Ram’s return, diyas, crackers: The Diwali experience | Festivals of India

Diwali is often referred to as the festival of light. It is one of the major religious festivals in Hinduism, lasting for five days. In Bengal, the goddess Kali is worshipped, and in the north the festival celebrates the return of Rama, Sita, Lakshmana, and Hanuman to the city of Ayodhya. Small earthenware lamps filled with oil are lit and placed in rows along the parapets of temples and houses.