This weekend 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.
Diwali 2023: Images From the Festival of Lights
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![A woman stands amid fireworks in a street.]()
Read moreA woman stands amid fireworks as people celebrate Diwali on November 12, 2023, in Jersey City, New Jersey. #
Adam Gray / Getty -
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![An aerial view of an ornate Hindu temple.]()
Read moreDevotees celebrate Diwali at Akshardham Mahamandir temple in Robbinsville, New Jersey, on November 12, 2023. #
Bing Guan / Reuters -
![A large crowd of people gathers along a riverbank at night, among thousands of small lit lamps and colorful fountains.]()
Read morePeople light earthen lamps on the banks of Saryu River during a cultural program, on the eve of Diwali festival, on November 11, 2023, in Ayodhya, India. #
Ritesh Shukla / Getty -
![People sit together with their arms crossed during a ceremony.]()
Read moreDevotees and well-wishers observe the ritual of Sharda Pujan during Diwali celebrations at Neasden Temple on November 12, 2023, in the Neasden area of London, England. #
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![Fireworks explode in front of a residential building.]()
Read moreFireworks explode in front of a residential building to celebrate Diwali in Ahmedabad, India, on November 12, 2023. #
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![A woman kneels down among many small lit lanterns.]()
Read moreA woman kneels down during the Deepotsav celebration on the occasion of the Diwali festival in Jaipur, Rajasthan, India, on November 11, 2023. #
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![Fireworks explode in the sky above a temple.]()
Read moreFireworks explode in the sky above the domed architecture of Neasden Temple in London on November 12, 2023. #
Leon Neal / Getty -
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![People take part in a ritual in front of a golden statue.]()
Read moreDevotees take part in a Mahapuja worship ritual in front of a statue of Bhagwan Swaminarayan during Diwali, inside Akshardham Mahamandir temple in Robbinsville, New Jersey, on November 12, 2023. #
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![British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his family light candles together.]()
Read moreBritish Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, together with his wife Akshata Murty and their children Anoushka and Krishna, hold a tray of candles outside of 10 Downing Street, during the Hindu festival of Diwali, in London, on November 12, 2023. #
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![A person places a hand on a large pile of marigold blossoms.]()
Read moreA customer looks at marigold flowers at a shop along a roadside in Mumbai on November 11, 2023, on the eve of Diwali. #
Indranil Mukherjee / AFP / Getty -
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![A seller adjusts miniature statues at a shop.]()
Read moreA seller adjusts miniature statues of the Hindu deity Lakshmi at a shop in Hyderabad, Telangana, India, on November 10, 2023. #
Noah Seelam / AFP / Getty -
![People set off small fireworks in a street.]()
Read moreRevelers light firecrackers during Diwali in New Delhi, India, on November 12, 2023. #
Sajjad Hussain / AFP / Getty -
![People gather in a temple near many evenly stacked, large platters of food.]()
Read moreDevotees offer a mountain of food known as Annakut to Lord Swaminarayan at the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha temple in Ahmedabad, India, on November 13, 2023. #
Sam Panthaky / AFP / Getty -
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![A person looks on as sparks fly from nearby fireworks.]()
Read moreA woman watches as fireworks burn during Diwali in Mumbai, India, on November 12, 2023. #
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![A person stands inside a temple, praying near a statue of a cow.]()
Read moreA devotee worships at a religious ceremony during the Diwali festival at Ponnambalavaneswaram Hindu temple in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on November 12,2023. #
Dinuka Liyanawatte / Reuters -
![People kneel down to place and light many small lamps.]()
Read morePeople light earthen lamps on the banks of Saryu River on November 11, 2023, in Ayodhya, India. #
Ritesh Shukla / Getty -
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![People stand along a residential street, watching a small fireworks show.]()
Read morePeople watch fireworks as they celebrate Diwali on November 12, 2023, in Jersey City, New Jersey. #
Adam Gray / Getty
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