Diwali, or Dipawali, is India‘s biggest and most important holiday of the year. The festival gets its name from the row (avali) of clay lamps (deepa) that Indians light outside their homes to symbolize the inner light that protects from spiritual darkness. This festival is as important to Hindus as the Christmas holiday is to Christians. Over the centuries, Diwali has become a national festival that's also enjoyed by non-Hindu communities. For instance, in Jainism, Diwali marks the nirvana, or spiritual awakening, of Lord Mahavira on October 15, 527 B.C.; in Sikhism, it honors the day that Guru Hargobind Ji, the Sixth Sikh Guru, was freed from imprisonment. Buddhists in India celebrate Diwali as well.

Books About Diwali:

Baby’s First Diwali. Board Book
The Diwali Gift, by Shweta Chopra.
Lighting a Lamp: a Diwali Story, by Jonny Zucker.
Diwali, by Nancy Dickmann. J 294.5 D
Celebrate Diwali, by Deborah Heiligman. J 294.5 H
Diwali, by Kate Torpie. J 294.5 T
Diwali, by Trudi Strain Trueit. J 294.5 T
The Story of Divaali, by Jatinder Nath Verma. J 294.5 V

eBooks on OverDrive:

Lilu's Bright Diwali, by Anita Nahta Amin
The Diwali Gift, by Shweta Chopra.
Rama and Sita, by Malachy Doyle.
Diwali, by Hannah Eliot.
A Dog Named Haku, by Margarita Engle.
Flash and Gleam, by Sue Fliess.
Origami for Diwali, by Robyn Hardyman.
Diwali, by Julie Murray.
Diwali, by Rebecca Pettiford.
¡Es Diwali!, by Richard Sebra.
It’s Diwali!, by Richard Sebra.
Diwali: Festival of Lights, by Rina Singh.
Diwali Lights, by Rina Singh.
Shubh Diwali!, by Chitra Soundar.
Diwali, by Kate Torpie.
Binny’s Diwali, by Thrity Umrigar.