During the five-day festival, celebrated by Hindus, Jains, Buddhists, and Sikhs around the world, lamps are lit to celebrate the triumph of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance.

A child kneels down to touch one of many small oil lamps laid out on temple steps.

Mohammad Ponir Hossain / ReutersA child touches an oil lamp used to decorate the surroundings of a temple during Diwali celebrations in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on October 20, 2025.

Many people stand around, taking photographs and video of lamps arranged in a large square, beneath a laser light show.

Arun Sankar / AFP / GettyPeople watch a laser show as others light diyas, or traditional earthen oil lamps, at the India Gate memorial, in New Delhi, on October 18, 2025.

A large group of people sit together in rows, each holding a small oil lamp or candle.

Ajit Solanki / APIndian traders perform rituals during Chopda Pujan, a prayer ceremony dedicated to the worship of account books, on the occasion of Diwali, at the Swaminarayan temple in Ahmedabad, India, on October 20, 2025.

A person holding a lit oil lamp in their hands.

Creative Touch Imaging Ltd. / NurPhoto / GettyA Hindu devotee holds a diya (small decorative clay lamp) during the festival of Diwali at a Hindu temple in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on October 20, 2025.

Crowds of people walk through a shopping district in a city that is lit with many hanging lights.

Idrees Mohammed / AFP / GettyShoppers gather on the illuminated Commercial Street on the eve of Diwali, in Bengaluru, India, on October 19, 2025.

A large group of people celebrate and take photographs while standing among many lit oil lamps, and watching a light show.

Deepak Gupta / Hindustan Times / GettyPeople light earthen lamps and view a light show at Ram Ki Paidi on October 19, 2025, in Ayodhya, India.

A man dressed as a tiger stands in front of a showroom, greeting people.

Indranil Aditya / NurPhoto / GettyA man dressed as a tiger stands in front of a jewelry showroom on the eve of the Diwali festival in Mumbai, India, on October 19, 2025.

A girl in a marketplace looks up at colorful strings of electric lights.

Ashish Vaishnav / SOPA Images / LightRocket / GettyA girl looks up at colorful electric lights displayed for sale ahead of Diwali on the streets of Mumbai, India, on October 17, 2025.

A woman is holding a pair of sparklers.

Adil Abass / ZUMA Press Wire / ReutersA woman lights sparklers during celebrations on the eve of Diwali, in the heart of the city center, Lal Chowk, in Srinagar, on October 20, 2025.

People look up toward the night sky as sparks fall from a fireworks display.

Ritesh Shukla / GettyLocal residents watch a fireworks show on the banks of the Saryu river on October 19, 2025, in Ayodhya, India.

A couple takes a selfie in front of a bright light show.

Rajesh Kumar Singh / APA couple takes a selfie along the Saryu river on the eve of Diwali in Ayodhya, India, on October 19, 2025.

People stand in an observation area, overlooking a brightly illuminated city below.

Vishal Bhatnagar / NurPhoto / GettyTourists look at the city of Jaipur illuminated ahead of the Diwali festival, as seen from Nahargarh Fort in Jaipur, Rajasthan, India, on October 19, 2025.

A woman lights fireworks in a street to celebrate Diwali.

Bhawika Chhabra / ReutersA woman lights fireworks to celebrate Diwali in New Delhi, India, on October 20, 2025.

Thousands of lit oil lamps, arranged on the ground beneath a drone light show depicting a mythical Hindu character with a bow and arrow.

Arun Sankar / AFP / GettyPeople light diyas, or traditional earthen oil lamps, as illuminated drones depict stories from the Hindu mythological epic Ramayana, seen above the India Gate memorial in New Delhi on October 18, 2025.

People look up at fireworks exploding overhead.

Rafiq Maqbool / APFireworks light up the sky during the festival of lights Diwali in Mumbai, India, on October 20, 2025.

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