Diwali 2025 Muhurat In US, Canada, UK: School Holidays In Many States; Is US Market Open Or Closed On Oct-20?

The festival of light has reached outside India and will be observed by many western countries on October 20th. We're talking about none other than the 5-day festival of Diwali. In India, devotees across states will celebrate main Diwali by performing Lakshmi Pujan Vidhi in the evening hours of Monday. However, due to differences in time zones, countries like the USA, Canada and the United Kingdom are going to observe the main Diwali festival as well.

In the USA, many states like Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey and Texas have declared Diwali as one of the holidays for schools and employees. California has also joined the bandwagon but will observe Diwali holidays from next year. It's not entirely a public holiday, but schools and other educational institutions, along with state employees, are allowed to close.

India has been following the decades-old tradition of opening the market BSE and NSE for a special and auspicious one-hour trading session on the day of Lakshmi Pujan. However, this year, the one-hour Muhurat trading will be held on October 21st. Will Wall Street follow a similar pattern?

Here's everything to know about Diwali holidays:

Diwali 2025 Muhurat In United Kingdom:

London is going to observe the auspicious Lakshmi Puja muhurat from 6:48 PM to 8:26 PM on October 20th.

Diwali 2025 Muhurat In Canada:

Devotees are likely to perform Lakshmi Puja rituals from 7:31 PM and 9:04 PM on October 20 in Toronto and other parts of Canada.

Diwali 2025 Muhurat In USA:

In many states of USA, main Diwali celebration will begin from 7:17 PM to 8:45 PM local time on October 20th.

Diwali 2025 Holiday In USA:

Pennsylvania: This state was among the first to recognise Diwali, and a law was passed to designate this festival on the 15th day of Kartik month as per Vikram Samvat hindu calendar. Although, schools, colleges and offices are not obligatory to close during Diwali festival, however, state employees are allowed to take paid time off.

New York: The city that never sleeps, started to recognise Diwali in 2023, with an official public school holiday.

New Jersey: Here, schools are also allowed to be closed during Diwali celebration in various cities like Edison and Jersey city among others.

Texas: The cowboy state also joined the above-mentioned states in 2024, and declared an official school holiday for Diwali.

California Diwali 2026: Earlier this month, Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 268 (AB 268), which marked the official recognition of Diwali festival with effect from January 1, 2026. This bill will allow schools and community colleges to observe a holiday during upcoming Diwali festivals, while state employees can apply for paid time off.

This comes as major good news for Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, and Buddhists who see Diwali as an auspicious day that resembles victory over darkness, prosperity and blessings.

Will US Market Be Closed On October 20 Or October 21?

US Market Holiday:

There are two exchanges in US namely NYSE and Nasdaq. As per their holiday list for 2025, Diwali is not a trading holiday. Hence, Wall Street will be open on trading days this week.

US Market Weekly Outlook:

The overall forecast for Wall Street this week is moderately bullish. Nathan Peterson, Director of Derivatives Analysis of Charles Schwab said, "I'm not saying that there won't be any more volatility, and I'm not saying that there won't be any more "credit scares" in the coming weeks, but it feels to me that enough boxes have been checked to feel that stocks could be set to recover some lost ground."

"What could challenge my forecast? Any headlines around trade escalations, credit events, or a push lower in treasury yields could lead to a more bearish outcome," he added.

Monday, October 20: Leading Indicators data will be announced. Companies such as AGNC Investment Corp. (AGNC), Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. (CLF), Crown Holdings (CCK), Dynex Capital Inc. (DX), Steel Dynamics (STLD), WR Berkley Corp. (WRB), and Zions Bancorporation (ZION) will declare their quarterly earnings report.

As per Trading Economics, US stock futures edged higher on Monday as easing US-China trade tensions offered some relief, with investors turning their focus to major earnings reports and key inflation data later this week. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng are set to meet in coming days to help defuse tensions, ahead of a potential meeting between Presidents Trump and Xi later this month. Attention will also center on quarterly results from Netflix, Coca-Cola, Tesla, IBM, and Intel, as the ongoing data blackout from the government shutdown pushes markets to seek corporate signals. Meanwhile, the September CPI report due Friday is expected to show inflation remains elevated. Last week, major indexes swung sharply amid renewed trade worries, stress in regional banks, and profit-taking in AI-related shares.