WATCH LIVE: Trump celebrates Hindu holiday Diwali with White House celebration

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NEW DELHI (AP) — Millions of Indians celebrated Diwali on Monday as lamps lit up homes and streets across the country to mark the Hindu festival that symbolizes the victory of light over darkness.

President Donald Trump will host a Diwali celebration on Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET. Watch in the player above.

Diwali, derived from the word ‘Deepavali’ meaning ‘row of lights’, is celebrated through socializing and exchanging gifts. The festival dates are based on the Hindu lunar calendar, usually falling in late October or early November.

Shoppers crowded the markets to buy flowers, lanterns and candles.

The celebrations were most evident in the city of Ayodhya in the state of Uttar Pradesh. Hindus believe that God Ram was born there and returned after 14 years in exile. People light earthen lamps to mark his homecoming.

As dusk fell on Sunday, more than 2.6 million lamps were lit on the banks of the Saryu River in Ayodhya, retaining the Guinness World Record set last year. At least 2,100 Hindu priests offered prayers in unison, their chants echoing across the sparkling riverbank.

The Holy City was also decorated with fairy lights, and laser shows and fireworks lit up its paths and river banks. Thousands of residents lit lamps in homes and temples.

Officials said more than 33,000 volunteers helped light the lights. Nearly 40 families from nearby villages produced 1.6 million lamps. At least 73,000 liters of oil and 5.5 million cotton wicks were used to light the city.

“It is hard work to light the oil lamps one by one,” said Rachit Singh, a 19-year-old volunteer, his face glowing in the firelight. “But when you see the entire ghat (stairway leading to the river) lit up, every bit of the effort is worth it.”

In recent years, concerns about air pollution have clouded Diwali celebrations in New Delhi, where smoke-emitting fireworks create a toxic smog that can take days to clear.

On Monday, the level of the smallest particles rose to 347 on the air quality index in parts of the city — about 14 times the maximum daily exposure recommended by the World Health Organization — according to SAFAR, the federal government’s air quality monitoring agency.

Last week, India’s Supreme Court relaxed a blanket ban on fireworks in New Delhi during Diwali, allowing limited use of “green fireworks” that emit fewer pollutants. Developed by federal research institutes, they are designed to reduce particulate matter and gas emissions by approximately 30%.

The court said it can be used during specific hours from Saturday to Tuesday.

Associated Press writer Biswajit Banerjee in Lucknow, India, contributed to this report.

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