For four days around every October and November India is alight! This is because of the festival of Diwali (or Divali), meaning ‘row of lighted lamps’.

Hindus light hundreds of small oil lamps called diyas and place them all around their homes and gardens. They light the lamps to honour Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth. The more lamps that are lit, they hope, the more likely Lakshmi will be to visit!

Diwali is also a celebration of the triumph of good over evil, and the return of King Rama and Sita to their home, Ayodhya. In the story Rama rescues Sita, his wife, from the fearsome ten-headed demon Ravana, and to guide him back, the people of Ayodhya light diyas.

During the festival, fireworks light up the sky. But people also use it as an opportunity to get arty! They decorate their homes and temples by drawing on the ground using a mixture of rice, flour, water and coloured paste. They create beautiful natural patterns called rangoli. There is a big fuss made as Diwali means as much to Hindus as Christmas does to Christians. Sikhs celebrate Diwali too.