About a billion people around the world and in the US will be celebrating 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 of the holiday vary every year as they follow the lunar calendar. Diwali originated in India over 2,500 years ago. The annual festival, which extends to the Indian diaspora, it is usually observed for five days or even one day depending on where a person lives or how that person celebrates.

This year’s holiday 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 a Christian, has she expressed her pride in her Indian heritage and celebrated Diwali at her official residence in Washington, DC, in recent years. In a 2021 message, she asked others to “remember to honor the light within each other.”

The possibility of someone of South Asian heritage ascending to the highest office in the US added even more Diwali excitement for some South Asian Americans, including Deepak Sarma, who is 54, and says Harris’ presence in politics helps lift them up.

“We’re part of the American landscape,” says Sarma, a distinguished scholar in the humanities 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 should know about Diwali.

Diwali is not only celebrated by Indians and Hindus

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

“Different religious traditions in India each come up with their own religious themes and narratives in Diwali. Some Hindus, for example, believe that Diwali is the return of Lord Rama, an avatar of Vishnu, from 14 years of exile,” says Sarma, who uses the pronouns “they/them/their”. “Other Hindus believe it is the celebration of the slaying of the asura (demon) Narakasura by Lord Krishna, another avatar of Vishnu.”

Some Hindus see Diwali as a chance to worship and celebrate the Hindu goddess of wealth, Lakshmi. And for others, like Sarma, Diwali is “the victory of knowledge over ignorance.”

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

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

“In each of these Indian traditions, we find that Diwali has some kind of meaning and reason for celebration, often a representation of hope and the victory of goodness,” says Gupta.

Traditions like food have a sacred meaning

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Another name for Diwali, Deepavali, means “garland of lights,” and garlanding is an act of reverence in India, according to Sarma. They were born on Diwali and their name is a tribute to the holiday. To honor someone, a person can put a garland of flowers around them, like statues of deities in temples, says Sarma.

“People don’t garland others with lights,” says Sarma.

Diwali also takes place on the night of the new moon, adding to the importance of lights during Diwali. In the dark of night, the roads and paths of India are lined with oil lamps that light the way to the temples where the gods and goddesses are honored in the lights. People will also clean their homes and make sure every room is lit with lamps on Diwali night, as goddess Lakshmi is believed to visit well-lit homes, says Gupta.

There are also fireworks celebrations.

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

Also, food is not just a part of Diwali, but “everything” during the celebration, he says.

There is the exchange of food and sweets that are homemade or bought from an Indian grocery store. Soan Papdi, a sparkling dessert Sarma says melts like cotton candy in the mouth, is one of their favorite sweets during Diwali. Jalebis, spiral-shaped and dipped in syrup, and almond, sugar and square burfis are some of the many other delicacies during Diwali.

Diwali celebrations continue with Govardhan Puja or Annakawhich means “mountain of food”. This will take place on November 1st in the western US and November 2nd in other parts of the world. It is to commemorate the time when Krishna, as a child, raised a mountain and used it to protect his village from a torrential rainstorm. This act is celebrated with a “mountain” of food and some people will create a mountain of rice and pile it with various types of food. Food is distributed in temples and people’s homes. When he and his family celebrate AnnakaGupta says she cautions people to eat only what they can so that food doesn’t go to waste.

“While it’s full of celebration, it also emphasizes that food is very much a gift and it’s special and we need to treat it with respect and care,” he says.

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

How can I celebrate Diwali?

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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 has also helped American Greetings create Diwali cards and Diwali e-cards can be customized online.

You can greet your Indian friends with a tasty sweet or a Diwali card. You can also say “Happy Diwali!” to someone celebrating.

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

“Not every person who is South Asian or Indian or of Indian heritage may have learned about the tradition or celebrated it,” says Sarma.

Conformable Pew Research Centernearly 80% of Indians identify as Hindu, 14.2% practice Islam, 2.3% Christianity, and 1.7% Sikhism.

Gupta says she will celebrate Diwali with a two-day festival at her 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 want too give their children a book or a pen as a gift.

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

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