The five day holiday Diwali, known as The Festival of Lights, is being celebrated here in the city and around the world beginning Thursday.

Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, Jains, and some people of Indian-Caribbean heritage take part in the 2,000-year-old festivities.

Each religion has different reasons for celebrating, but the holiday centers on the triumph of light over darkness and good over evil. 

Diwali also ushers in the Hindu New Year.

It is celebrated in the fall in the northern hemisphere, while it's observed in the spring in the southern half. 

Roughly 10 percent of the world's population, or 800 million people, celebrate Diwali.