People around the world celebrate Festival of Lights

Dancers in London's Trafalgar Square celebrate Diwali

In the UK Diwali is marked on 31 October this year, and celebrations and events have been taking place all over the world.

In London, dancers took to Trafalgar Square, putting on a spectacular performance for passers by.

Diwali is celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs and Jains, and each religion marks different historical events and stories.

Have a look at these photos of people celebrating and getting ready to mark the religious festival.

Diwali is also know as the Festival of Lights and lasts for five days. In preparation for the festival, people buy flowers, clay lamps and decorative lights. Here a woman buys flowers at a stand in Bangalore, India.

In Nepal, marigold flowers are picked for Diwali in the village of Ichangu near Kathmandu. Marigolds are known as sayapatri in Nepali, and are used to make garlands and other decorations. They were first brought to India 350 years ago, and are an incredibly popular flower associated with celebrations.

Dancers Hiti Lalitha Kantamaneni, Saanvi Reddy Elluri and Hiya Lakshmi Kantamaneni take part in Diwali celebrations in Edinburgh, Scotland. The word Diwali comes from Sanskrit and means "row of lights".

Kashmiri Muslim potters arrange the lamps they've made to sell ahead of Diwali. The lamps will filled with oil and lit as part of the festival. The lamps are known as diyas.

In a market in Mumbai, India, shoppers take a look at colourful lamps that will be used to decorate homes for Diwali.

In Westminster, one resident is getting into the spirit of Diwali. Larry the cat sits at the entrance of 10 Downing Street, where the UK's prime minister lives and works, looking at six diyas perched on the step.