Nepalis celebrate Diwali to welcome prosperity and wealth

Nepalis across the country, including those in the capital Kathmandu, celebrated Diwali to welcome the goddess Lakshmi into their homes.

Families cleaned and painted their houses with cow dung and red soil to prepare for the festival. People lit clay lamps and candles along village and city steps to make the streets glitter. During the Lakshmi Puja, people placed jewelry, money, and food like selroti in worship rooms to honor the goddess and Kuber.

Women in these households performed a midnight ritual of clapping sieves to drive away Alakshmi and invite prosperity. Young women also gathered to play Bhailo, a traditional dance. These customs follow the religious belief that Lakshmi will only stay in a clean home and will leave if she is disturbed after the puja.