Diwali starts at the front door. Before a single diya is lit inside, the doorway is swept, washed, decorated and made welcoming. The idea at the heart of the festival is that Lakshmi visits homes on the new-moon night and comes into the ones that are ready for her.
Continue reading Diwali Torans, Wall Hangings and Entrance Decor: What Goes Where and Why
Diwali is Deepavali, a row of lamps. Everything else is decoration; the lights are the festival itself. So it is worth understanding your options properly instead of buying whatever the shop has stacked out front the week before.
Continue reading Diwali Lighting Guide: Diyas, Candles, Fairy Lights and Lanterns Compared
In most homes, Diwali decor ends up in two places: the entrance, because that is what guests see, and the puja corner, because it has to be done. The rest of the house gets whatever energy is left over. That is fine. But a home done room by room, even lightly, feels noticeably different to live in over the five days, and it is less work than it sounds, because each room only needs two or three things.
Most Diwali decorating advice quietly assumes a house: a front step for diyas, a verandah for lanterns, walls you are allowed to hang things on. A 1BHK rental in Bengaluru, Pune or Hyderabad has none of that. It has a door onto a shared corridor, a landlord with strong views about nails, and a neighbour behind a thin wall who would rather not smell your agarbatti at 11 pm.
Continue reading How to Decorate a Small Apartment or Rented Flat for Diwali
A clay diya costs somewhere between ₹5 and ₹30, so it is tempting to think there is nothing to learn about buying one. There is a little, and it is the difference between diyas that burn steadily for three hours and diyas that crack, tip over, drink all the oil or go out in ten minutes.
Continue reading Choosing and Caring for Clay Diyas: A Buyer’s Guide
