Diwali in the context of "Hindu festival"

An oil lamp is a lamp used to produce light continuously for a period of time using an oil-based fuel source. The use of oil lamps began thousands of years ago and continues to this day, although their use is less common in modern times. They work in the same way as a candle but with fuel that is liquid at room temperature, so that a container for the oil is required. A textile wick drops down into the oil, and is lit at the end, burning the oil as it is drawn up the wick.

Oil lamps are a form of lighting, and were used as an alternative to candles before the use of electric lights. Starting in 1780, the Argand lamp quickly replaced other oil lamps still in their basic ancient form. These in turn were replaced by the kerosene lamp in about 1850. In small towns and rural areas the latter continued in use well into the 20th century, until such areas were finally electrified and light bulbs could be used.

Lakshmi Puja ( Odia: ଲକ୍ଷ୍ମୀ ପୂଜା, romanized: Lakṣmīpūjā), Sanskrit: लक्ष्मीपूजा, romanized: Lakṣmīpūjā, Bengali/Assamese: লক্ষ্মী পূজা is a Hindu occasion for the veneration of Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity and the Supreme Goddess of Vaishnavism. The occasion is celebrated on the amavasya (new moon day) in the Vikram Samvat Hindu calendar month of Ashvin (according to the amanta tradition) or Kartika (according to the purnimanta tradition), on the third day of Deepavali (Tihar) in Nepal and most parts of India.

According to tradition, Lakshmi is believed to visit her devotees and bestow good fortune and her blessings upon them on this occasion. To welcome the goddess, devotees clean their houses, decorate them with finery and lights, and prepare sweet treats and delicacies as offerings. Devotees believe that the happier the goddess is during her visit, the more she blesses the family with health and wealth.

Agni (Sanskrit: अग्नि [ˈɐgni], meaning 'fire'), also called Agni Deva ('fire deity'), is the Hindu god of fire. As the guardian deity of the southeast direction, he is typically found in southeast corners of Hindu temples. In the classical cosmology of Hinduism, fire (Agni) is one of the five inert impermanent elements (Pañcabhūtá) along with sky (Ākāśa), water (Apas), air (Vāyu) and earth (Pṛthvī), the five combining to form the empirically perceived material existence (Prakṛti).

In the Vedas, Agni is a major and most invoked god along with Indra and Soma. Agni is considered the mouth of the gods and goddesses and the medium that conveys offerings to them in a homa (votive ritual). He is conceptualized in ancient Hindu texts to exist at three levels, on earth as fire, in the atmosphere as lightning, and in the sky as the sun. This triple presence accords him as the messenger between the deities and humans in the Vedic scriptures. The relative importance of Agni declined in the post-Vedic era, as he was internalised and his identity evolved to metaphorically represent all transformative energy and knowledge in the Upanishads and later Hindu literature. Agni remains an integral part of Hindu traditions, such as being the central witness of the rite-of-passage ritual in traditional Hindu weddings called Saptapadi (seven steps and mutual vows), in the Upanayana ceremony of rite of passage, as well being part of the diyā (lamp) in festivals such as Deepavali and Arti in Puja.

Amavasya (Amāvásyā) represents the lunar phase of new moon in the Hindu calendar. A calendar month ends on amavasya as per the amanta tradition of the Hindu lunar calendar. Various Hindu beliefs and rituals are associated with the day. Hindu festivals including Diwali are celebrated on the amavasya day of various months.

Tihar is a five-day Hindu festival of lights celebrated in Nepal and parts of India (Sikkim, Darjeeling and Assam), by the Nepali and Indian Gorkha people. The festival coincides and shares similarities with Diwali, the festival of lights celebrated across the India subcontinent and elsewhere, but also has some distinct features.

Tihar is referred to as Yamapanchak Tihar in Kathmandu Valley by Newari Nepalis and Dipawali Tihar in Madhesh Province by Madhesi Nepalis. In the rest of Nepal and the Indian states of Sikkim and Gorkhaland, both Nepalis and Nepalese descended in India refer to Diwali as the Tihar Parwa.

A diya, diyo, deya, deeya, dia, divaa, deepa, deepam, deep, deepak or saaki (Sanskrit: दीपम्, romanized: Dīpam) is an oil lamp made from clay or mud with a cotton wick dipped in oil or ghee. These lamps are commonly used in the Indian subcontinent and they hold sacred prominence in Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, and Jain prayers as well as religious rituals, ceremonies and festivals including Diwali.

Prabodhini Ekadashi (Sanskrit: प्रबोधिनी एकादशी, romanized: Prabodhinī Ekādaśī), also known as Deva Uttana Ekadashi (Sanskrit: देव उत्तान एकादशी, romanized: Deva Uttāna Ekādaśī), is the 11th lunar day (ekadashi) in the bright fortnight (Shukla Paksha) of the Hindu month of Kartika. It marks the end of the four-month period of Chaturmasya, when the god Vishnu is believed to be asleep. It is believed that Vishnu sleeps on the day of Shayani Ekadashi, and wakes on this day.

The end of Chaturmasya, when marriages are prohibited, signifies the beginning of the Hindu wedding season. Prabodhini Ekadashi is followed by Kartika Purnima, which day is celebrated as Deva Deepavali, the Deepavali of the devas.

Rangoli is an art form that originates from the Indian subcontinent, in which patterns are created on the floor or a tabletop using materials such as powdered limestone, red ochre, dry rice flour, coloured sand, quartz powder, flower petals, and coloured rocks. It is an everyday practice in some Hindu households; however, making it is mostly reserved for festivals and other important celebrations, as rangolis are time-consuming. Rangolis are usually made during Diwali or Tihar, Onam, Pongal, Ugadi and other Hindu festivals in the Indian subcontinent, and are most often made during Diwali. Designs are passed from one generation to the next, keeping both the art form and the tradition alive.

Rangoli have different names based on the state and culture. Rangoli hold a significant role in the everyday life of a Hindu household, especially historically when the flooring of houses were untiled. They are usually made outside the threshold of the main entrance, in the early mornings after cleaning the area. Traditionally, the postures needed to make a rangoli are a kind of exercise for women to straighten their spines. The rangoli represents the happiness, positivity and liveliness of a household, and is intended to welcome Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and good luck. It is believed that a Hindu household without a clean entrance and rangoli is an abode of daridra (bad luck).

A sparkler is a type of hand-held firework that burns slowly while emitting bright, colored sparks. It burns at a high temperature (over 1000°C), so it can be very dangerous.

Sparklers are particularly popular with children. In the United Kingdom, a sparkler is often used by children at bonfire and fireworks displays on Guy Fawkes Night, the fifth of November, and in the United States on Independence Day. They are called phuljhadi in Hindi and are especially popular during the Diwali festival.