Diwali 2020: How the festival of lights was celebrated around the world – in pictures

From Dubai to New Delhi, millions celebrated Diwali on Saturday

Children celebrating Diwali festival in Dubai. Diwali is the Indian festival of lights. Pawan Singh / The National

Left to Right - Rajni Ghosh, Amit Ghosh, Oshin Kanwar, Romi Kanwar and Ashish Kanwar perform Diwali prayers at Al Furjan in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National

Baljeet Singh, his wife Rajwinder Kaur and their children light the lamps for Diwali at his home in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National

People light firecrackers during Diwali in Chennai. AFP

A general view shows the Kathmandu valley on the eve of Laxmi Puja during a Tihar, which is the local name for Diwali. AFP

People watch as firecrackers burn during Diwali in New Delhi, India. Reuters

Students from the government girls hostel prepare to burn a Covid-19 coronavirus model during Diwali. AFP

Priest Pandit Nayan Vyas prepares to perform a live stream Diwali Puja service from the Hindu Temple in Newcastle, Britain. Reuters

Fireworks are set off on the high street in East Ham, London. Getty Images

Priest Pandit Bal Krishan Gautama performs a live stream Diwali Puja service from the Hindu Temple in Newcastle, Britain. Reuters

Indian people light fireworks on the occasion of the Diwali festival in Jammu, India. EPA

People in India light fireworks on the occasion of the Diwali festival. EPA

Pakistani Hindu children play with fire crackers during Diwali festival celebrations in Hyderabad, Pakistan. EPA

A Hindu family hold clay lamps during a ceremony to celebrate Diwali, the festival of lights, at Swami Narayan temple in Karachi, Pakistan. AP Photo

Hindu devotees take part in rituals on the occasion of Diwali, the Hindu festival of Lights, at Vejalpur village, on the outskirts of Ahmedabad. AFP

Sikh devotees light candles on the occasion of Bandi Chhor Divas, a Sikh festival coinciding with Diwali, the Hindu festival of Light, at the Golden Temple in Amritsar. AFP

A Sri Lankan Hindu devotee prays during the Diwali Hindu festival amid the coronavirus pandemic at a Hindu temple in Colombo, Sri Lanka. EPA

A Hindu devotee offers prayers during Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, at a temple in Colombo. AFP

Pedestrians cross a traffic junction under Deepavali decorations in the Little India cultural district of Singapore. EPA

Around the world, millions of families celebrated Diwali on Saturday, November 14.

Homes were lit up and special prayers were said for the Indian festival of lights, which symbolises the victory of good against evil.

Diwali (or Deepavali) is a Hindu celebration that marks the return of Rama (a demigod and protagonist of the epic Ramayana) to his kingdom of Ayodhya, after he defeated the demon king Ravana. The city was lit up with diyas (lamps) to welcome its ruler, a tradition that continues to this day with households lit up to celebrate the five-day festival.

In the lead up to Diwali, homes are thoroughly cleaned (akin to spring cleaning) and decorated with lamps, fairy lights and rangoli drawings etched out in colourful powders on the threshold, in a bid to entice Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity.

Fireworks and sweetmeats are other markers of the celebration.

While Diwali celebrations were not quite as grand for a lot of people in 2020 because of the pandemic, many still gathered with friends and family to mark the festival.

Scroll through our gallery above to see how people around the world celebrated marked Diwali