Diwali is simply the most incredible time of the year for anyone with Indian roots or just a love for brilliant displays of color, light, and joyous celebration. Trust me, this ancient Hindu “festival of lights” has a truly special magic that brings families and loved ones together like nothing else can.
As a kid, I remember the buzz of Diwali excitement starting to build in our house weeks in advance. You could just feel it in the air – that unmistakable energy that something amazing was about to go down. My siblings and I would be nagging our mom constantly about when we could start decorating and hanging the lights up. She’d firmly tell us not until after she gave the entire house a deep, ritualistic cleaning from top to bottom to sweep away any traces of last year’s staleness.
Because you see, for Diwali, Mom wasn’t messing around. In our household, this was the reigning holiday to end all holidays. Her famous mantra was “new year, new home” – out with the old and in with the vibrant, prosperous new energy to carry us through the next year ahead.
So after her massive cleaning frenzy, when she finally gave us the okay, it was pandemonium. An explosion of Diwali decor would suddenly engulf our humble abode, transforming it into a twinkling, radiant wonderland. We’re talking strings of those warm fairy lights draped along every doorway and lined across the windows, casting the whole house in a magical, festive glow.
Then came Mom’s prideful touch
The hanging of the brilliant marigold garlands she’d painstakingly woven together. Those bursts of vibrant marigold had such a lovely fragrance, instantly uplifting the mood and filling the house with Diwali’s trademark spirit of celebration and joy. Those cheerful flowers simply radiated a sunny welcome to all who entered.
But if you think the garlands were elaborate, just wait until I tell you about the rangoli designs! In our house, crafting the perfect rangoli designs to adorn our entrance areas was truly an art form. It was a whole ritual, really.
Mom and my aunts would spend hours carefully arranging intricate patterns using colored powders, vibrant flower petals, even lentils or grains of rice – whatever beautifully vibrant nature materials they could get their hands on. Each looping, mandala-inspired design held its own symbolic meaning, like welcoming prosperity, health and good fortune into our home for the coming year. We’d be shooed away from the area like pestering flies while the rangoli masterpieces came to life.
Once that breathtaking decorative foundation was laid, the real night of festivities would finally kick off in full flair. We’d gather around the ceremonial Puja area Mom carefully set up, with a beautifully adorned photo of Lakshmi – the Hindu goddess of wealth and prosperity – surrounded by fresh marigold garlands, little diyas filled with oil or ghee, offering trays piled high with coconut, fruit and all of our favorite Indian sweets and snacks.
I can vividly remember the mesmerizing scents swirling around that sacred space – the floral aromas mingling with hints of ghee, incense and Mom’s incredible homemade sweets like gulab jamun and jalebi. Those scents could trigger some serious nostalgic yearning even now!
With all of us circled around, we’d begin the sacred Lakshmi Puja with melodious chanting, ringing of bells, bathing the Lakshmi picture in the rich fragrances of burning camphor and showering it with fresh red kumkum powder. We’d take turns tucking offerings of fruits, nuts and those signature Indian sweets into the puja tray as acts of tribute to the goddess.
The grand finale moment came when it was time to light the diyas. Carefully, one by one, each little oil lamp would get sparked and slowly begin glowing in the dimly lit room. More and more flames joined in until finally, it was as if the space had transformed into a twinkling constellation. The warm buttery illumination danced across every surface, throwing shadows that made the whole environment seem absolutely enchanted.
I’ll never forget the pride I felt as a kid being allowed to help light some of those diyas myself. As Mom always reminded us, the lighting of the lamps represents the light of wisdom replacing all ignorance and darkness. That breathtaking warm glow radiating from every surface symbolized the victor of good over evil – the whole reason we celebrate this jubilant festival.
With all the lamps finally shining bright, it was time for the real Diwali merriment to kick off! The whole atmosphere just reverberated with festivity and laughter from that point on.
I can still picture my cousin Anita and I giggling mischievously as we snuck off to light those oh-so-thrilling Diwali sparklers and trick firecrackers, driving our aunties absolutely batty as they chased after us. We’d hear their scoldings to”Be careful!” and “Not too close to the decorations!” trailing off as we scampered around outside, waving those brilliant sparkling wands around in circles, leaving trails of smoke and that unmistakable spicy scent lingering in our wake.
Inside, all the warm and laughter would fill every room as the grownup festivities got into full swing. Platters of Mom’s legendary Diwali snacks like handmade samosas, chaklis and spicy masala chai would start circulating through the living room as everyone greeted each other with bear hugs, “Happy Diwali!” cheers and blessings for the year ahead.
I’d hear the raucous sound of one of Dad’s famous Diwali Housie games firing up in the corner – that riciously competitive Indian version of bingo, except instead of using chips, everyone gambled their snacks or spare pocket change to see who’d reign snack champion of the evening. Pretty sure I won the confetti-filled centerpiece trophy more times than I can count!
In the midst of all the laughter, delicious scents, and that signature warm, buttery glow of Diwali lamp light illuminating every face, we’d receive a steady stream of visits from our friends and extended relatives who’d come bearing gifts and armfuls of delectable food trays to pass around. Those garlands of flame-red flowers we received at the door still trigger happy memories – they smelled so vibrantly of celebration, as if Diwali itself had a signature scent.
From then on, the whole evening just blurred into one joyous haze of laughter, chai sipping, snacking on all the incredible treats, and listening with rapt attention as our elders regaled us with mesmerizing tales of Diwali festivities through the generations.
We’d hear treasured anecdotes of how Mom used to craft rangoli designs with her sisters back in India using just simple rice flour and vermillion powder. Or Grandma telling us about her childhood village’s tradition of sweetening their Diwali with endless batches of rustic yet incredible laddoos and barfi fudge. Our aunties would share hysterical Diwali memories of epic neighborhood sparkler wars we cousins surely would’ve relished being part of!
No matter how late it got, no one dared to be the first to leave and risk missing a single magical moment. We clung to the heart of Diwali celebration for as long as the lamps kept glowing. I don’t think any of us kids were ever put to bed until we literally collapsed into sleep from sheer exhaustion and utter fullness of sweets!
As an adult reflecting back, I realize those nights of pure, unadulterated Diwali festivity did so much more than just fill our hearts and bellies. They reminded us of who we are, where we came from, and the beautiful tapestry of our culture and heritage that weaves us so profoundly together as an indestructible family unit.
Sure, those vibrant powders eventually get swept away until next year and the lamps burn out. But the joyous radiance of Diwali – the love, the treasured memories, the reaffirmed sense of abundance and renewal in our lives – that brilliant illumination remains aglow in our hearts forever.
That’s the true magic and enduring beauty of this festival of lights. While Diwali initially started off as a Hindu celebration, today it transcends any single religion or ethnicity.
