World in Photos: More than 1 billion people, bathed in the light of Diwali

It’s a holiday celebrated by more than a billion people each year — Hindus primarily, but Buddhists, Sikhs and Jains as well — and it’s commemorated in many ways: the consumption of sweets, and time spent with family and friends, but above all it’s a celebration bathed in light. The official name, translated from Sanskrit into English, is “the Festival of Lights.”

As Grid’s Suzette Lohmeyer noted Monday, Diwali is above all else devoted to “celebrating light over darkness — literally and metaphorically.” Metaphorically — as in the triumph of “good over evil, love over hate — the same themes you see across many religions,” said Vasudha Narayanan, distinguished professor of religion at the University of Florida and director of the Center for the Study of Hindu Traditions. Lohmeyer’s piece looked at the history and origins of Diwali; in this World in Photos, we come back to the present moment, and some spectacular photos from India and other nations where people have been gathering to celebrate.

As the photos show, the “lights” of Diwali can take many forms. Here you’ll see a spectacular show of light in Ayodhya; the illuminated Golden Temple in Amritsar; and the brilliant orange of marigolds being gathered to make garlands in Delhi — a different, more natural kind of “light.”

These photos also take us around the world — to temples in Yangon, Myanmar, and Indonesia; to a fireworks show over Dubai, United Arab Emirates; to the fully lit Sydney Opera House in Australia, the Batu Caves in Malaysia and even to the East Room of the White House, where Jill Biden welcomed a group of dancers honoring the holiday.

To all who celebrate, wherever you are, may your Diwali bring light in abundance.

Devotees light candles while paying respect at the illuminated Golden Temple on the occasion of the Bandi Chhor Divas, a Sikh festival coinciding with Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, in Amritsar, India, on Monday. (NARINDER NANU/AFP via Getty Images)

Indian Sikh devotees light candles at sunset during the Diwali Festival at the illuminated Gurudwara Bangla Sahib Temple in New Delhi on Monday. (Anadolu Agency/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Local family members prepare marigold garlands before the Diwali Festival at the Ghazipur Wholesale Flower Market in Delhi, India, on Monday. (SOPA Images/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Gett)

A Hindu priest perform rituals at a temple on the eve of Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, in Srinagar, India, on Monday. (SOPA Images/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Gett)

Devotees arrive to attend the prayers at a temple during the Diwali celebrations in Srinagar on Monday. (Anadolu Agency/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

A woman sells rose flowers on the day of the Diwali Festival at the Ghazipur Wholesale Flower Market in Delhi on Monday. (SOPA Images/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Gett)

Residents light firecrackers for Diwali in Prayagraj, India, on Monday. (Anadolu Agency/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Ram Ki Paidi is illuminated with earthen lamps during Deepotsav celebrations, on Sunday in Ayodhya, India. (Hindustan Times/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)

People set off fireworks for Diwali in Ghaziabad, India, on Monday. (SOPA Images/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Gett)

A girl offers prayers during the Hindu festival of Diwali at a temple in Yangon, Myanmar, on Monday. (-/AFP via Getty Images)

A devotee offers food to a cow during the Tihar Festival, also known as Diwali, in Kathmandu, Nepal, on Tuesday. (SOPA Images/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Gett)

Indonesian Hindu-Tamil devotees offer prayers during Diwali at Sri Mariamman Temple in Medan, Indonesia, on Tuesday. (Ivan Damanik/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Fireworks light the sky above Dubai Festival City to celebrate Diwali in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on Sunday. (GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images)

Hindus arriving from Malaysia and neighboring countries gather at the Batu Caves to perform a morning prayer ceremony and celebrate the first day of Diwali in Selangor, Malaysia, on Monday. (Anadolu Agency/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

First lady Jill Biden and her daughter Ashley Biden stand next to the Sa Dance Company during a reception to celebrate Diwali in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Monday. (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

The Sydney Opera House sails are illuminated Monday in Sydney. (d/WireImage)