India’s largest and most significant holiday of the year is Diwali, also known as Dipawali. The row (avali) of clay lamps (deepa) that Indians light outside their homes to represent the inner light that guards against spiritual darkness is the source of the festival’s name. For Hindus, this event holds the same significance that the Christmas holiday does for Christians.

Over the ages, non-Hindu cultures have learned to appreciate Diwali as a national holiday. For example, in Sikhism, Diwali commemorates the day the Sixth Sikh Guru Guru Guru Hargobind Ji was set free from prison; in Jainism, it remembers the nirvana, or spiritual awakening, of Lord Mahavira on October 15, 527 B.C. In India, Buddhists also celebrate Diwali.