Diwali is perhaps the most well-known of the Indian festivals. It is a five day celebration which occurs on the fifteenth day of the Hindu month of Kartika (during October/November in the Gregorian calendar). The word Diwali means "rows of lighted lamps" and the celebration is often referred to as the Festival of Lights because of the common practice of lighting small oil lamps (called diyas) and placing them around the home, in courtyards and in gardens, as well as on roof-tops and outer walls.

During this time, homes are thoroughly cleaned, windows are opened and diyas are lit as a greeting to Lakshmi, goddess of wealth. In urban areas candles or electric lights are often substituted for diyas. During Diwali, gifts are exchanged and festive meals are prepared. The celebration means as much to Hindus as Christmas does to Christians. Because there are many regions in India, there are many different versions of the Diwali festival.

The festival of Diwali is often celebrated with huge firework displays and the exchange of sweets. As with other Indian festivals, Diwali signifies many different things to people across the country.

In northern India and elsewhere, Diwali celebrates Rama's return from fourteen years of exile to Ayodhya after the defeat of Ravana and his subsequent coronation as king; in Gujarat, the festival honours Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth; in Nepal Diwali commemorates the victory of Lord Krishna over the demon king Narakaasura; and in Bengal, it is associated with the goddess Kali.

Everywhere that it is celebrated, Diwali signifies the renewal of life, and accordingly it is common to wear new clothes on the day of the festival. It also heralds the approach of winter and the beginning of the sowing season.

Diwali is also a Sikh festival. It particular it celebrates the release from prison of the sixth guru, Hargobind, in 1619. Sikhs had celebrated Diwali for many years before that and the foundation stone of the Golden Temple at Amritsar, the holiest place in the Sikh world, was laid on Diwali in 1577. For Jains, Diwali marks the attainment of Moksha (Nirvana, or eternal bliss) by the founder of Jainism, Lord Mahavira.

Why isn't Diwali celebrated on the same date each year?
The Hindu calendar is based on the lunar cycle and the movement of the moon, unlike the conventional Western (or Gregorian) calendar. The result is that Hindu festivals move about the Western calendar from year to year. Diwali, for example, falls on the date of the new moon between the Hindu months of Asvina and Kartika. Usually this is in October or November.

What is the story of King Rama?
After fourteen years of exile in the forest, the King of Ayodhya, Rama, and his brother, Lakshman, returned to their hometown having fought a fierce battle with the demon king of Ceylon, Ravana, who had captured Rama's consort, Sita. Aided by an army of monkeys as well as some bears, Rama and Lakshman defeated Ravana and rescued Sita.

Upon Rama's return to Ayodhya the people of the town lit lamps to welcome the King back and to celebrate the brothers' victory over Ravana. Overjoyed at Queen Sita's rescue and the safe return of King Rama, the people danced and celebrated and lit fireworks to show how happy they were. These festivities continue every year at Diwali and are still celebrated today.

What is the story of the demon Narakaasura?
The demon Narakaasura was the evil king of Pragjyotishapura, near present-day Assam. Power made the demon king arrogant and he became dangerous to his subjects and even to the gods. He ruled with a reign of terror, abducted 16,000 daughters of the gods, and stole the earings of Aditi, mother of the gods.

The gods asked Lord Krishna for help, and after a mighty battle he killed the demon, freed the girls and recovered the earrings. The rescue of the 16,000 girls is said to be the origin of the story that Krishna had 16,000 wives. After his victory Krishna returned very early in the morning and was bathed and massaged with scented oils. Taking an early morning bath with oil is still a Diwali tradition.

RE at Key Stages 1 and 2 (Year 3)
Unit 3B: How and why do Hindus celebrate Diwali?
Discuss the stories behind Diwali and encourage students to talk or write about the characters involved. The Diwali writing activities may help support this activity.

In groups, students could re-write the story of Rama and Sita as a script and act it out, or make puppets and perform it as a puppet show.

Make diyas with students (using clay, plasticine, papier maché, dough or paper) and encourage them to explore the meaning and symbolism of light and fire. Create paintings of firework celebrations.

Make Diwali and new year greeting cards and to construct traditional geometric rangoli patterns. Explore Indian cultural traditions, clothes and cooking. The pictures of children's Diwali clothing may help support this activity.

RE at Key Stage 3 (Year 8)
Unit 8C: Beliefs and practice (Generic) - Section 5: How are beliefs shown in festivals?
Build a calendar of religious dates and investigate the beliefs behind these festivals through research and creative writing, such as a letter to a friend describing the experience of celebrating a key festival. The Diwali letter writing frame could be used to support this activity.

Full details of all QCA schemes of work can be found online at:
http://www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/schemes3/subjects/
Please note that the BBC is not responsible for the content of external websites.

BBC Religion and Ethics: Hinduism
Find out about the core beliefs of Hinduism, Holy Books and Diwali.

CBBC Newsround - Guides: Religious Festivals
Here are the facts about the Diwali festival.

BBC Food - Diwali
Find out more about the food eaten at Diwali and try some recipes.

Parenting - Multi Faith Celebrations
This handy guide gives tips on preparing yourself for children's curiosity about religions.

H2G2
Discuss your experiences of Diwali with other users on H2G2.

Video Diary
Paul Sood presents his personal video account of Diwali celebrations in Leicester.

Diwali in Shropshire
Explore a week of celebration with BBC Shropshire.

Diwali in Leicester
The East Midlands city of Leicester is renowned for its extravagant Diwali celebrations.

Radio 1's One Life Guide to Hinduism
History, holidays, festivals and real life interviews about life and faith.

Words Alive! - Diwali
Part of the British Library's 'Special Books' resources, these pages feature a retelling of the Diwali story and instructions for making a Diwali lamp or diya.

Open-Sez-Me - Diwali
An account for children of Diwali stories and customs, together with instructions for making Diwali cards, diyas, rangoli patterns, how to wear a sari and a selection of recipes.

the RE site
A comprehensive collection of RE news, links and resources for students of all ages. Includes an interactive festivals calendar, links to virtual tours of places of worship and AV/IT resources catalogue.

The Culham Institute
RE curriculum and training resources with a strong emphasis on the use of multimedia and ICT. The site contains a wide range of assemblies for primary and secondary groups focusing on people, festivals and other important themes and days.

the RE directory
A directory of RE contacts, including LEAs, faith communities and suppliers of resources.

SPCK - The Assemblies Website
Constantly updated, this site provides instant-access assemblies for primary and secondary schools on a wide range of secular and religious topics, including festivals of world religions.

The Parrotfish Company
A catalogue of multicultural educational resources and religious artefacts from around the world.

Turning the Pages
The British Library's award-winning online collection of ancient texts. Students can 'turn the pages' of a range of texts from different cultures, including the Lindisfarne Gospels, the Diamond Sutra, Sultan Baybars' Qur'an and the Hebrew Golden Haggadah.

Words Alive! - Special Books
An interactive guide to the six world religions from the British Library with video, images and information. Explore each 'display case' to discover more about each religion.

Britkid
A site about race, racism and life - as seen through the eyes of the Britkids. You can hang out with a Britkid or go into town to learn about religion, food, culture and the triumphs, trials and tribulations of life as a teenager in multicultural Britain.

Portsmouth EMAS
The Portsmouth Ethnic Minority Achievement Service offer a range of excellent multicultural online resources, including religious festival activities, literacy resources and interactive number lines in a wide range of languages.

Please note that the BBC is not responsible for the content of external websites.