 "Will Diwali 2024 be celebrated on Oct 31 or Nov 1? Priests try to find out")
With a month left for Diwali or Deepavali, devotees have started preparing for the festivities and researching the right timings and auspicious muhurats for the celebrations. Many are confused about the exact date for Diwali because there are two days for the Amavasya this year. This has sparked a debate about whether Diwali will be celebrated on October 31 or November 1.
Dhanteras or Dhan-Trayodashi, which marks the first day of the Diwali festival, will be observed on October 29. This means that if Diwali is celebrated on November 1, the festival would extend to six days, adding an extra day to the usual duration. This year, ‘Roop Chaturdashi’ (Udaykalin) will be observed on October 31, while the tradition of 'Deep Daan' will take place on October 30.
Many priests believe that Diwali should be celebrated on October 31, as Amavasya falls during the ‘pradosh kaal’ on that day, Dainik Bhaskar reported. According to them, Amavasya will begin at 3:55 pm and last until 6:15 pm on November 1. Since the worship of Goddess Lakshmi is traditionally performed at night on Amavasya, October 31 is considered auspicious for celebrating Diwali.
However, some scholars suggest that since the Amavasya period extends till the evening of November 1, the festival should be celebrated on that day. They propose focusing on the Pratipada that follows Amavasya instead of Chaturdashi. Pratipada refers to the first day of the lunar month that follows Amavasya.
For Dhanteras, scholars explained that the Dwadasi date (the 12th day of the lunar calendar) will remain in effect until 10:31 am. After that, the Trayodashi date (the 13th day) will begin and last until 1:15 pm on October 30.
Since Trayodashi is present during the Pradosh period on this day, October 29 is considered more favourable for the celebration of Dhanteras.