Google Search celebrates Diwali with an easter egg [Updated]

Kyle Bradshaw | Nov 3 2021 - 10:27 am PT

In preparation for Diwali, the Indian festival of lights, Google Search has crafted a lamp-lighting easter egg.

Diwali, a festival of lights traditionally celebrated by some Hindus, Sikhs, and Buddhists, uses lamps and fireworks to symbolize “victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance.” Celebrants will often redecorate their homes with things like diyas (oil lamps) and rangolis (a colorful form of floor art) in preparation for the five-day festival.

For Diwali 2020, Google has also redecorated the search results page when searching for “Diwali.” You’ll now see an animation featuring a lit diya with a sparkling sky behind it. On the card explaining Diwali, there’s another sparkling diya that you can tap or click to activate a lamp-lighting easter egg.

The screen will go dark at first, save for a single lit diya. By dragging around that lamp, you can light the other diyas to gradually brighten the screen and finally cause a sparkling effect. All in all, a simple yet effective way of conveying the spirit of Diwali.

Update 11/3/2021: It’s Diwali season once again, with the main day of the festival of lights taking place around the world on November 4. In celebration of Diwali 2021, Google has re-launched their diya lighting easter egg from last year. Google CEO Sundar Pichai is even getting in on the fun, sharing the easter egg on his Twitter account.

Happy Diwali to everyone celebrating the festival of lights! (Look for the 🪔 when you search for "Diwali" on Google:) https://t.co/7Lzc3FvDNl
— Sundar Pichai (@sundarpichai) November 4, 2021

If you’re looking for another way to celebrate and brighten your day, Google Arts and Culture also has a special Diwali art coloring book, allowing you to put your own colorful twist on classic festival art.

This is not the first time Google has helped celebrate Diwali, as last year the company’s video calling app, Duo, launched new filters themed after the festival.