Diwali is celebrated in almost all the regions of India. It has become synonymous with the culture and celebrations of India. People in different parts of the world celebrate Diwali with zeal and enthusiasm. They consider the festival as the one that signifies the victory of good over the evil. It is believed that the evil spirits are destroyed into ashes by the fireworks. On the occasion, there are jubilations and feasts all around. The ancient festival of Diwali has been celebrated for ages in India and annual celebrations are still held each year all over the country with great flourish, enthusiasm and gaiety. Traditionally believed to be a Hindu festival of wealth and prosperity, it is amazing to see how Diwali has become an occasion for all Indians irrespective of their status and castes. Celebrated with great excitement and grandeur, Diwali or is one of the prime Hindu festivals that unite the whole of India.

North India: According to the great Hindu epic 'Ramayana', Diwali is believed to be the time when Lord Rama defeated and killed the evil King Ravana and after passing a period of of fourteen years in exile returned to his capital Ayodhya on a new moon day of the Kartik season with wife Sita and brother Lakshman. This homecoming of Lord Rama was celebrated with lights, fireworks, bursting of crackers and merriment. The tradition continues to this day in the northern states of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Bihar and the surrounding areas where huge effigies of Ravana are burned symbolizing Lord Rama's vanquishing of the demon king. The Diwali night, in these areas, is a night of fireworks with sparklers and crackers of all types burnt throughout the night. The idols of Goddess Lakshmi, the symbol of wealth and prosperity and Lord Ganesha, the elephant-headed god, the symbol of auspiciousness and wisdom, are worshipped in most Hindu homes on this day. Most of the temples dedicated to the worship of Lord Rama or Krishna celebrate Diwali with great piety and eagerness.

Western India: In the western states of India, Diwali is a four-day festival, the preparations for which begin at least 15 days in advance. The markets liven up almost a whole month in advance for Diwali shoppers and the shopping frenzy peaks with the advancement of the occasion. On the night preceding Diwali, Guajaratis start celebrations by creating designs depicting images associated to the festival like deities, sun and flowers from natural powder colors in verandas. Images of small footprints are also drawn over individual doorsteps which are supposed to be a way of inviting Goddess Lakshmi to the house.

In Gujarat, this is the New Year day when people visit each other to wish a new beginning. Bhai Dooj is the last day of the festival that signifies sibling bonding and the celebrations during this day is quite akin to Rakhi, another great Indian festival standing for the brother-sister relationship. Unlike Raksha Bandhan however, which is a day dedicated to brothers, Bhai Dooj is dedicated to sisters.

Southern India: In Southern India, Diwali is celebrated in the Tamil month of aipasi (thula month) 'naraka chaturdasi' thithi, preceding amavasai. Naraka chaturdashi is the main day of the Diwali celebrations in this area. The preparations begin the day before, when the oven is cleaned, smeared with lime, religious symbols drawn on it and then filled with water for the next day's oil bath. Individual homes are washed and decorated with rangoli designs. Firecrackers and new apparels are kept on a plate to be used on the following day. On the morning of Naraka chaturdashi, the actual celebrations begin with an early morning oil bath before sunrise and new clothes worn.

A unique Diwali custom in Tamil Nadu is the once-in-a-lifetime event, Thalai Deepavali, when newlyweds spend their first diwali after marriage in the bride's parental home. The newly married couple, after taking blessings from the elders, burst the first crackers of the day and thereafter pays a visit to the temple, get gifts of clothes and jewellery, savor the sweets reserved for them and receive blessings of elders for a happy married life. On this joyful occasion, the groom's parents and relatives also come down to join in the celebrations.

In Maharashtra, Diwali is celebrated over a span of four days. The first day, Vasubaras, is celebrated by performing an Aarti (prayer with songs) of the cow and its calf- which represents the love between a mother and her baby. The next day is Dhanatrayodashi or Dhanteras, a special day for tradesmen and business people for new account books are opened by them after a worship of Lord Ganesh and Goddess Lakshmi. On the third day, Narakchaturdashi, people get up before sunrise and take a bath after rubbing scented oil on their body. After this, the entire family visits a temple and offers prayers to their God. Following this, everyone feasts on Faral, a special Diwali preparation consisting of delicious sweets such as "karanji" and "laddoo" as well as some spicy eatables like "chakli" and "sev". The fourth day is Lakshmi poojan day, a new moon day, the dark night of which is illuminated by lamps and fireworks. In every household, an idol of Goddess Lakshmi and items of wealth like currency and jewellery are worshipped. Friends, neighbours and relatives are invited over and celebrations are in full swing.

In the rural regions of India, the Diwali celebrations, apart from its other significances, also stand in for harvest celebrations. In villages across the country, Diwali is the time that farmers celebrate with joy and offer praises to God for granting them a good crop. In the morning, variously colored Rangoli designs denoting shapes as the footsteps of Goddess Lakshmi are drawn at individual doorsteps and also all over the houses to usher in wealth, fortune and prosperity. Idols of Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Ganesha are worshipped in most Hindu homes on this day. At dusk, the real jubilations begin. Tiny earthen lamps and candles are arranged all over individual huts in rows and create a beautiful sight to behold. People wear new apparels, burst firecrackers and light sparklers, visit the places of their relatives and friends to wish them on the occasion of Diwali and exchange gifts. All this illumination and fireworks, joy and festivity, symbolize the triumph of divine forces over those of wickedness, or rather - of good over evil.