There is no much difference between them. Diwali is sometimes known as Divali, Deepavali or Deepawali.
Yes it is their new year.
Diwali falls in October/ November. This year on 13/11/2012.
They don't have to they just choose to be with their family. Think of it as Hindu Christmas/New Year sort of thing, meaning you can be with your family if you want but it's your choise.
If you can say Christmas is Christian Diwali then it is perfectly fine to say that Diwali is Hindu Christmas :)
There are 2 new years depending on the calender which is being followed. In vikram samvat calender, we are in the yr 2066, starting in the CHaitra month, since Friday (27th march in the English calender). the other common new year is the day after Diwali.
There are many festivities that Indians celebrate like Diwali or Festival of Lights, Basant Panchami, Bikrami Samvat (Hindu New Year), Ganesh Chaturathi and others.
In Hindu Festival,Diwali is celebrated as the Rama arrival in ayodhya after 14 years exile.Diwali on1969 year was celebrated on 6th november.
My diwali ans new year was great and full of celebration.
Diwali.
The Hindu festival of lights is referred to as and celebrated as DIWALI. The story behind it is the welcoming of Lord Rama to his palace, after 14 years of expulsion from his palace.
Diwali falls on the new moon night (Amavasya) between mid-October and mid-November. Diwali is celebrated for five days according to the lunisolar. It begins in late Ashvin (between September and October) and ends in early Kartika (between October and November). Diwali was on 24 October 1984 according to Deepavali.net
hindus hear the crackers on diwali
Goddess Lakshmi is Worshipped on Diwali.