Preparing to light up: Hindus around the world get ready to celebrate Diwali

An Indian worker lines up firecrackers for the upcoming Diwali festival at a workshop in Champahati, near Kolkata.

Diwali, or Deepavali, is the Hindu festival of light and is an official holiday in Fiji, Guyana, India, Malaysia, Mauritius, Myanmar, Nepal, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and Sindh Province in Pakistan.

One of the most popular Hindu festivals, it signifies the victory of light over darkness, good over evil, knowledge over ignorance, and hope over despair. The festival will see millions of lights shining on housetops and around temples.