Celebrate Diwali with this Official First Day Cover, part of Canada Post's annual holiday stamp series. This Official First Day Cover heralds the arrival of Diwali, one of the largest and most widely celebrated festivals in India – and one observed by Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains and other communities in Canada and around the world. Diwali celebrates the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness.

Good to know

Cancelled in Vancouver, BC, Canada, which is home to a large number of Indian Canadians

About Canada Post’s holiday stamp issues

Canada Post's holiday stamp issues honour events significant to Canada's diverse population, including Eid, Christmas, Hanukkah, and Diwali.

The Diwali stamp will be issued on November 9, several days ahead of the celebration, which this year falls on November 12. This is Canada Post’s fifth Diwali stamp; the first four were issued in 2017, 2020, 2021 and 2022.

About Diwali

Diwali usually falls in October or November and coincides with the arrival of the new moon. It is also known as the Festival of Lights, as its central theme is the triumph of light over darkness and good over evil.

During the festivities, fireworks light up the night sky as an expression of gratitude for health, wealth, knowledge, peace, and prosperity.

Homes and temples are illuminated by the glow from small clay oil-lamps known as diyas, which are also set adrift on rivers. Elaborate and colourful Rangoli patterns, crafted from materials such as rice, paint, coloured sand or powder, and flower petals adorn entranceways, living rooms, and courtyards. Beautiful garlands, called toranas, are draped across the entrances and faces of homes and temples.

These auspicious decorations are all intended to welcome guests and invite Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity, to bestow her good fortune on those who enter. In the spirit of togetherness and generosity, families and friends exchange gifts and share food and goods with those in need, spreading the joy and blessings of Diwali throughout the community.

About the design

The Official First Day Cover, designed by Kristine Do and illustrated by Rena Chen, was inspired by the beautiful garlands – known as toranas – that are draped across the entrances and facades of homes and temples during Diwali.

The OFDC is a vivid presentation of colours, with warm shades of orange and yellow harmonizing with green against a captivating purple-blue background. Draped across the front of the cover is a beautiful garland made of marigold flowers and mango-tree leaves – two traditional elements of toranas. The word “Diwali” appears in the gold in the lower left-hand corner of the cover.

The stamp – bearing an artful interpretation of those same traditional elements and tiny, lighted diyas (small oil lamps) in each corner – is affixed to the top right corner of the cover. The word “Diwali” appears at the top of the stamp, set against a deep, purple-blue background.

The cancel mark

The Official First Day Cover was cancelled on November 9, 2023 - a few days ahead of Diwali, which falls this year on November 12. The cancel image is a line drawing of a marigold flower; the cancel location is Vancouver, British Columbia, which is home to a large community of Indian Canadians.

Product # 414248131

Diwali (2023): Official First Day Cover