It’s that time of the year when we would ordinarily dress up to meet cousins for Diwali, ready to binge on desi sweets and channelise our inner artists by creating colourful rangolis. But, alas, a certain pandemic decided to rain on our parades. Fret not! We’ve curated some pictures to help recreate that year-end Diwali nostalgia for you so that you can enjoy the festival without worrying about any virus transmission or pollution! By Bayar Jain
Despite the plethora of Indian festivals, few get the love which Diwali enjoys. After all, the multi-day celebration cooks up just the right opportunity to dress up in new outfits and savour ghee-ridden sweets guilt-free. But this festival of lights transcends these materialistic aspects. Celebrations begin weeks in advance, starting with the all-important extensive house cleaning, only to later dress the home in handmade diyas and bright orange marigold flowers. Street lights seem to dim in the backdrop as twinkling fairy lights take over instead, while the rush at shops with hungry customers splurging on carts full of gifts leave you lost in happy chaos. While the actual festivities begin on a sombre note with solemn pujas taking up most of the daytime; the night paves the way for rounds of playful card games with friends and family—often as a regular gathering leading up to the actual day.
Although the celebrations are likely to be restricted to virtual meetings and app-based card battles, the heart-warming Diwali vibes need not take a backseat as well. Scroll through these photographs to recreate the celebrations straight from your home.
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Diwali is more than a day-long festival, as is evident by the shops that begin to dish out clay diyas and rangoli colours at least a month before. Serving as a symbol of purity, good luck, power, and the triumph of good over evil, diyas are synonymous to the Festival of Lights.
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Another variation of this, however, are paper lanterns or kandeels. Ordinarily made using matte or glossy paper, these feather-light, geometrical-shaped lamps are often hung outside doors. It is believed that in the earlier days, these lanterns would serve as an invitation to the spirits of roaming ancestors to come home for the festival, and celebrate with their loved ones.
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Markets throng with busy shoppers looking for the best bargain on clothes, foods, and gifts. As the festival is perceived as a time to be spick and span, most families save up for this period to splurge on new buys. Think expansive home renovations, gold investments, new cars, and more.
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At least two weeks before the D-day, shops and homes pave the way for fairy lights twinkling in all their glory. Immense planning backs this decoration process though. From choosing the right colours to draping them in aesthetic patterns, putting up string lights is ordinarily a whole family affair.
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Whether it is the more subdued yellows or the disco-like flashes of rainbow hues, the charm remains the same. If you’re lucky, lanterns gliding in the sky catch your eye too.
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Another family-bonding activity is creating the rangoli. An art form requiring dexterity married with creativity, these geometrical patterns created using coloured sand, rice, or flowers are often the highlight of the day, serving as a prelude to the day’s festivities. Literally translating to a row of colours (rang for ‘colours’ and aavali for ‘a row’ in Sanskrit), the ancient art form goes by many names in different regions of the country like kolam in Tamil Nadu, Alpana in West Bengal, Muggu in Andhra Pradesh, and Mandana in Rajasthan.
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Often, rangolis are created at the entrance of the home to lure Hindu deity Lakshmi, the Goddess of wealth or purity, indoors; and in turn, bring prosperity to one’s lives. Some believe these artworks also help keep evil spirits at bay.
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Flowers—most commonly marigolds—find a way into every home, adding yet another element of gorgeousness to the decorations. While other flowers such as roses, carnations, and orchids are used too, the bright yellows and oranges of marigolds steal the top spot.
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Considered auspicious for new beginnings—and thus for Diwali, too—these flowers are strung together and draped over different nooks and crannies; garlanded over idols, or simply placed together in geometrical patterns.
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A ghee-laden means to celebrate happiness, sweets or mithais also feature in the celebrations. Typically, families prepare an array of these sugary delicacies and offer them to every guest that visits. Think, besan ladoos, sooji halwa, kheel batasha, gulab jaamun, kheer, and more.
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While there could be regional variations in the desserts created, it features in a typical Diwali feast nonetheless, ordinarily preceded by oodles of savoury dishes. These mithais could be blinged by gold or silver leaves, garnished by nuts, or cooked over a slow flame for hours…their allure remains irresistible irrespective, doubling as a sweet reminder that good always prevails.
Related: Here’s How Different Tribal Communities Of India Celebrate Diwali
Bayar Jain
Senior Content Manager
Equipped with a degree in Sociology (Honours) from the University of Delhi, and a post graduate diploma in English Journalism and Mass Communication from Xavier Institute of Communications, Mumbai, Bayar enjoys sharing stories of people, places, and different cultures. When not typing her travel tales, you can catch the hobbyist photographer capturing the next frame, dabbling in arts and crafts, or gushing over puppers and kittens.
