Diwali reminds us to hold on to the light. A holiday that has come to represent so much more than its literal meaning (the Festival of Lights), Diwali continues to spread new hope, unity, and joy this year. It has found its way across the world, with diaspora communities from the smaller alleys of Little India in Singapore to the popular Diwali Wheel of Light in Leicester, England.
Technology, too, is changing the way we share the celebration of Diwali. Through digital connections, new inclusion and identity has taken hold.
So, here are our tips on how brands and individuals alike can contribute to the growth and success of Diwali celebrations this year.
Use Digital Technology to Capture and Share
When you design Diwali web banners, share a rangoli photo, or post a short video of your celebration, you’re not just adding color to a screen. You’re contributing to a larger digital tapestry that helps light up the world, one story at a time.
Across the diaspora, people are using technology not just to mark the holiday, but to extend its reach. Diaspora families FaceTime across time zones to watch loved ones light diyas. Friends post stories from local Diwali events to show how tradition lives on in new lands. Grandparents record prayers and songs to pass along to younger generations. This is how culture endures (and thrives) in the digital age.
But how can you be part of it?
For starters, you may opt to share your traditions in video format for deeper engagement and inclusion. Even just a quick video of you prepping your mithai or a snapshot of your decorations can invite people to celebrate with you – even if they are far from home. In preparing your Diwali videos, try to explain reasons behind how you mark the holiday, as these insights may help inspire other Diwali celebrations across your viewers and their households and communities.
Consider also using platforms like Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp Status or others to share joy, reflection, and a connection. Using social media templates, digital cards, or even web banners for websites, YouTube, or even LinkedIn can help others mark the celebration in a way that reflects nuance, lived experience and feels personal. Cultural curation is a must.
Don’t worry about getting it perfect either – it just needs to be real.
Preserve Cultural Traditions with Shared Celebrations
Diwali is special to family members living in the diaspora, who often find it difficult to connect with each other or have a diluted sense of their roots. But Diwali is so significant, you have the perfect opportunity to connect with your family, celebrate your culture, and pass on the traditions to the younger generation. Try making rangoli with your family or cooking mithai using your family’s recipe.
Hosting a local food drive, attending celebrations or lighting a diya as a sign of hope and remembrance can all help you to preserve Diwali. By recognizing the past, marking the present, and making way for a better future, Diwali unites people from all over the world to take pride in who they are and where they come from.
Decorate to Educate and Share Joy
The best way to spread awareness and educate others on the significance of Diwali is through decorations, cultural traditions and wider community celebrations. Decorating your home in diyas, rangoli, and torans adds an authentic touch to your home, allowing visitors and passersby to note the colorful celebrations of Diwali.
But, as Diwali grows, so does the growing concern around sustainability. Swapping to LED lights, making homemade goods and reducing overall waste can aid in the journey to net-zero. Sharing your tips, tricks, and personal sustainable Diwali practices can raise awareness and amplify the message on sustainability to a global audience.
Support Cultural Brands and Creators
Beyond the color and lights, Diwali is a celebration of knowledge, goodness, and renewal. One meaningful way to honour these values (especially from within the diaspora) is by supporting South Asian brands, artisans, and creators. Whether you’re buying mithai from a local family-run shop, ordering handcrafted diyas from an online Indian marketplace, or sharing a South Asian creator’s Diwali post, you’re helping keep cultural knowledge and livelihoods alive.
This isn’t just about commerce – it’s about connection. Many of these creators are keeping traditions alive in new contexts, blending heritage with modern expression. By choosing to support them, you’re contributing to a living culture, not just observing it.
And this doesn’t have to end when Diwali does. Following, amplifying, and buying from South Asian brands year-round helps build stronger communities across borders. Sharing light during Diwali is beautiful, but keeping that light glowing beyond the festival is even more powerful.
Diwali’s essence lies in the belief that goodness can spread. That kindness travels. That light, when shared, multiplies. Supporting cultural creators is one small way to live that truth.
Host your own Diwali Feast
One of the most powerful ways diaspora communities can celebrate is by sharing Diwali with others, hosting an intercultural celebration, cooking a Diwali feast for friends or hosting a diya decoration workshop can share the festival of lights with the world, lighting it up with kindness and hope.
Cooking up a storm in the kitchen is a great way to share our culture and delicacies with the world. Take samosas, paneer tikka, chaat, gulab jamun, and barfi for example.
Celebrate Virtually
Again, celebrating virtually, whether it be with family, friends, or strangers is the modern-day twist in celebrating Diwali. And while it may be more pleasant to celebrate in person, in the current day and age, it’s not always possible. Hosting an online meditation session can bring people together on Diwali, finding inner peace and solitude in the comfort of their own home.
If you’re looking to celebrate with family who live abroad, consider hosting virtual events like a livestreamed diya-lighting, a recipe swap over Zoom, or even just a digital photo wall where people across the world can upload and view each other’s celebrations. These collective virtual Diwali celebrations can work wonders for keeping the spirit of the festival alive, even in the cybersphere.
Spreading Diwali Joy Across the Diaspora
Whether your brand celebrates through colorful brand assets or your family hosts a feast for friends, Diwali is more than a holiday. It’s a radiant celebration of life, connection and community. Through shared memories, a lit diya or a handmade scarf from your favourite south-asian brand, your actions contribute to the continued significance of Diwali.
Wherever you are in the world, together, we as a diaspora can create joy, preserve tradition and both physically and digitally share Diwali’s light.
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