Diwali, also known as Deepavali is an important Hindu festival that is mainly celebrated by Hindus. Also known as the ‘festival of lights’, Diwali is calculated by the Hindu lunar calendar. And while we bet many of you celebrate this auspicious festival, we bet you do not know a few interesting facts about it. Here are a few facts about Diwali we bet you do not know...

Diwali also happens to be a shopping festival in the places where it is celebrated. There are special discounts and offers that businesses provide to their customers. Buying new things during this festival is considered to be good too. Don’t the words ‘Diwali sale’ ring a bell?

While most people consider Diwali to only be a Hindu festival, you will be surprised to know that a few Sikhs too celebrate Diwali as it marks the release of their guruji – Guru Hargobind Sahibji – and 52 other kings and princess of India that were made captives by the Mogul emperor, Shah Jahan.

The total cost of the firecrackers exploded in Diwali is estimated to be around one billion dollars. This is a significant amount of money, which could be used for other purposes like providing education and better health care facilities to those individuals who need them.

The fireworks in Diwali cause several health hazards such as respiratory issues, heart attacks and high blood pressure, among many other issues. Moreover, fireworks during Diwali also cause safety hazards to the children handling them. Hence nowadays, environmentally friendly ways are being adopted to celebrate the festival and step one happens to be the elimination of firecrackers altogether.