Diwali Messages and Wishes for Everyone on Your List
A Diwali message means the most when it sounds like you: the diya you light at the same window every year, the grandparent who tells the Ramayana story, the friend whose family always makes room for you at the puja. Pick the section for the person you have in mind, copy a message, and swap in a detail only the two of you would know. Copy any message for free, or get AI-written drafts on Plus and Premium.
Diwali 2026 is on Sunday, November 8, 2026, the night of Lakshmi Puja. The festival runs from Dhanteras on Friday, November 6, 2026 to Bhai Dooj on Wednesday, November 11, 2026.
44 messages to copy: card notes, short texts for the day, and messages for family, a partner, friends, work, someone far away and someone who is grieving.
When is Diwali?
Diwali follows the Hindu lunisolar calendar, so its date moves every year, somewhere between mid-October and mid-November. The main night is Lakshmi Puja, on the new moon (amavasya), the darkest night of the month. The festival starts two days earlier with Dhanteras and ends two or three days later with Bhai Dooj, usually five days in all and sometimes six. In Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Goa, many families celebrate the main day of Deepavali one day earlier, on Naraka Chaturdashi.
The dates below follow the Hindu calendar for New Delhi. Local calendars, especially outside India, can put a day one day earlier, so check your temple's or your family's calendar before you plan a call or a visit.
Diwali 2026
- Dhanteras, the first day
- Friday, November 6, 2026
- Lakshmi Puja, the main night
- Sunday, November 8, 2026
- Bhai Dooj, the last day
- Wednesday, November 11, 2026
Diwali 2027
- Dhanteras, the first day
- Wednesday, October 27, 2027
- Lakshmi Puja, the main night
- Friday, October 29, 2027
- Bhai Dooj, the last day
- Sunday, October 31, 2027
- Lakshmi Puja in North America
- Thursday, October 28, 2027
By the Hindu calendar for Washington, DC, Lakshmi Puja falls on a different day than in New Delhi.
Diwali greetings people use
Any of these is right for someone who celebrates. If you know which one their family uses, use that.
- Happy Diwali. The usual greeting in English, right for anyone who celebrates.
- Shubh Deepavali. Hindi for a happy Diwali. Shubh means auspicious or good, and Deepavali is the festival's full name, from the Sanskrit for a row of lights.
- Diwali ki shubhkamnayein. Hindi for best wishes for Diwali, a very common way to say Happy Diwali. Deepavali ki shubhkamnayein and Diwali Mubarak mean the same.
- Happy Deepavali. In South India, Malaysia and Singapore the festival is usually called Deepavali, so this is the greeting there.
- Happy Bandi Chhor Divas. Sikhs celebrate Bandi Chhor Divas, the day of liberation, at the same time, remembering Guru Hargobind's release from Gwalior Fort. To a Sikh friend, it names their own celebration.
- For Jain friends. Jains mark Diwali as the day of Mahavira's nirvana, his final liberation, and the Jain new year starts the next day. Many keep it simply and quietly, so a calm Happy Diwali with a wish for the new year fits.
In Bengal and much of eastern India, the main night is Kali Puja; in Nepal the festival is called Tihar, and Newar Buddhists celebrate it too. In Gujarat, the day after Diwali is New Year's Day. And if you're not sure someone celebrates, don't guess from their name or background: not every Indian or Hindu person marks Diwali.
What to write in a Diwali card
Diwali cards go to family near and far, to friends and neighbors, and often arrive with a box of sweets. A good one has three parts:
- 1.The greeting they use. Happy Diwali suits most people; Shubh Deepavali or Diwali ki shubhkamnayein if that's what their family says.
- 2.One real detail. The rangoli at their door, the puja you joined, the story their grandmother tells every year. One true line beats a paragraph about light and darkness.
- 3.A wish for the year ahead. Good health, peace at home, a good year for their work or studies.
Close the card the way you normally would with that person, with love for family and warm wishes for everyone else. If you're visiting, hand it over before the evening puja, while people still have a minute to read it. If it's going by post to another country, send it early.
A card for the family you visit every year
Happy Diwali to all of you. Every year the rangoli at your door is a little bigger, and every year we stay later than we meant to. Thank you for always making room for us at your puja. Wishing you good health and a peaceful year ahead.
A card for your neighbors
Happy Diwali from next door. Thank you for the plate you bring over every year, still warm, and for watching the house whenever we travel. We hope your lamps burn bright tonight and the year ahead is kind to all of you.
A card for a teacher or mentor
Shubh Deepavali. Diwali is about knowledge winning over ignorance, and I can't think of that without thinking of you and the hours you spent on my questions. Thank you for your patience. Wishing you and your family a happy and peaceful festival.
A card with a box of sweets
A small box for your Diwali table, from our kitchen to yours. Mum made the besan ladoos the way her mother did, so please save one for the morning. Happy Diwali, and thank you for being such good friends to our family this year.
For your family
Diwali is a night when younger family members traditionally visit their elders, so if you can't be there, a call or a message to grandparents and older relatives matters most. For parents and in-laws, thank them for one thing they do every year: the cleaning, the cooking, the puja. Bhai Dooj, the last day, belongs to brothers and sisters, so save a sibling message for then. In an interfaith family, a message that makes room for everyone's traditions is a kind one to send.
For your parents
Ma and Papa, Happy Diwali. Every year you start cleaning a week before Dhanteras and still won't let anyone help properly. Thank you for keeping the puja, the lamps and the whole family together. I'll be home in time to light the diyas with you.
For your grandparents
Dadi and Dada, Happy Diwali. My favorite part of the festival was always sitting with you while you told the story of Rama coming home to Ayodhya, a little different every year. I'll come by after the puja for your blessings.
For your sister on Bhai Dooj
Didi, thank you for the tilak and for feeding me as if I still lived at home. Happy Bhai Dooj. Whatever else changes, I'll always find my way to your door on this day.
For your kids
Happy Diwali to my two best lamp lighters. Thank you for helping with the rangoli, even the corner that ended up mostly blue. Watching you carry the diyas so carefully to the windows is my favorite part of the night.
For your in-laws
Happy Diwali, Mummyji and Papaji. Thank you for teaching me how your family does the Lakshmi puja, and for being so patient when I got the order wrong. Celebrating with you has become one of the best parts of my year.
An interfaith family
Happy Diwali to all of you. I love that our house has diyas on the windowsill in the autumn and a tree in December, and that the kids know both stories by heart. Thank you for making every festival in this family belong to everyone.
For your partner
To a partner, skip the speech. Thank them for something only you noticed this week, like the cleaning before Dhanteras or the hours in the kitchen. If one of you is new to Diwali, say what it means to share it. If you're with different families this year, tell them you miss them without making it heavy.
A note before the guests arrive
Happy Diwali, love. You've been on your feet since morning between the cleaning, the cooking and your mother's phone calls. Before the doorbell starts, I want you to know I see all of it, and I'm glad I get to light the lamps with you.
Your first Diwali together
Our first Diwali in our own home: two mismatched diyas, one borrowed puja plate, and you. It isn't much yet, but I already love the version of this festival we're making together. Happy Diwali.
A partner who is new to Diwali
Thank you for learning all of it for me: the names of the five days, when to fold your hands, which relatives to greet first. You don't have to get any of it perfect. Having you beside me tonight is what matters. Happy Diwali.
Spending the festival with different families
We're each at our own parents' house tonight, and it's the right call, but I'll think of you when the lamps are lit. Save me some of your mother's kaju katli. Happy Diwali, and see you this weekend.
For friends
For most friends, a text on the main night is plenty; a card suits a friend whose family has welcomed you in. If you joined a friend's family for the puja or a meal, thank them the next day and name something specific. For a Sikh friend, Happy Bandi Chhor Divas names their celebration, and for a Jain friend a calm message suits a day many Jains keep quietly. If you don't celebrate and your friend does, a short Happy Diwali on the day is always welcome.
For a close friend
Happy Diwali to the friend who has known me since school and still calls my mother every Diwali before I've even woken up. Thank you for another year of being on my side.
A thank-you after their family's Diwali
Thank you for having me at your family's Diwali last night. Your mother explained every step of the puja without once making me feel like an outsider, and I'm still thinking about her dal. Please thank everyone for me. Happy Diwali.
A friend who celebrates when you don't
I know tonight is the big night at your house. Happy Diwali to you and everyone there. I hope the puja goes smoothly and someone saves you a quiet minute to enjoy it.
For a Sikh friend
Happy Bandi Chhor Divas to you and your family. I hope you make it to the gurdwara to see the lights this evening, and get a long dinner with everyone after.
For a Jain friend
Wishing you a peaceful Diwali, and a good start to the new year tomorrow. I know your family keeps the day quietly, remembering Mahavira, so this is a quiet message too. Thinking of you all.
A friend you've lost touch with
Diwali always reminds me of the year we strung lights on your balcony and half of them didn't work. I know it's been a while. Happy Diwali, and I'd love to catch up properly soon.
For coworkers and clients
At work, keep it short and send it before the main days, since many colleagues take leave. Lakshmi Puja is a public holiday in India and in several other countries, including Nepal, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, Mauritius, Fiji, Guyana, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago, so offices there may be closed. Don't assume a colleague celebrates because of their name or where their family is from. A note to the whole team that wishes those celebrating a good festival fits everyone, and for clients a wish for a healthy year ahead is enough.
For your team
Happy Diwali to everyone celebrating this week. Please take the time you need with your families; we've moved Thursday's review, so nothing here needs you. And thank you to everyone covering while half the team is away.
For a coworker
Happy Diwali. Thank you for the box of sweets in the break room, and for telling me which ones your mum made. Enjoy the time off with your family.
For your manager
Happy Diwali. Thank you for approving my leave so early and for making it easy to be with my family this week. I'll be back on Monday. Wishing you a restful week.
For a client
Happy Diwali from all of us. Thank you for your trust this year and for being so good to work with. We wish you and your family a bright festival and a healthy, prosperous year ahead.
For a team in India
Wishing everyone in the Pune office a Happy Diwali. We know you'll be out for the main days, so there's no rush on anything from us. Enjoy the time with your families, and we'll pick things up after Bhai Dooj.
For someone far away
For family in another country, a call often means more than a card, so plan it around their evening, when the lamps are lit, even if that's your early morning. Tell them how you marked the day where you are, even if it was one diya on a windowsill. For a student or a friend spending their first Diwali away from home, an invitation or a small box in the post helps. For more ways to say it, see miss you messages.
For parents back home
Happy Diwali, Ma. It's a working day here, so I'll call you before your puja, which means very early my time, and light my diya after work. Tell Papa to keep the phone on speaker. I miss the house most on this night.
A student away from home
Happy Diwali, beta. There's a box on its way with a few diyas, your favorite namkeen and the small Lakshmi from the cupboard, so you can do a little puja in your room. It won't be the same, but we'll be on video at seven your time.
An older relative you can't visit
Dear Nani, Happy Diwali. I'm sorry I can't come and touch your feet this year, so this card will have to stand in for me. I lit a diya by the window the way you showed me. I'll call after the puja.
Your brother on Bhai Dooj, from far away
Bhaiya, no tilak from me this year, so this message will have to do. Your gift is in the post, and I want a photo when it arrives. Happy Bhai Dooj from the other side of the world.
A friend spending Diwali alone
Your first Diwali away from home can feel strange. If you'd like company, come over tomorrow evening; we're doing a small puja and dinner after. If you'd rather stay in, call me and I'll show you our lamps.
For someone who is grieving
In many Hindu families, the immediate family of someone who has died is in mourning for a year, and some traditions limit festivals during that time, so a family in mourning may not celebrate Diwali at all. Don't send them a cheerful greeting. Tell them you're thinking of them, use the name of the person who died if you knew them, and offer something practical, like a meal or a visit. Someone grieving who does celebrate may find the lamps and the gatherings hard this year, so a quiet word helps more than a festive one.
For more words for a loss, see condolence messages and thinking of you messages.
The first Diwali after a death
Thinking of you this Diwali. I know the house will be quiet this year, and that your family may not be celebrating at all. I'm holding your father in my thoughts, and you too. You don't have to write back.
A family in their year of mourning
I know your family isn't marking Diwali this year, so no greetings from me, only this: I'm thinking of all of you, and of Uncle. If a meal this week would help, or someone to sit with Auntie, just tell me.
Someone grieving who still celebrates
Wishing you a gentle Diwali. I know lighting the lamps without your mother will be hard this year, and that you may light one for her. I'll be thinking of you both tonight.
After a hard year
This year has been heavy for you, and festivals can make that harder, not easier. You don't need to be cheerful with me. I'm thinking of you, and I'm around all week if you'd like company or a walk.
Short texts for Diwali
For the family group chat, a quick text before the puja, or anyone you'd like to reach without a long message. Each one works as it is.
The simplest one
Happy Diwali to you and your family.
With a Hindi greeting
Diwali ki shubhkamnayein. Thinking of all of you tonight.
Before the puja
Happy Diwali. Lighting the lamps now and thinking of you.
For the family group chat
Happy Diwali, everyone. Post your rangoli photos here so Nani can see them all.
For a South Indian friend
Happy Deepavali. Hope the oil bath was early and the rest of the day is long and slow with your family.
For a Gujarati friend
Happy Diwali, and a happy new year tomorrow. Wishing your whole family a good year ahead.
For an aunt
Shubh Deepavali, Chachi. Light one diya for me, and I'll call you tomorrow.
On Bhai Dooj
Happy Bhai Dooj. Thank you for being on my side, near or far.
For a neighbor
Happy Diwali from next door. Your lamps look beautiful from our window.
A few days late
Sorry this is late. Happy Diwali, and I hope the whole week was a good one.
More for the year: Holi messages for the spring festival of colors, holiday card messages for December, and every date from now to New Year in the holiday calendar.
The five days of Diwali
Diwali usually runs five days, six in some years, though some people mark only the main night, and the names, stories and customs change from region to region.
- 1.Dhanteras. Homes are cleaned and decorated, the first diyas are lit, and it is a traditional day to buy something new, such as utensils or gold. Some families also honor Dhanvantari, the god of health and healing.
- 2.Naraka Chaturdashi, or Chhoti Diwali. It remembers Krishna's victory over the demon Narakasura. Many families take an oil bath before sunrise, and in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Goa this is the main day of Deepavali.
- 3.Lakshmi Puja. The main night, on the new moon. At dusk families pray to Lakshmi, goddess of prosperity, and to Ganesha, then light rows of lamps and share a meal. In Bengal and eastern India the night is Kali Puja.
- 4.Govardhan Puja, Annakut or Padwa. It remembers Krishna lifting Govardhan hill to shelter villagers from the rain, often with a great offering of food. In some communities it honors husbands and wives, and in Gujarat it is New Year's Day.
- 5.Bhai Dooj. A day for brothers and sisters: sisters pray for their brothers, mark a tilak on their foreheads and feed them, and brothers bring gifts. It is also called Bhau Beej and Bhai Phonta, and in Nepal, Bhai Tika.
In Nepal the whole festival is called Tihar. Jains mark Mahavira's nirvana on Diwali, and Sikhs celebrate Bandi Chhor Divas.