Diwali: dates, muhurat and meaning.
The next Diwali is on Sunday, 8 November 2026. The date is computed from the classical panchang for Delhi (rule: amavasya tithi prevailing at sunset (pradosh rule)). Below are the Diwali dates for 2026 and 2027, the day's shubh muhurat windows, and what the festival celebrates.
Diwali dates
What is Diwali?
Diwali is the darkest night made the brightest: Amavasya, moonless by definition, lit by a billion lamps. The classical rule fixes it by the Amavasya tithi prevailing at pradosh (sunset) — the window when Lakshmi is said to walk the earth.
The five-day arc runs Dhanteras, Naraka Chaturdashi, Diwali, Govardhan Puja and Bhai Dooj. For merchants it is the year's closing: chopda pujan — the worship of new account books — is done in the same evening window, and the new samvat opens the next day.
Muhurat on Diwali
The Lakshmi Puja muhurat is pradosh kaal — the roughly 2.5 hours after sunset while Amavasya prevails — listed above as the Pradosh Kaal window. The Abhijit Muhurat is the daytime shubh span; avoid Rahu Kaal for the puja sankalpa.
| Window — 8 November 2026 | Time (IST) |
|---|---|
| Abhijit Muhurat (shubh for all works) | 11:43 AM – 12:26 PM |
| Pradosh Kaal (Lakshmi Puja) | 5:30 PM – 7:54 PM |