The Festival of Lights
Diwali is one of the world's great celebrations, marking light over darkness, and this word search gathers its joy. You'll track down the glowing lights — the little clay DIYA and OIL LAMP, the LANTERN and CANDLE — and the colourful RANGOLI patterns that decorate every doorstep.
Each puzzle pulls a fresh selection from the list, so the festival changes every time you play — gentle on Easy, and a Hard-mode challenge once the diagonals and backwards words appear.
Colour, sweets and celebration
Diwali is a feast for the senses, and the traditions are here. Offer a PRAYER to the GODDESS LAKSHMI, share boxes of SWEETS and MITHAI, decorate with a MARIGOLD GARLAND, dress in a beautiful SARI, and paint hands with HENNA. There are CRACKERS lighting up the sky, the FESTIVE SPARKLE everywhere, and FAMILY gathered together across INDIA and the wider HINDU world.
Light over darkness
The name Diwali comes from a word meaning 'a row of lights', which is why rows of little clay DIYA lamps glow on doorsteps and windowsills throughout the festival. Celebrated mainly by HINDUs — as well as Sikhs and Jains — it carries a powerful message that runs through all its stories: the triumph of light over darkness and good over evil.
In many parts of INDIA, the lamps recall the ancient tale of Prince Rama returning home from exile, his path lit by villagers' lamps. Others welcome LAKSHMI, the goddess of wealth and good fortune, into a clean and brightly lit home. Diwali usually lasts about five days in October or November, and is now celebrated by communities all over the world.
Great for a world-religions topic
It pairs perfectly with a lesson on festivals and religions around the world — Easy mode keeps the grid small with no diagonals or reverse words. Play online, print a PDF pack, or use our Make Your Own tool to build a grid from your own Diwali words.