8 things people do on Diwali

With Diwali 2021 only two days away, festival preparations have started in Vizag and fortunately, the Covid-19 impact is expected to be less this year. With a pinch of caution and a lot of festivity, we can make this Diwali 2021 a bright one. 

Diwali being one of the major Hindu festivals in the country, a majority of Hindu households celebrate it. But there’s a lot to prepare as far as Diwali celebrations are concerned. Houses to be decorated, puja essentials to be bought, new clothes and jewellery to be shopped and a bag full of firecrackers to take. While the festival celebrations are simple enough, there are a lot of preparations to be done. 

Here are 8 things people do on Diwali 2021:

#1 Cleaning the house

Diwali preparations begin with cleaning our houses. As soon as the festival nears, our mothers ask us to clean up our rooms and make it neat and tidy. In many Hindu families, the day after Diwali is observed as the Hindu New Year. Hence, it becomes necessary to welcome the new year in a clean and beautiful-looking house. But this Diwali, it’s not enough to keep our houses clean. After all, the whole of Vizag is our home. 

#2 Making rangolis

One of the fun aspects of Diwali is to make creative rangolis at our house’s doorstep. It is a great tradition to pass on and teach your children as they learn the significance and grandeur of Diwali. And nowadays, people have turned to organic colours which don’t harm our bodies and are easily washable. 

#3 Gifting dry fruits and clothes to family and friends

An important part of Diwali is buying gifts for our family and friends. Dry fruits are particularly popular this time of the year, as the ideal Diwali gift. People usually buy Cadbury celebration packs for their loved ones. 

#4 Firecracker shopping

Diwali is one time of the year when you see a lot of firecracker stalls in the market and on the city roads. As children, one of our fondest Diwali memories was to go firecracker shopping with our parents and ask them to buy the best and the biggest firecrackers. That was before we realised how harmful these firecrackers are to our environment. While an eco-friendly Diwali should be on our minds, we do have a lot of childhood memories of bursting firecrackers with friends and family, right?

#5 Eating sweets

Much like any other Hindu festival, Diwali also involves its fair share of sweet-eating. Soan Papdi has become so synonymous with the festival, with everyone calling it the “Diwali Sweet”. Other sweets like Kaju Katli, Kalakand and Bellam Garelu are also eaten by many. 

#6 Playing cards

One of the ancient traditions of Diwali is to play cards with your friends and family. While gambling in general is frowned upon by many, playing cards on Diwali is said to bring prosperity in the house. 

#7 Clothes and jewellery shopping

One of the important customs of Diwali is to wear brand new clothes on the day of the festival. This involves going to malls/shops/showrooms in the city and buying new clothes with your family. Diwali is preceded by Dhanteras when people pray to Goddess Lakshmi by buying jewellery. Due to this, on the auspicious day of Dhanteras, jewellers in the city receive a lot of business. 

#8 Putting up Diwali lighting

Every year, people adorn their houses with colourful lighting on the eve of Diwali. Searching for old lighting, dusting them off, disentangling the wires and then putting them up on our houses’ walls can be hard work. But once done, our houses look radiant and ready to welcome Diwali.