Diwali

Diwali — the festival of lights — is among the most joyful times to be in Ahmedabad, and in Gujarat it carries a special significance: the day after Diwali is Bestu Varas, the Gujarati New Year. In the days around Diwali (October–November), homes, shops and streets are decorated with rows of oil lamps (diyas), electric lights and intricate rangoli patterns at the threshold. Families clean and adorn their homes, perform Lakshmi puja to invoke prosperity, exchange sweets and gifts, and light fireworks. Markets are at their busiest and brightest, and the whole city glows after dark. For the city’s merchant community, Diwali and the New Year are also a time of business renewal — old account books are closed and new ones opened with the Chopda Pujan ceremony. The day after New Year, Bhai Bij, honours the bond between brothers and sisters. The temples hold Annakut, a grand offering of food to the deities. For the visitor, Diwali in Ahmedabad is a warm, luminous, family-centred festival — best experienced amid the lamps, sweets and New-Year cheer of the season. (A ~5-day festival in Oct–Nov; lights, sweets and fireworks citywide; the Gujarati New Year falls the day after Diwali.)