✨ ✨ ✨ AstroKaya Festival Guide ✨ ✨ ✨
Diwali 2026
Festival of Lights | Deepavali
Saturday, October 17, 2026
Countdown to Diwali 2026 (IST)
Dates and muhurat on this page are indicative for planning. Always confirm with your family tradition and a reliable panchang for your city.
Five Days of Diwali 2026
The Diwali festival spans five auspicious days. Below is a practical schedule aligned with the 2026 dates you are planning around.
Lakshmi Puja Muhurat (Delhi, approximate)
-
Pradosh Kaal
5:35 PM to 8:07 PM IST
-
Vrishabha Kaal (highly auspicious)
6:09 PM to 8:05 PM IST
-
Amavasya tithi timing (Kartik)
For planning in India, Kartik Amavasya is commonly observed on the civil date of Saturday, 17 October 2026, with Lakshmi Puja in the evening; exact tithi start and end in IST depend on location and panchang rules. Check when Amavasya begins and ends in your city so puja falls in your preferred window.
Exact muhurat varies by city. Check your city’s panchang for precise timings before finalising invitations or travel.
Significance of Diwali
Diwali, or Deepavali, is one of India’s most cherished festivals. Homes glow with diyas, markets sparkle, and families come together in gratitude and hope.
Return of Lord Rama to Ayodhya — Many Hindus remember Maryada Purushottam Rama’s return to Ayodhya after victory over adharma, with citizens lighting lamps to welcome him. That image of a righteous homecoming still shapes how millions light their doorsteps.
Worship of Goddess Lakshmi — Lakshmi Puja on Amavasya invites the grace of prosperity, stability, and ethical wealth. Cleanliness, new clothes, and open doors symbolise readiness to receive auspicious energy.
Victory of light over darkness — The festival affirms knowledge over ignorance and courage over fear, echoed in regional stories from Krishna to Mahavira and Guru Hargobind, depending on tradition.
New beginnings — For businesses and households, Diwali marks closing old ledgers, starting new books, and setting intentions for the year ahead with family blessings.
Many people also look up earlier festival cycles; if you arrived from searches like diwali 2025, this guide focuses on diwali 2026 so you can plan Lakshmi Puja and travel in the correct year.
Diwali Puja Vidhi — Step by Step
- Clean and decorate — Whitewash or deep-clean the home; arrange flowers, torans, and lights so the space feels welcoming for the devas and guests.
- Rangoli at the entrance — Draw rangoli with rice flour or colours to honour Lakshmi’s path into the home and to beautify the threshold.
- Place Lakshmi and Ganesh — Set idols or images on a clean chowki, often with a red cloth, coins, and kalash, following your family’s paddhati.
- Light diyas and candles — Illuminate all directions; many families prefer ghee diyas for the main puja and electric lights for safety elsewhere.
- Lakshmi Puja with mantras — Bathe the murtis symbolically, offer naivedya, incense, and flowers, and recite Lakshmi mantras, stotra, or guided path as your guru or elders advise.
- Sweets and gifts — Distribute mithai, dry fruits, and gifts to neighbours, staff, and loved ones to share the merit of the day.
Diwali & Vedic Astrology
Diwali’s Lakshmi Puja is anchored in Kartik Amavasya, the new Moon in the sacred month of Kartik. Amavasya is a powerful sandhi tithi: the Moon joins the Sun, symbolising inward focus before the lunar light returns.
On Diwali 2026, the Sun remains in Tula (Libra) in the sidereal zodiac, emphasising balance, partnerships, and refined judgement. The Moon is conjunct the Sun at Amavasya, so chart work for the evening stresses the lagna rising at your actual puja muhurat rather than only the natal Moon sign.
Outer planets such as Jupiter and Saturn set the slower backdrop for the year; their houses from your lagna still matter for timing investments, vows, and major purchases. Diwali night is widely used for Lakshmi-Kubera aradhana, new account books (Chopda Pujan for some communities), and starting learning or mantra disciplines.
Best activities — Align shopping and gold purchases with your personal chart and the evening’s choghadiya or muhurat table; perform charity, honour teachers and elders, and avoid needless conflict during the sensitive Amavasya phase.
Diwali Shopping Guide
Dhanteras and Diwali are peak seasons for gold, silver, utensils, and puja samagri. Compare live rates and buy from trusted hallmarked sources.
Gold rate today
Check live 22K & 24K prices before Dhanteras and Diwali purchases.
Silver rate today
Track silver per gram for coins, idols, and festive gifts.
Auspicious items often include pure metals, new brooms on Dhanteras (for some traditions), ghee, mithai ingredients, camphor, agarbatti, kumkum, rice, and seasonal flowers — tailor the list to your sampradaya.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is Diwali in 2026?
What is the Lakshmi Puja muhurat for Diwali 2026?
What are the 5 days of Diwali?
Why do we celebrate Diwali?
Is Diwali a national holiday?
What is Kartik Amavasya and how does it relate to Diwali 2026?
AstroKaya
Vedic astrology, kundli tools, and daily guidance — trusted by seekers across India.