Complete Guide to Diwali 2023 - Pooja preparations, Gifting Ideas, Recipes & More

The most exciting part of the year is finally here as we are inching closer to Diwali. Diwali or Deepavali is one of the grand festivals celebrated with great fervour and enthusiasm in all corners of India. This stunning festival marks the victory of good over evil and people celebrate the return of Lord Ram after defeating Ravana. Families and loved ones unite together for Diwali preparations, decorate the house with diyas for Diwali, exchange the best Diwali gifts and enjoy Diwali Special food.

In this complete guide to Diwali 2023 we’ll try to make your Diwali preparations easy. We’ll explain how to make a Diwali preparation list, how to do Diwali Pooja Preparations, how to decorate your house with Diwali home décor, Diwali gifting ideas and also share some healthy Diwali Sweets recipes and Diwali Snack Recipe. Make this Diwali a little different. Choose health over indulgence. Instead of gifting regular sweets or chocolate gift something special or customised for your loved ones. Celebrate #ShaandaarDiwali

Significance & Importance Of Diwali Decoration

Decoration takes centre stage during Diwali. The importance of decorating on Diwali is much more than just offering visual delights but it is a profound statement of the grand festival. Decorating for Diwali brings in joy, and optimism and sets your spiritual mood for the festival.  

These intricate decorations, which are full of cultural symbolism play a crucial role in the celebrations and give the event a feeling of reverence and tradition.

Tips To Prepare For Diwali

Diwali is right around the corner and there is so much preparation to finish. From your attire to home décor to gifts there’s always something we leave for the last minute. This Diwali preparation list will ensure you don’t miss out on anything before the big day!

1. Deep Cleaning of House 

Is any celebration complete without a thorough cleaning of the house before? According to Hindu mythology, it is believed that Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Ganesha visit clean and well-decorated homes. Homes are also deep cleaned before Diwali to ward off any evil eyes and spread light and positivity. Whether you’re religious or not, decluttering your home is a mindful exercise and helps plan for the celebrations better!

2. Get your Wardrobe ready

Diwali is a 5-day festival and more than one occasion to dress up right in your ethnic glam outfits. Get your wardrobe ready for Diwali before the festival starts so that you are ready with your complete look with outfits, jewellery and makeup.

3. Get your Home Décor and Lighting items

Deepavali is the festival of lights – so don’t forget to buy the diyas, lighting oil, candles, fairy lights, flowers, home décor items and rangoli powders. Keep these décor and lighting essentials handy so that you can avoid any last-minute rush.

4. Puja Samagri 

On Diwali, we worship Ma Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity. For Diwali Pooja Preparations, get your pooja samagri ready. Items like a wooden chowki, a red or yellow piece of new cloth to cover the chowki, Lakshmi and Ganesha idols, kumkum, chandan, haldi, roli, brown coconut, flowers, akshat, incense sticks, kalash, brass or earthen lamps, ghee for the lamp, gangajal, are all essential pooja samagri for Diwali. Apart from these you also need to get sweets and fruits for the pooja.

Diwali Home Décor Ideas

With Diwali comes a grand display of lights, colours and home décor across all households in India. Diwali is a festival that symbolises the victory of good over evil, thus Diwali decoration consists of a lot of bright lights and colourful decorations to celebrate positivity. Here are some Diwali Home Décor ideas to brighten up your space.

1. Rangoli

Rangolis and Diwali go in tandem. Decorate a colourful rangoli outside your main door and decorate it with diyas and candles. You can also add flowers to your rangoli.

2. Diwali Lights décor outside home

Light up the outdoors with colourful lights for Diwali. If you have a balcony, hang curtain lights or fairy lights. Use made-in-India LED lights to make your space brighter.

3. Flower Decoration for Diwali at home

Flowers and decorations with flowers bring that essential Indian touch to any festival. Make DIY flower corners in your home with marigold garlands. You can even use paper flowers of different shapes and colours to brighten up the decoration.

4. Diwali Home Décor Ideas for your living room

Diwali is the time to revel with your friends and family and host parties in your home. Decorate your centre table with diyas, candles and flowers. Make floral theme photo booths in your living room for your Instagram photos. A perfect Diwali theme décor with flowers and diyas will bring a festive feel to your photos.

Elevate your Diwali celebration with the Scented Candle.

 

5. Wall hangings for Diwali 

Ethnic wall hangings and torans on your door bring out the festive Indian look in your spaces. Decorate your rooms and living rooms with ethnic or handmade wall hangings.

Diwali DIY Decor You Can Try

Here are some of the creative Diwali DIY decor ideas you can try by yourself: 

• Drawing Footprints Of Goddess Lakshmi

If you love to do Rangoli, then try drawing the footprints of Goddess Lakshmi at the entrance of your home and Pooja ghar. Goddess Lakshmi is said to bring good luck, wealth and prosperity. 

• Macrame Candle Holder 

Every room's beauty is enhanced by the distinct charm of macrame decor elements. You can create a captivating Diwali decoration piece by combining this charm with a light source. While it takes time to work with macrame strings, we assure you the end product is well worth the effort.

• Paper Marigold Flower

Marigolds are one of the most sacred and holy flowers. And, when it’s Diwali around, you can’t miss having them at your place. The paper marigold flowers are very easy to make and look fresh like they were recently picked from the garden. The most amazing part of this DIY activity is that you can also get your children involved in it or can take the assistance of your family members. You can make a string of these flowers and can decorate your living room. If you are thinking of Diwali decoration ideas, then this is certainly the one.

 

Plan A Perfect Diwali Celebration With Fun Games

While Diwali decorations enliven your space indulging in quality time with your friends and family by means of fun games can add to your celebrations. Here are some of the games you can play:

• Pictionary

If you're not good at drawing, this game is more enjoyable! Among the most amazing and fun Diwali activities that will encourage you to express your creativity is Pictionary. In this game, you draw the words that are on your card. Say "cheesy moments"? Next, sketch a cheese cube and ask your guests to make assumptions based on your drawing. Additionally, confirm that your favourite cousin or best buddy is a member of your squad. They can comprehend even the most peculiar of your paintings, after all! Don't forget to grab a drawing board in advance so you and your guests can play Pictionary! 

• Musical Chairs 

Old is Gold, isn’t it? One of the most enjoyable Diwali activities has always been musical chairs, and we think it always will be. All that's required is setting up a few chairs in a circle. Recall that there needs to be one fewer chair than the total number of attendees. When the music stops, start playing and knock out the person who didn't get a seat. Continue in this manner until you have a winner. To up the competition, arrange prizes for the winner!

• Freeze & Dance

Games and dancing in unison? Sure as hell! Freeze dancing is something you ought to participate in if, you enjoy dancing. A celebration isn't complete without dancing and music. These combined with some incredible games provide hours of nonstop entertainment. There's only one guideline to abide by: as soon as the music stops, freeze. You're out if you keep grooving after the music has stopped. Repeat the drill while remaining motionless until the music starts again!

Diwali Gifting Ideas

A big part of Diwali preparations is choosing Diwali gifts for friends and family. There are so many Diwali gifting ideas today that you might feel clueless. But it is always better if you take a little care in choosing Diwali gifts and make them special for the receiver. General gifts like sweets and chocolates are so regular that they might be passed around from one home to another because everybody is gifting them.

A gift is your way of showing love and appreciation – be it for a friend, a family member or your employees. An act of love when chosen carefully will be retained and cherished by the receiver, like how you will always cherish handmade Diwali greeting cards. Celebrate #IssDiwaliDilSe and make a conscious decision to spread positivity and thoughtfulness. Choose Diwali gift hampers that are free of toxicity, healthy and useful for your loved ones. Here are some thoughtful Diwali gifting ideas that are heartfelt and will celebrate your love and affection towards the receiver. 

#1 Customised Diwali hamper with organic foods

Gift your loved ones the Shaandaar Diwali Hamper that contains organic healthy foods like yummy Jaggery with Sesame Makhanas, healthy Jaggery Coated Walnuts, Honey and scented soy candle, Also Jagmag Mithai Boxes making it the perfect Diwali-themed hamper which is healthy. The beautiful hamper box is reusable and handmade by artisans around the country. 

Choose our Pyaar Bhara Diwali Hamper for a delightful & memorable celebration.

#2 Customised Diwali Gift Hamper

Everyone loves snacking during Diwali but not always is the snack healthy. This Diwali bring the change and shift to baked snacks instead of fried ones. Gift the specially curated Thoda Sa Namkeen Diwali Hamper by I Say Organic which contains snacks that are healthy. 

This hamper can be customized and contains Baked Namak Para, Baked Methi Mathri, Chakli, namkeens and much more.

#3 Specially curated savoury hamper

There is nothing like a customized hamper for your friends and family. For the ones who love savouries instead of sweets gift the Dildaar Diwali Hamper with a selection of products like Coffee, Cashews, Cookies and Makhanas that have distinct flavours and are made with healthy ingredients. This hamper contains Organic Peanut Butter, Jaggery with Sesame Makhana, Choco Almond Cookies, Organic Roasted Cashews with Black Pepper, and French Press Arabica Coffee. To bring in the festive touch the hamper also contains Scented Soy Candle.

#4 Healthy Diwali Mithai For Your Loved Ones

As much as we are stressed about decorating for Diwali, we’re equally concerned about Diwali gift options to surprise our loved ones. Below are some of the healthiest Deepavali gift ideas which will make for a good treat for your loved ones. 

 

Desi Ghee Besan Ladoo

This is one of the most thoughtful Diwali gift options. I Say Organic brings you the tempting desi ghee besan laddoos made from organic jaggery and cardamom. These delicious laddoos will take the receiver down childhood memory lane.

Vegan Besan Ladoo

For those who crave for besan laddoos but can’t have one because they follow a vegan diet, worry not, we have besan laddoos made from pure coconut oil from Tamil Nadu. Consider this Diwali gift option for all your vegan friends.

Atta Pinni

Pinni’s are love and there’s no denying that. I Say Organic’s Atta Pinni consists of everything pure from sweet jaggery to desi cow ghee. It's a quintessential winter's sweet. 

Sesame Chikki

The crispy, crunchy and nutty sesame chikki is everyone’s favourite, thus counting for the best Deepavali gift idea. 

 

You can also select more than one Diwali gift option from I Say Organic and make a perfect Diwali gift hamper idea. 

Diwali Recipes – Healthy Diwali Sweets, Diwali Snacks and Diwali Dinner Recipes

Here are some Diwali Sweets Recipes that are made with organic ingredients and are super healthy.

#1 Dates & Anjeer Laddoo

Ingredients: 

• 2 cups of chopped dates
• 1 cup of dried figs or anjeer
• 1 cup of chopped mixed dry fruits (cashew, almond, pistachio)
• 1/4th cup desiccated coconut
• 2 tablespoons white sesame seeds
• 25 ml pure cow ghee

Method: 

1. Blend dates and anjeer in a blender
2. Dry roast mixed dry fruits in a pan for 3 minutes
3. In the same pan dry roast desiccated coconut and sesame seeds
4. Heat ghee in a heavy bottom vessel and sauté the dates and fig mix for 5 mins on    medium heat
5. Now add roasted nuts, coconut and sesame seeds and mix till everything comes together
6. Grease your palms with ghee and make small laddoos once the dough has cooled
7. Roll them in desiccated coconut and sprinkle sesame seeds before serving

#2 Healthy Peanut Laddoo with 3 ingredients

Ingredients:

• 1 cup raw peanuts
• ¼ cup powdered jaggery
• 1 tablespoon melted ghee

Method: 

1. Dry roast raw peanuts in a heavy bottom pan till peanuts turn crunchy on low heat for 4-5 mins
2. When cool rub the peanuts in your palms to peel off their skin.
3. Grind the peeled peanuts in a coarse powder for 1 min
4. Add jaggery powder and ghee and grind again to a fine texture
5. Make laddos from the mixture, store them in a tight jar

#3 Sugar Free Chocolate Sandesh

Ingredients:

• Milk 500ml
• Lemon juice – 1and ½ tablespoon
• Cocoa powder - 1 teaspoon 
• Chocolate chips - 1 tablespoon 

Method:

1. Boil milk and reduce the temperature. Add lemon juice to curdle milk and make paneer
2. Wash and hang the milk solid/paneer in muslin cloth for 15 mins to drain excess water
3. Knead the paneer on a plate for 4-5 mins
4. Add cocoa powder while kneading 
5. Heat a non-stick pan and stir this mixture for 3 mins or till you see the texture turn smooth
6. Take off heat and add chocolate chips
7. Make round balls out of the mix and garnish with chocolate chips.

Diwali is nothing without snacking and munching

Here are some Diwali Snack Recipes that are super healthy and not fried! 

#1 Baked Multigrain Nan Khatai

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup ghee 
• ¼ cup powdered jaggery
• pinch of elaichi powder
• pinch of nutmeg
• ¼ cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tablespoon each of ragi flour, jowar flour, bajra flour, powdered oats
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
• sliced almonds, for garnish

Method:

1. Combine ghee and powdered jaggery in a mixing bowl for 2 mins
2. Add elaichi and nutmeg powder
3. Add all the multigrain flour to the wet ingredients and mix
4. Add baking powder and baking soda and knead it into a soft dough
5. Cover and refrigerate for 30 mins
6. Separate dough into 8-10 small balls, place them on a lined baking sheet and bake in a pre-heated oven for 25-30mins at 180°C 
7. Let them cool on a wire rack to make them crisp
8. Garnish with sliced almonds

#2 Air Fryed Methi Mathri

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
• 1/2 Cup All Purpose Flour
• 1/4 Cup Suji
• 3 Tbsp Dry Kasuri Methi
• 2 Tbsp Ghee
• 1/2 Cup Water – for dough
• 2 Tbsp Ajwain 
• 1 pinch Turmeric Powder
• 1.5 Tbsp Salt to taste

Method:

1. Pulse all the dry ingredients in a food processor
2. Add water to make dough
3. Divide dough into small parts 
4. Roll them like a cookie and make marks with a fork
5. You can either bake them in the oven for 15 – 20 mins at 180°C or air fry them
6. Pre-heat air fryer at 180°C for 2 mins 
7. Lay out the rolled mathris in the basket and air fry for 10 mins or until they turn golden

#3 Diwali Paneer Tikka Recipe

Ingredients :

• 200g Paneer cut into small square pieces
• Curd 2 tablespoons
• Green chillies – 2 chopped
• Himalayan pink salt to taste
• Buckwheat flour or Kuttu atta 2 tablespoon
• Grated ginger 
• Ghee – 1 teaspoon

Method :

1. Mix curd, Himalayan pink salt, chopped green chillies and grated ginger, kuttu atta, ghee in a mixing bowl.
2. Put the square paneer pieces in the bowl and coat them well in the mixture. 
3. Refrigerate the marinated for an hour or more.
4. Bake or grill the paneer pieces on skewers as per your liking. 

Enjoy this wonderful festival of Diwali with your family and friends. These 5 days of Diwali sees us in designer wears, sharing best Diwali gifts and putting up the brightest Diwali Home Décor.  Take care to share thoughtful handmade gifts on Diwali because you are celebrating #IssDiwaliDilSe.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q1. Is it a custom to give gifts on Diwali?

Diwali gifts are a big part of the celebration. With so many Diwali Gift Ideas like new clothes, jewellery, sweets and diyas (traditional oil lamps) there are various ways of showing appreciation and love. The significance of giving gifts is to show love and honour to those you hold dear.

Q2. What gift should be given on Diwali?

Traditional Diwali gifts include sweets and dried fruits. But meaningful tokens of appreciation are loved and cherished by receivers. Gift them mithai or snacks that are healthy and made from organic ingredients and skip the regular. For example, gift a customized hamper with roasted makhanas instead of a fried snack, jaggery coated nuts instead of a sugar-coated snack. 

Q3. How can I make Diwali Binging healthy?

Diwali is the time for parties and get-togethers. Munch on baked snacks and sugar-free sweets to make your Diwali binging healthy. Replace sugar with natural flavourings and sweeteners like dates or jaggery. Always keep in mind the portion size. 

Q4. When is Diwali 2023?

Diwali 2023 will be celebrated on 12 November 2023, Sunday.

Q5. Are there any safety tips while celebrating Diwali?

• Maintain distance from lighting, and 
• Supervise children when they are bursting crackers. 

Q6. What is the ideal time to do Lakshmi Pooja?

The best time to perform Lakshmi Pooja is during Pradosh Kaal. 

Q7. Is it good to play games or cards on the occasion of Diwali?

It is believed that, by playing cards on Diwali night, one can invoke Lakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth, who may bestow favours on their household for the remainder of the year. Additionally, it's thought that Parvati and Lord Shiva played dice on this day.

Q8. What are some best wishes for Diwali to greet someone?

You can greet your loved ones with the below-mentioned messages: 

• Happy Deepwali
• Have a happy and safe Diwali.
• May your Diwali be free from darkness and abundant with light.
• Have a fun and festive Diwali!
• Hoping your Diwali brings health, wealth, and happiness.
• May your Diwali bring peace and love to your life.

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