Diwali
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98 free Diwali trivia questions with answers — trivia quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
50 free Diwali trivia questions with answers. Diwali, the Festival of Lights, is one of the most widely celebrated festivals in the world. From the return of Lord Rama to Ayodhya to the worship of Goddess Lakshmi, from the five days of celebration to the rich traditions of sweets, fireworks, and rangoli — test how deep your knowledge goes across Hindu, Sikh, Jain, and global traditions.
30 of 98 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01What is Diwali commonly known as?
Festival of Lights
Diwali is known as the Festival of Lights: homes, temples and streets are lined with oil lamps on the festival's new-moon night, marking light's victory over darkness.
Q 02Which small oil lamps are traditionally lit during Diwali celebrations?
Diyas
Diyas are the small oil lamps lit in rows during Diwali, filled with ghee or mustard oil and a cotton wick; they symbolize the victory of light over darkness around homes and temples.
Q 03Which Hindu goddess of wealth and prosperity is primarily worshipped during Diwali?
Lakshmi
Goddess Lakshmi, the Hindu deity of wealth, fortune, and prosperity, is the primary deity worshipped during Diwali. Devotees clean their homes and light diyas to welcome her blessings.
Q 04How many days does the Diwali festival traditionally span?
Five days
Diwali spans five days, from the thirteenth day of a lunar dark fortnight to the second day of the following bright fortnight, with the main night of lamps on the new moon in the middle.
Q 05Which colorful floor art patterns are traditionally created during Diwali?
Rangoli
Rangoli are decorative patterns made on floors using colored powders, rice, flower petals, and sand. They are created at the entrance of homes during Diwali to welcome guests and deities.
Q 06Diwali celebrates Lord Rama's return from exile to which city, his kingdom's capital?
Ayodhya
Ayodhya, capital of the Kosala kingdom, welcomed Rama, Sita and Lakshmana home from their long forest exile; rows of lamps lit their way, the origin story behind Diwali's lights.
Q 07In which month does Diwali typically fall according to the Gregorian calendar?
October or November
The date drifts each year because it is pinned to a new moon on the Hindu lunisolar calendar, so it can land anywhere from mid-October to mid-November.
Q 08What do people traditionally wear during Diwali celebrations?
New clothes
Wearing new clothes during Diwali is a widespread tradition. It symbolizes a fresh start and prosperity. Many families shop for new outfits, often choosing traditional attire like sarees, kurtas, and lehengas.
Q 09In a Diwali legend, which game does Parvati win against Shiva?
Dice
Dice: in the legend Parvati beat Shiva at dice and declared that whoever gambles on Diwali night would prosper all year, the origin of the festival's card and dice games.
Q 10What is the first day of the five-day Diwali festival called?
Dhanteras
Dhanteras (also called Dhantrayodashi) is the first day of the Diwali festival. 'Dhan' means wealth, and this day is considered auspicious for buying gold, silver, and new utensils.
Q 11Which demon king was defeated by Lord Rama, an event celebrated during Diwali?
Ravana
Ravana, the ten-headed king of Lanka, had abducted Sita; Rama's victory over him with an army of vanaras is the climax of the Ramayana, and Rama's homecoming afterwards is what Diwali celebrates.
Q 12Which Diwali sweet comes in besan, motichoor and boondi varieties?
Ladoo
Ladoo (or laddoo) are round sweet balls and one of the most popular Diwali treats. They come in many varieties including besan ladoo, motichoor ladoo, and boondi ladoo, made with ghee, sugar, and various flours or nuts.
Q 13What does 'Deepavali' literally mean?
Row of lights
It compounds 'dipa' (lamp) and 'avali' (row or series); the 9th-century writer Rajasekhara called it Dipamalika, a garland of lamps.
Q 21Which day of Diwali is also known as 'Choti Diwali' or Small Diwali?
Naraka Chaturdashi
Naraka Chaturdashi, the fourteenth day of the dark fortnight before the Diwali new moon, is Choti Diwali; it is also called Roop Chaudas for the ritual pre-dawn oil bath taken that morning.
Q 22Which god is associated with Govardhan Puja, the fourth day of Diwali?
Lord Krishna
Govardhan Puja celebrates Lord Krishna lifting Govardhan Hill to shelter the villagers of Vrindavan from torrential rains sent by Indra; devotees build small hills of cow dung or food to represent the mountain.
Q 23What deep-fried, syrup-soaked sweet shaped like a pretzel or spiral is popular during Diwali?
Jalebi
Q 14Diwali is a national holiday in India and also in which Southeast Asian country?
Malaysia
Diwali is a national holiday in Malaysia, where it is known as Hari Deepavali. Malaysia has a significant Indian diaspora, and the festival is celebrated with open houses, oil lamp lighting, and cultural performances.
Q 15On Kali Chaudas, which deity of strength is worshipped to keep roaming spirits at bay?
Hanuman
Hanuman Puja on that night is especially common in Gujarat, and the same day is called Roop Chaudas by those who mark it with a ritual oil bath at dawn.
Q 16Which fudge-like sweet, made by cooking khoa (milk solids) with sugar, is a Diwali staple?
Barfi
Barfi (or burfi) is a dense milk-based sweet popular during Diwali. Made by cooking down milk or khoya with sugar, it comes in many flavors including kaju (cashew), pista (pistachio), and coconut.
Q 17The fifth and final day of Diwali, celebrating the bond between brothers and sisters, is called what?
Bhai Dooj
Bhai Dooj (also known as Bhai Tika or Bhau Beej) is the fifth and final day of Diwali. Sisters perform a tilak ceremony for their brothers, praying for their long life, similar to the Raksha Bandhan festival.
Q 18The small oil lamps lit in rows at Diwali are traditionally made from what material?
Clay
Traditional Diwali diyas are made from clay (terracotta). They are shaped by hand or on a potter's wheel, dried in the sun, and filled with mustard oil or ghee with a cotton wick.
Q 19For Jains, Diwali marks the spiritual awakening (moksha) of which important figure?
Mahavira
For Jains, Diwali commemorates the attainment of moksha (liberation) by Lord Mahavira, the 24th and last Tirthankara; they mark it as Mahavira Nirvana Divas with lamps and recitation of his final teachings.
Q 20Which Sikh leader's release from Gwalior Fort, alongside 52 imprisoned rajas, is commemorated on Diwali?
Guru Hargobind
Guru Hargobind, the sixth Sikh Guru, is said to have walked out of Gwalior Fort with 52 rajas each holding a tassel of his cloak; the Golden Temple is illuminated on the anniversary.
Jalebi are deep-fried batter spirals soaked in saffron-infused sugar syrup. Crispy on the outside and juicy inside, they are a beloved Diwali treat often eaten warm and are popular across South Asia.
Q 24Which 7th-century emperor's Sanskrit play Nagananda refers to Deepavali as 'Dipapratipadotsava'?
Harsha
Harsha, the 7th-century ruler of Kannauj, wrote the Sanskrit play Nagananda, which calls the festival Dipapratipadotsava and describes lamps being lit and gifts given to newly engaged couples.
Q 25Which elephant-headed Hindu god is worshipped alongside Lakshmi during Diwali Puja?
Ganesha
Lord Ganesha, the remover of obstacles, is worshipped alongside Goddess Lakshmi during Diwali Puja. Together they represent the blessings of wisdom and wealth. Ganesha is always invoked first in Hindu rituals.
Q 26What is the name of the demon killed by Lord Krishna on the day before Diwali?
Narakasura
Narakasura ruled Pragjyotishapura, in present-day Assam, and held 16,000 women captive until Krishna, riding Garuda with his wife Satyabhama, slew him and freed them on the eve of Diwali.
Q 27Where is Diwali called 'Tihar', a five-day festival with one day set aside for dogs?
Nepal
Nepal celebrates Tihar over five days; on Kukur Tihar dogs are garlanded and given tika as messengers of Yama, and the Newar community of the Kathmandu Valley calls the festival Swanti.
Q 28Dhanvantari, honoured on Dhanteras, is the god of which Indian discipline?
Ayurveda
Ayurveda: Dhanvantari is the divine physician of the gods, said to have emerged from the churning of the ocean, and Dhanteras is observed as his jayanti with prayers for health.
Q 29Which Diwali sweet is a deep-fried ball of reduced milk solids soaked in cardamom and rose-flavoured sugar syrup?
Gulab Jamun
Gulab Jamun takes its name from 'gulab' (rose water) and 'jamun', a berry the balls resemble in size; the dough is fried at a low temperature in ghee or oil.
Q 30Diwali falls on the new moon of which month in the Hindu calendar?
Kartik
Kartik: in the North Indian purnimanta reckoning Diwali falls on Kartik Amavasya, the darkest night of that lunar month, which lands in October or November of the Gregorian calendar.