The festival of Diwali is being celebrated on 20th October. Lakshmi puja will be performed tonight for happiness and prosperity. But then why is the stock market fully operational since morning? Why is Monday not a holiday on BSE and NSE, which are open only for Muhurta trading every Diwali? The reason for this is that the Diwali/Lakshmi Puja holiday in the stock market is on 21st October. Not on 20th October. Muhurta trading will also take place on 21st October only. The market will remain completely closed on 22nd October on the occasion of Bali Pratipada.
The festival of Diwali is celebrated on the new moon day of Kartik month and this time Kartik Amavasya will start at 3:44 pm on 20th October and end at 5:54 pm on 21st October. Due to this, Diwali is being celebrated on 20th October. There has been no change in the already fixed holiday of 21st and 22nd October in the stock market. However, the timing of Diwali special Muhurta trading has been kept before the end of Amavasya.
what is the timing
Muhurta trading session is from 1:45 pm to 2:45 pm on 21st October 2025 i.e. of one hour. Apart from this, there will also be a pre-open session from 1:30 pm to 1:45 pm, so that traders can prepare for trading. This session of Muhurat trading is considered an auspicious opportunity for investors. Investors see this as an opportunity to bring prosperity and success to their portfolio. In the year 2012 also, the Muhurta trading session was kept between 3:45 pm to 5:00 pm.
Except for this one-hour session, October 21 and 22 are trading holidays for all Equity Segment, Equity Derivatives Segment, SLB Segment, Currency Derivatives Segments, NDS-RST, Tri Party Repo, Commodity Derivatives Segment, Electronic Gold Receipts (EGR) Segment on BSE. On both these dates in NSE also, all segments like Equities, Equity Derivatives, Commodities Derivatives, Corporate Bonds, New Debt Segments, Negotiated Trade Reporting Platform, Mutual Funds, Security Lending and Borrowing Schemes, Currency Derivatives and Interest Rate Derivatives I will be on holiday. Multi Commodity Exchange will also remain closed on 21st and 22nd October on the occasion of Diwali.
This could also be the reason for shifting the Diwali special session to the afternoon.
Some people say that shifting of Muhurat trading to afternoon is also the effect of long standing demand and initiative to make the work easier. The broking industry was trying to persuade exchanges, clearing corporations and depositories to consider shifting the timings of this session to the afternoon. Brokers, in a letter to exchanges and clearing corporations, had demanded that either the Diwali special session be shifted to the afternoon or post-trade compliance requirements be relaxed for muhurat trading days.
This change provides the necessary time for essential post-trade back-office activities. By doing this, not only the employees of brokers but also the employees of stock exchanges, clearing corporations and others can stay with their families on the occasion of Diwali festival. Also, the timing of the Diwali special session in the afternoon makes participation easier for traders who observe Diwali rituals in the evening. It also improves access for non-resident Indians (NRIs) and global investors.