Rakesh Malhotra
Diwali is the Festival of Lights, a 5-day celebration to honor the triumph of good over evil and new beginnings. In 2023, Diwali goes from November 10th to the 15th, with each day carrying its own special meanings and traditions. Celebrating Diwali means decking your house in lights and colors, giving Diwali cards to your family and friends, spending time with your loved ones, and enjoying delicious food together.
Clean your house on or before the first day of Diwali
Diwali is the Hindu New Year, and it’s a celebration of new beginnings. It’s traditional to clean up your home and business on or before the first day of Diwali as a kind of cleansing ritual, preparing yourself for a fresh new start. Do your laundry, neaten up cluttered areas, and sort out bills and paperwork.
Think of this cleaning as a way to purify your environment and make way for the fresh, positive energy of Diwali and the new year.
Draw footprints to scatter through your home on the first day
The first day of Diwali, Dhanteras, is a day to celebrate Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth. A traditional way of awaiting her arrival is to trace small footprints throughout your house. You sprinkle a mixture of rice flour and vermillion powder directly on the floor, or draw footprints on paper, cut them out, and place them around the house.
Shop for new clothes, jewellery, and utensils
Another tradition at the beginning of Diwali is to go shopping for new clothes and household items, like kitchen utensils and decorations. Try to buy at least a couple new items of clothing and kitchen tools to wear and use during Diwali, another way of celebrating the fresh start of a year. For example, you could buy a few new shirts or pants, a nice set of plates or utensils, or some jewelry.
Decorate your home and doorways with rangoli on the second day
Narak Chaturdashi, the second day of Diwali, is typically when people adorn their homes 
with bright, colorful rangoli designs. Sketch out your design on a piece of transparent parchment paper, then sprinkle sand or dried rice over it. To add some color, buy colored rice or sand at a craft store or dye your materials using food coloring.
Rangoli is a traditional work of art and decoration done in sand or rice, often depicting beautiful, symmetrical flowers like lotuses and daisies.
Rangoli designs are typically placed just inside the entryway of your home, but feel free to set them up elsewhere, too.
You can also paint or draw your rangoli designs on paper or wood, or even buy them pre-made.
Light diyas and candles around your home, especially in the doorways
Diyas are small oil lamps shaped like cups with cotton, candle-like wicks. To welcome the goddess Lakshmi into your home, it’s traditional to light 4-6 diyas in a row near the doorways, often around your rangoli designs. You can also use small tealights instead.
Diyas and candles are often placed on the floor, but you may choose to place them up higher if you have pets or small children.
Diwali is the Festival of Lights, so feel free to place candles and diyas in other places around your home as well!
Hang string lights around your home to make it bright and festive
To celebrate the Festival of Lights, make your whole home bright! Hang string lights throughout your house, lining them along the walls and intertwining them through tables and mantels. You can also hang up lights outside, along your roof and fences.
You can hang plain white lights or go with colorful strings.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
