Light It Up (Traditions & Rituals)
Made of clay or brass and lit with a cotton wick, these small open lamps are placed along windowsills and doorways to welcome good fortune. What are they called?
A) Diyas (or Deep / Diyo)
B) Kalash
C) Torans
D) Matkas
A) Diyas (or Deep / Diyo)
On Dhanteras, the 1st day of Diwali, families traditionally shop for gold and silver jewelry to bring good luck, along with what practical household items?
A) Woven silk rugs
B) Kitchen utensils
C) Wooden furniture
D) Clay water filters
B) Kitchen utensils (pots, pans, and metalware)
Although Diwali is celebrated across almost the entire country, which Indian state is the one notable exception where Diwali is not a major historical festival?
A) Gujarat
B) Kerala
C) Odisha
D) Assam
B) Kerala
In the iconic 2001 blockbuster Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (K3G), Shah Rukh Khan’s character Rahul makes his grand entrance by helicopter on Diwali day. Just moments before he walks through the door, what specific action is his mother Nandini doing when she telepathically senses his presence and turns around?
A) Drawing a rangoli at the front threshold
B) Arranging a brass prayer tray before the family temple
C) Tying a marigold garland on the balcony
D) Lighting the first clay diya in the courtyard
Aranging a brass puja thali (prayer tray) before the family temple
In Season 3, Episode 6 ("Diwali") of The Office, the Scranton branch attends Kelly Kapoor’s community Diwali celebration. Which of the following things DOES NOT happen in that episode?
A) Michael mistakes samosas for s'mores and spits one out | B) Carol shows up in a real estate cheerleader costume | C) Dwight gets into a karate fight with Kelly's cousins | D) Angela refuses to eat the vegetarian food and only eats plain naan
C) Dwight gets into a karate fight with Kelly's cousins
Not surprisingly, this name for the 4th day of Diwali—celebrated with massive community feasts offered to the gods—literally translates to "Mountain of Food.
A) Dhanteras
B) Naraka Chaturdashi
C) Annakut
D) Bhai Dooj
C) Annakut
On the morning of the 2nd day of Diwali in Southern India, families wake up before sunrise to take a ritual purification bath using fragrant sandalwood paste and what key ingredient—symbolizing washing away ego and evil?
A) Rosewater
B) Warm Sesame oil
C) Sacred River Mud
D) Coconut Milk
B) Warm Sesame oil
When drawing Rangoli or Kolam designs outside the front door on Diwali, people often paint small pairs of these body parts pointing into the house—even though you’d normally only see them after someone has already walked inside
A) Open Palms
B) Eyes
C) Feet / Footprints (of Goddess Lakshmi)
D) Folded Hands
C) Feet / Footprints (of Goddess Lakshmi)
Diwali 2007 witnessed one of Bollywood’s biggest box-office clashes: Shah Rukh Khan’s Om Shanti Om went head-to-head against Saawariya, which launched the careers of which two star kids?
A ) Ranbir Kapoor & Sonam Kapoor
B) Alia Bhatt & Varun Dhawan
C) Hrithik Roshan & Kareena Kapoor
D) Tiger Shroff & Shraddha Kapoor
Ranbir Kapoor & Sonam Kapoor
In 2023, which major global metropolis passed legislation officially making Diwali a public school holiday for its 1.1 million students?
A) London | B) Toronto | C) New York City | D) Bangalore
New York City
In Tamil Nadu and parts of South India, "Thalai Deepavali" is a special, once-in-a-lifetime Diwali celebration where this specific group of people is pampered with gifts, new clothes, and feasts by their extended families.
A) High school graduates
B) Newlyweds on their first Diwali
C) Grandparents turning 75
D) First-born babies
B) Newlyweds on their first Diwali
On the 3rd day during Lakshmi Puja, idols are bathed in Panchamrit—a sacred mixture made of five specific foods. Which of these is the correct combination of all five?
A) Milk, Yogurt, Ghee, Honey, and Sugar
B) Water, Saffron, Cardamom, Almonds, and Rosewater
C) Coconut water, Turmeric, Rice, Jaggery, and Lime
D) Milk, Mango pulp, Ginger, Cloves, and Salt
A) Milk, Yogurt, Ghee, Honey, and Sugar
For followers of Jainism, Diwali marks the anniversary of when their 24th spiritual leader, Lord Mahavira, achieved this ultimate spiritual state (Sanksrit word is Moksha) at the age of 42 in 527 BCE. Hint: it is the name of a popular rock band from the 90s)
Nirvana
No 2020s Diwali dance floor is complete without the viral 2024 hit "Tauba Tauba." Which Bollywood actor broke the internet with his effortlessly smooth, one-legged sliding choreography in the music video?
A) Vicky Kaushal
B) Ranveer Singh
C) Kartik Aaryan
D) Shahid Kapoor
A) Vicky Kaushal
Which British rock band filmed a famously colorful music video during Indian festival season in Mumbai—featuring a cameo by Beyoncé as a Bollywood screen queen and Sonam Kapoor running through historic forts?
A) Oasis | B) Coldplay | C) Muse | D) Florence + The Machine
Coldplay
Because the Hindu calendar is lunisolar, the main night of Diwali (Amavasya) always falls under which phase of the moon?
A) Full Moon
B) Waxing Gibbous
C) New Moon
D) Waning Crescent
C) New Moon
The 4th day (Govardhan Puja) honors the day Lord Krishna sheltered his village under a mountain for seven days to protect them from catastrophic storms sent by which jealous Vedic god of rain and thunder?
A) Agni
B) Surya
C) Indra
D) Varuna
Indra
In parts of Western and Southern India, the 4th day of Diwali (Bali Pratipada) honors the benevolent demon king Mahabali. After Lord Vishnu (disguised as a dwarf Brahmin named Vamana) asked Mahabali for "three paces of land" and covered the entire sky and earth in just two giant steps, what did Mahabali offer as the spot for Vishnu’s third step?
A) His kingdom
B) His head
C) The peak of the Himalayas
D)His daughters and wives
B) His head
For over 30 years, the Diwali weekend has been Bollywood’s most superstitious box-office slot. Which superstar holds the all-time record for the most Diwali theatrical releases (over 12 films, including DDLJ, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Veer-Zaara, and Don), earning him the unofficial title "The King of Diwali"?
A) Salman Khan
B) Aamir Khan
C) Shah Rukh Khan
D) Amitabh Bachchan
C) Shah Rukh Khan
Outside of Asia, which English-speaking country is the only nation in mainland South America where Diwali is an official, nationwide public holiday—celebrated with a massive illuminated motorcade along the Atlantic seawall?
A) Belize | B) Suriname | C) Guyana | D) French Guiana
Guyana
Aside from clarified butter (ghee), what pungent, golden oil is most traditionally burned in clay Diwali lamps across India?
A) Mustard Oil
B) Mango Oil
C) Coconut Oil
D) Neem Oil
A) Mustard Oil (or Sesame/Til Oil)
The 5th and final day of Diwali, Bhai Dooj (also known as Yamadwitheya), celebrates the bond between brothers and sisters—originating from the myth where which Hindu god of death visited his sister Yamuna for dinner and granted her a boon?
A) Yama
B) Shani
C) Kama
D) Kubera
A) Yama
Playing high-stakes card games on Diwali night is a huge tradition in North India, traced back to a mythological game of dice played between which two deities—a scene famously carved into the ancient rock-cut Ellora Caves?
A) Vishnu & Lakshmi
B) Shiva & Parvati
C) Rama & Sita
D) Brahma & Saraswati
B) Shiva & Parvati
In 2024, Indian billionaire Nita Ambani made global fashion headlines at a massive celebratory gathering by wearing an emerald-and-diamond necklace estimated to be worth over ₹400–500 crore ($60 million USD). However, which royal Indian Maharaja originally commissioned Cartier in 1928 to create the most famous ceremonial diamond necklace in history—which mysteriously vanished from India before reappearing at the 2022 Met Gala on Emma Chamberlain?
A) The Maharaja of Patiala | B) The Nizam of Hyderabad | C) The Maharaja of Jaipur | D) The Maharaja of Baroda
Answer: A) The Maharaja of Patiala
While North and West India worship gentle Goddess Lakshmi on Diwali night, which Eastern Indian state celebrates that exact same dark night (Dipannita Amavasya) by worshipping the fierce, sword-wielding Goddess Kali?
A) West Bengal | B) Himachal Pradesh | C) Gujarat | D) Rajasthan
West Bengal