The festival guide

Saraswati, the goddess of learning, speech, music and the arts. Students, musicians and artisans place their books, instruments and tools before her, and many children are given their first letters on this day.

Surya, at the turn of the sun's northward journey — one of the few festivals fixed to the solar calendar rather than a lunar tithi. Where it is a harvest festival, the first grain and the cattle that raised it are honoured alongside.

Shiva — worshipped through the night rather than by day. The Shiva linga is bathed continuously, and the vigil itself is the offering.

Two observances, one festival. The night before is Holika Dahan — a fire honouring Agni and recalling Prahlada's rescue by Narasimha. The next day belongs to Krishna and Radha, and the colour play is their lila.

Rama's birth, at midday rather than midnight. Many households worship the whole Ram Darbar — Rama with Sita, Lakshmana and Hanuman — rather than Rama alone.

Hanuman — and, inseparably, Rama. A Hanuman puja that leaves Rama out misses the point of the deity being worshipped; his strength is devotional, not self-standing.

The teacher — beginning with Vyasa, who is honoured as the first guru of the tradition, and extending to one's own living teacher. This is one of the few observances with no deity image at its centre.

Krishna's birth at midnight — worshipped as the infant. The image bathed and cradled is the baby Krishna, which is why the offerings are milk, butter and sweets rather than a formal havan.

Ganesha, invited home as a guest rather than merely worshipped at a distance. The murti is installed with pranapratishtha, hosted for one and a half to eleven days, then given a formal farewell.

The Goddess across nine nights, worshipped in a different form each night — Shailaputri through Siddhidatri. Many traditions read the nine as three sets of three: Durga for strength, Lakshmi for abundance, Saraswati for knowledge.

Two victories on one day, and which one you keep depends on where you are. The north marks Rama's victory over Ravana; the east marks Durga's over Mahishasura. Both are the same idea: the tenth day is when the fight ends.

Gauri and Shiva together, with Ganesha invoked first — and the moon at the end. The fast is often described as being for a husband's long life, but the puja itself is addressed to Parvati as the ideal of a sustained marriage.

This is the one most people are unsure about: on Diwali night it is Lakshmi who is worshipped, with Ganesha invoked first as the remover of obstacles. Kubera is honoured with her in business households, and Saraswati in parts of the east. Rama's return to Ayodhya is why the lamps are lit, but the puja itself is Lakshmi's.

The Sun — and uniquely, the setting sun is offered arghya before the rising one. Chhathi Maiya, understood as Surya's sister, is worshipped alongside him. There is no priest and no image; the water and the sun are the shrine.

The birth of Guru Nanak — and an important distinction: Sikh practice does not worship the Guru as a deity or use murti puja. Reverence is offered to the Guru Granth Sahib as the living Guru, and the observance is reading, singing and service.

Vishnu in the form of Satyanarayan — 'the embodiment of truth'. Not a festival but a vrat kept at thresholds: a new home, a wedding, a job, a recovery, or simply each full moon. Included here because it is the puja most households perform and least often have explained to them.