Essay on Diwali in English

Essay on Diwali in English (100, 150, 250 and 500 Words)

Four complete essays on Diwali are below, roughly 100, 150, 250 and 500 words long, plus a short essay on a green Diwali. Diwali 2026 falls on Sunday, 8 November. Pick the length your teacher asked for, read it once out loud, and change two or three sentences so it sounds like you.

Writing for Class 1, 2 or 3? Start with the 10 lines on Diwali on our Diwali speech page instead. Ten short sentences are easier for a young child to write and remember than any essay.

Quick facts for Diwali 2026

• Main Diwali (Lakshmi Puja): Sunday, 8 November 2026
• The five days in 2026: Dhanteras on Friday 6 November; Chhoti Diwali (Naraka Chaturdashi) on Sunday 8 November, the same day as Lakshmi Puja this year; Govardhan Puja on 9 or 10 November (panchangs differ); and Bhai Dooj on Wednesday 11 November
• Why two of the days share a date: the Chaturdashi tithi is still running at sunrise on 8 November, and the new moon begins later that morning, so Chhoti Diwali and the main Diwali fall on the same Sunday. Some calendars show Saturday 7 November as Chhoti Diwali; Drik Panchang marks 7 November as Kali Chaudas.
• Why the date changes every year: Diwali falls on the new-moon night (amavasya) of the Hindu month of Kartik, so it follows the lunar calendar. It usually comes in October or November.
• The name: Deepavali means "a row of lamps"

The 2026 dates were checked against the Drik Panchang Diwali calendar for 2026 and the central government's holiday list for 2026 (DoPT Office Memorandum No. 12/2/2023-JCA, 3 July 2025), which also gives Sunday, 8 November.

Essay on Diwali in 100 words

Diwali, or Deepavali, is the festival of lights and one of the biggest festivals in India. The name means "a row of lamps". It falls on the new-moon night of the month of Kartik, and in 2026 it is on Sunday, 8 November. Many people celebrate it as the day Lord Rama returned to Ayodhya after fourteen years of exile. Families clean and decorate their homes, draw rangoli, light diyas and worship Goddess Lakshmi in the evening. People wear new clothes, share sweets and visit relatives. Diwali teaches us that light always wins over darkness.

Essay on Diwali in 150 words

Diwali is the festival of lights. It is one of the most loved festivals in India, and families wait for it all year. In 2026, Diwali falls on Sunday, 8 November.

Many people celebrate Diwali as the day Lord Rama came back to Ayodhya after fourteen years in the forest. The people of Ayodhya lit rows of lamps to welcome him home, and we still light diyas in the same way.

A few days before Diwali, we clean our house and decorate it with lights and flowers. On Diwali evening, my sister and I draw a rangoli at the door, and the whole family worships Goddess Lakshmi. After the puja, we light diyas on the balcony, wear new clothes and share sweets with our neighbours.

Diwali brings the whole family together. It reminds us that light is stronger than darkness, and that a festival is happiest when we share it with others.

Essay on Diwali in 250 words

Diwali is the festival of lights, celebrated by Hindus, Jains and Sikhs across India and by Indian families around the world. Its name comes from the Sanskrit word Deepavali, which means a row of lamps.

The best-known story behind Diwali comes from the Ramayana. After defeating Ravana, Lord Rama returned to Ayodhya with Sita and Lakshmana at the end of fourteen years of exile, and the people lit rows of lamps to welcome him. In many parts of South India, the festival is linked with Lord Krishna's victory over the demon Narakasura. Jains remember the day Lord Mahavira attained nirvana, and Sikhs celebrate Bandi Chhor Divas.

Diwali is a five-day festival. It begins with Dhanteras, when people buy something new for the home, often utensils or gold. Then comes Chhoti Diwali, followed by the main day, when Goddess Lakshmi is worshipped in the evening. Govardhan Puja and Bhai Dooj, a day for brothers and sisters, complete the festival.

Weeks before Diwali, homes are cleaned and often painted. On the day, doorsteps are decorated with rangoli, and diyas and lights glow everywhere. Families exchange sweets and gifts and visit friends and relatives.

Firecrackers are part of the celebration for many people, but they pollute the air and frighten animals. More families now choose a quieter, greener Diwali with diyas and fewer crackers.

For me, the best part of Diwali is the evening after the puja, when the whole family sits together in a house full of light. It is a festival that brings people closer.

Essay on Diwali in 500 words

The festival of lights

Diwali, also called Deepavali, is the festival of lights and one of the most widely celebrated festivals in India. Its name means "a row of lamps", and on the night of Diwali that is exactly what you see: rows of small clay diyas along balconies, windows and doorsteps, in villages and cities alike. It falls on the new-moon night of the month of Kartik, the darkest night of the month, which is why the lamps matter so much. In 2026, Diwali is on Sunday, 8 November.

The stories behind it

Diwali is celebrated for different reasons in different parts of India. The best-known story comes from the Ramayana: Lord Rama, with Sita and Lakshmana, returned to Ayodhya after fourteen years of exile and his victory over Ravana, and the people lit lamps to welcome him home. In much of South India, the festival recalls Lord Krishna's victory over the demon Narakasura. In West Bengal and some other eastern states, the same night is celebrated as Kali Puja. Jains mark the nirvana of Lord Mahavira, and Sikhs celebrate Bandi Chhor Divas, remembering Guru Hargobind's release from Gwalior Fort. The stories differ, but the meaning is the same: light over darkness, and good over evil.

Five days, five meanings

Diwali is really a five-day festival. Dhanteras comes first, a day for buying something new, often utensils or gold. Chhoti Diwali, also called Naraka Chaturdashi, follows. The third day is the main festival, when families worship Goddess Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and good fortune, in the evening. Govardhan Puja recalls Lord Krishna lifting the Govardhan hill to shelter the people of Braj from the rain, and Bhai Dooj, the fifth day, celebrates the bond between brothers and sisters.

How families prepare

Preparations begin weeks earlier. Houses are cleaned from top to bottom and often painted, because Lakshmi is believed to visit clean, well-lit homes. Markets fill up with lights, clay lamps, sweets and new clothes. On the day itself, doorsteps are decorated with rangoli made from coloured powder, rice flour or flower petals. After the evening puja, families light diyas, exchange sweets and gifts, and visit relatives and neighbours. Many business families also begin new account books at Diwali.

A festival that should not hurt anyone

Firecrackers have long been part of Diwali, but they come at a cost. In north Indian cities especially, the air often turns hazardous around the festival, and the noise frightens animals, babies and older people. Many cities now limit when crackers can be burst, or allow only less polluting "green" crackers. A Diwali of diyas, rangoli and shared sweets keeps the joy without the smoke.

What Diwali means to me

For me, the best moment of Diwali is not the noise but the quiet just after the puja, when every lamp in the house is lit and the whole family is in one room. Diwali reminds us that one small lamp can push back a lot of darkness. That is worth remembering for the rest of the year too.

Short essay on a green Diwali (about 150 words)

Diwali is the festival of lights, but in many cities it has also become a festival of smoke. In the days around Diwali, firecrackers fill the air with dust and harmful gases, and the noise terrifies street dogs, birds and small children. People with asthma find it hard to breathe.

A green Diwali keeps everything that is beautiful about the festival and leaves out the harm. It means lighting clay diyas instead of plastic lights, making rangoli from flowers and rice flour, buying lamps and sweets from local sellers, and bursting few or no crackers. It also means sharing: a box of sweets for the security guard, old clothes for a family that needs them.

Lord Rama was welcomed home with lamps, not explosions. If we celebrate Diwali the same way, the air stays clean, and the light reaches everyone.

How to structure your own Diwali essay

• Opening (1 to 2 sentences): what Diwali is and what the name means.
• The story (2 to 3 sentences): Rama's return to Ayodhya, and one other tradition, such as Narakasura in the South or Bandi Chhor Divas.
• The five days (2 to 3 sentences): Dhanteras to Bhai Dooj. Name them; do not explain all five in detail.
• How your family celebrates (2 to 4 sentences): this is the part only you can write, and the part teachers remember.
• Closing (2 sentences): what the festival means to you, or a line on a green Diwali.

Children's Day comes six days after Diwali, on Saturday, 14 November 2026, and most schools set it as an essay topic too. The Children's Day essay comes in 100, 250 and 500 words, with the facts about Nehru you can rely on.

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