Photos: Diwali celebrations light up India and its global diaspora

Celebrations feature fireworks, prayers, reunions, rangoli designs, feasting, and the sharing of sweets and gifts.A young Indian woman lights earthen lamps beside a rangoli, a hand-decorated pattern on the floor, during Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, in Ahmedabad, India. [Ajit Solanki/AP Photo]Diwali, the festival of lights, is being celebrated across India and among its vast diaspora, marking one of the most important days of the year for Hindus.More than one billion people of different faiths take part in the celebrations in the world’s most populous nation, gathering for prayers, family reunions and the lighting of fireworks.The name Diwali comes from “Deepavali”, meaning “a row of lights”, and many families place clay oil lamps outside their homes to symbolise the triumph of light over darkness and knowledge over ignorance.The festival follows the Hindu lunar calendar and usually falls in late October or early November. This year, Diwali is marked on November 8.While Diwali is rooted in Hindu tradition, it is also observed by Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists, with regional origin stories that share a common theme – the victory of good over evil.Celebrations often include feasting, new clothes, rangoli floor designs, and the exchange of sweets and gifts with friends and neighbours.Diwali traditions vary across India, but commonly include lights, fireworks, feasting, new clothes and prayers. [Rajesh Kumar Singh/AP Photo]Policemen light earthen lamps on the banks of the Saryu River during Deepotsav celebrations in Uttar Pradesh state. [Rajesh Kumar Singh/AP photo]Children play with firecrackers on Diwali, at an orphanage in Jammu. [Channi Anand/AP Photo]A stall displays puja (prayer) offering materials for sale during Diwali in Kolkata. [Bikas Das/AP Photo]Vendors selling flowers wait for customers at the Jamalpur wholesale market in Ahmedabad ahead of Diwali. [Shammi Mehra/AFP]Devotees place oil lamps during the Hindu festival of Diwali at the Sri Ponnambalavaneswarar temple in Colombo. [Ishara S. Kodikara/AFP]People buy gold jewellery on the occasion of Dhanteras as part of Diwali celebrations in Amritsar. [Narinder Nanu/AFP]A worker prepares firecrackers ahead of Diwali at a workshop in Vanch village on the outskirts of Ahmedabad. [Shammi Mehra/AFP]Students from a Hindu religious school light a lantern during the celebrations to mark Diwali in Varanasi. [Niharika Kulkarni/AFP]Passengers gather to board a train at a crowded railway station in Patna on the eve of Diwali. [Sachin Kumar/AFP]An artisan paints earthen pots at his workshop ahead of Diwali in Hyderabad. [Noah Seelam/AFP]Tourists from the United Kingdom, Matty Hill and Lelah Gorgin, light earthen lamps on the banks of the Saryu River in Uttar Pradesh state. [Rajesh Kumar Singh/AP Photo]