It's that time of the year! For a large part of the northern hemisphere, October is the start of the autumn season, associated with shorter days, longer nights, and temperatures dropping. Not everyone likes this onset of winter, especially since it’s starting to get so dark and cold. However, for most Indians, this time brings a lot of fond memories, as we all look forward to one of the biggest Indian festivals: Diwali.

Diwali comes from the Hindi word dīvālī, and from the Sanskrit word dīpāvali, which means a “row of lights,” from dīpā “lamp” and vali “row.” Diwali is a Hindu (celebrated by all) festival of lights and warmth. It usually lasts for five days and is held sometime between October and November (the exact date varies as per the Hindu calendar – based on the moon). It is also a festival about Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity and many treat it as the start of their financial year. Diwali is also associated with the mythological epics of Ramayan, celebrating this day as the return of Lord Rama after defeating Ravana. However, in the simplest way, Diwali symbolizes the spiritual "victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance.”

Diwali is celebrated in many ways around the world. Apart from lighting lamps, bursting firecrackers, and eating delicious festive food, many use this as a way to remove the old and bring in the new (like Spring Cleaning; maybe call it Autumn Cleaning?). People also use this opportunity to welcome friends and families and visit them, socializing with neighbors, essentially meeting loved ones, which is at the heart of most of our festivals. It is also the time when everyone decks up their houses, offices and pretty much every other place with lights and decorations. My favorite part about Diwali is all the amazing sweets and savorys that we enjoy throughout the week. The house would smell of Diwali from a few weeks before, when my mom would start making all the delicacies. Other than food, the most fun part is to wake up early in the morning, get dressed for the occasion, and to go out and burst some fireworks. No Diwali would be complete without the sweets and fireworks!

Celebrating Diwali outside of India is very different, and the experience changes depending on which part of the world you are in, your access to resources and how many Indians are in your neighborhood. After spending the last three Diwalis outside of India (and two through the COVID-19 pandemic), there are a few things I’ve observed.

• As it gets darker much earlier in the northern/western hemisphere during this time and it’s also colder than it is in most of India. This can sometimes work in our favor and sometimes not so much. Diwali is the festival of lights and warmth, so it fits well with this time of the year, as we can light up the lamps much earlier in the day and bring in the much-needed warmth. However, on the downside, any outdoor event can be a struggle with Indian ethnic wear, as they are not designed for colder weather. Striking that balance can be quite challenging, but we Indians find our way to dress up in our ethnic best, irrespective of the weather!
• And, as we are not living in India, we never have official public/bank holidays on the days of Diwali. So, if Diwali comes on weekdays, then most of us are at school, university and in the office – business as usual. This can be a bummer, as you will miss the festivities, especially when seeing your friends and family back home uploading their best photos on social media. But it means that people outside of India plan to enjoy their Diwali celebrations on a weekend around Diwali, when everyone can get together with double the enthusiasm. Avanade has flexible holidays, and this is a big help to allow us to take holidays for festivals like this. This enables me to have time off so I can join my friends and family back in India to share the celebrations.

Over the last couple of decades, we’ve seen the world become a smaller place, with so many of us working outside of our home country. I believe there is more motivation in acknowledging people from different backgrounds and celebrating together. This can only mean that festivals like Diwali can be and will be celebrated grander than ever before!

Here’s wishing you a very happy Diwali and a prosperous year ahead!