The annual autumn festival Diwali celebrates the triumph of good over evil. Also known as Deepavali, it is among the most important events on the Hindu calendar and is usually observed over five days. A colorful new stamp honors this joyous holiday with an image of a rangoli, a vibrant floor pattern traditionally made from materials such as colored rice powder, chalk, and flower petals. This is the second Diwali stamp. The first one was issued in 2016.

The rangoli for the stamp was created by artist Sangita Bhutada, a native of India and longtime resident of the Houston area who has been a practitioner of this ancient folk art for nearly 30 years. Bhutada started by sketching out a design on paper, then began carefully sprinkling colored sand and starch-based powder on the floor, using five fingers and sometimes a regular kitchen strainer. She chose bright colors — blue, orange, green, and red, plus white.

The original work took eight to 10 days, as opposed to the four to six hours Bhutada normally spends on a rangoli, and “was eight feet in diameter so when it was photographed it would come out properly” in high resolution, she explains. Photographer Bijay Dixit, also based in the Houston area, did the honors. The resulting image was then set against a brilliant purple background.

During the holiday, it is customary for people to create rangolis in and around their homes. The intricate designs, which often feature floral imagery, geometric shapes, and religious iconography, are thought to bring good fortune. In addition to traditional materials, artists today may use paints and sparkly adornments to bring their colorful creations to life.

On the Hindu calendar, Diwali falls on the eve of, or on, the new moon that occurs between mid-October and mid-November. In 2026, the main day of the festival will be November 8.

“I was very surprised to get this commission,” says Bhutada, who most frequently makes rangolis for weddings, baby showers, and other such auspicious occasions, but also occasionally at art fairs. Her most unusual commission to date came around Diwali in 2023, when an electric vehicle manufacturer hired her to create a rangoli that was digitized and animated to project onto the floor and constantly change size and color, as well as spin around.

William J. Gicker served as the project's art director. Jennifer Arnold designed the stamp.

The Diwali stamp is being issued as a Forever® stamp. This Forever stamp will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail® one-ounce price.

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