Lakshmi. And for others, like Sarma, Diwali is the ‘victory of knowledge over ignorance’.

Diwali celebrations for Sikhs commemorate the release of Guru Hargobind, who was imprisoned around 1617 and released in 1619, according to Ravi Gupta, history department head and professor of religious studies at Utah State University.

Jains also celebrate Diwali. They do it in memory of the day when Lord Mahavira, revered as one of the great teachers of the religion, attained Nirvana or enlightenment.

“In each of these Indian traditions, we see that Diwali has a particular meaning and reason for celebration, often a representation of hope and the triumph of good,” says Gupta.

Traditions such as food have sacred meaning

On October 27 in New Delhi, India, a huge crowd was seen at the Bhagirath Palace, shopping for lights and lamps ahead of the Diwali festival. The holiday is celebrated with many traditions and symbols.

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Another name for Diwali, Deepavali, means ‘garland of light’, and according to Sarma, garlanding in India is an act of reverence. They were born on Diwali and their name pays tribute to the holiday. To honor someone, one can place a garland of flowers around him, like the statues of gods in the temples, Sarma says.

“People don’t throw lights at other people,” Sarma says.

Diwali also takes place on the night of the new moon, which adds to the importance of light during Diwali. In the dark of night, roads and paths in India are lined with oil lamps that illuminate the way to temples where gods and goddesses are honored under lights. People will also clean their houses and ensure that every room is lit with lamps on the evening of Diwali as it is believed that Goddess Lakshmi visits well-lit houses, says Gupta.

There are also parties with fireworks.

“It is a festival of thanksgiving and a festival that celebrates the presence of light in the lives of Hindus… it celebrates the victory of light over darkness,” says Gupta.

Food is also not just a part of Diwali, but “everything” about the holiday, he says.

Food and sweets are shared that are homemade or purchased from an Indian supermarket. Soan Papdi, a flaky dessert that Sarma says melts in the mouth like cotton candy, is one of their favorite sweets during Diwali. Jalebi, spiral-shaped and dipped in syrup, and almond burfi, sugary and square, are some of the many other delicacies during Diwali.

Diwali celebrations continue with Govardhan Puja or Annakutameaning ‘mountain of food’. That will take place on November 1 in the western US and on November 2 in other parts of the world. It commemorates Krishna lifting a mountain as a child and using it to protect his village from a heavy downpour. This act is celebrated with a “mountain” of food and some people will create a mountain of rice and pile it with different types of food. The food is shared in temples and in people’s homes. When he and his family celebrate AnnakutaGupta says he warns people to eat only what they can so that food doesn’t go to waste.

“Although there is plenty of celebration, there is also an emphasis on the fact that food is a gift and that it is special and that we should treat it with respect and care,” he says.

Intricate designs like rangoli are drawn in front of people’s homes to create “a sacred space and an auspicious kind of threshold,” says Sarma. Vibrant colors, such as red, are also worn, which, according to Gupta, is associated with the birth of new life, growth and abundance.

How can I celebrate Diwali?

On October 28, people at a market in Amritsar, one of the largest cities in India, bought artificial flowers for decoration ahead of Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights.

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You don’t have to be Hindu or Indian to celebrate Diwali, says Sarma, who is also a cultural consultant for companies like Netflix and Mattel. Sarma also helped American Greetings create Diwali greeting cards and Diwali E-cards can be customized online.

You can greet your Indian friends with a savory sweet or a Diwali greeting card. You can also say, “Happy Diwali!” for someone who celebrates.

However, we must be careful and not assume that all Indians and all Hindus also celebrate Diwali,” they say.

“Not everyone who is South Asian or Indian or has Indian ancestry may have heard of or celebrated the tradition,” Sarma says.

According to the Pew Research Center, nearly 80% of Indians identify as Hindu, 14.2% practice Islam, 2.3% practice Christianity, and 1.7% practice Sikhism.

Gupta says he will celebrate Diwali with a two-day festival at home in Logan, Utah, with family and friends. Sarma says they will exchange sweets with friends and have dinner together at an Indian restaurant near Cleveland, Ohio. They will give their children a book or pen as a gift.

“The greatest thing I could give my children is the thirst for knowledge,” says Sarma.