Today marks Diwali, one of the most important Hindu holidays.

Today marks Diwali. There are more than 900 million Hindus in the world and dozens of Hindu holidays, but Diwali is one of the few celebrated by most, if not all followers across the globe as the "Festival of Lights," where the lights or lamps signify victory of good over the evil within every human being. Diwali is celebrated on the first day of the lunar Kartika month, which comes in the month of October or November

On the day of Diwali, many wear new clothes and share sweets and snacks. Some Indian business communities start their financial year on Diwali and new account books are opened on this day. In the US, Most have origins in India, but many also come from Nepal, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago and other nations. As the ''festival of lights,'' Diwali is a time of celebration, song, dance and prayer for wealth, health and peace in the future.

''We celebrate the past and get ready for the new year coming,'' says Suresh Sheth, who runs an Indian grocery store in Miami. Like many Hindus, he'll wake early, take a ritual bath, put on his best clothing, pray and head to open the shop, which he launched in 1985, seven years after arriving in the United States from Mumbai. ''It's a festival of lights and also of inner light and purity,'' Sheth says. ``We have to cleanse our bodies, our souls.''