Looking for New and Unique Ideas for Wishing This Diwali? 5 Truly Exceptional Wishes for Dhanteras and Diwali and 5 Interesting Concepts to Make It Special!!!

Dhanteras or Dhantrayodashi is the first day of a 5-day festive celebration during Diwali. As per popular belief, on Dhanteras Goddess Lakshmi comes out of the ocean during the churning of the Milky Sea and hence, she’s honoured along with Lord Kuber (God of Wealth). It is celebrated as Lakshmi Puja in the evening with the lighting of tiny clay diyas to dispel negativity and shadows of evil entities. Songs of devotion and traditional sweet offerings are made with puja rituals including incense, camphor, ghee, flowers and more. From Dhanteras to the 5th-day post-Diwali these offerings continue with a lot of festive fervour and gaiety, in addition, to the purchase of precious metals like gold, platinum or silver in the form of coins, jewellery or utensils, which is considered auspicious on the day.

Diwali festivities begin with Dhanteras on the first day, followed by Naraka/Roop Chaturdasi or Choti Diwali on the second day, Diwali on the third day, Govardhan Puja on the fourth and Bhai Dooj on the final day. Dhanteras is considered auspicious in honour of Ma Lakshmi and Lord Kuber, while Choti Diwali sees homes and streets adorned with fairy lights and clay lit diyas, in honour of Lord Krishna’s feat over Naraksur, a demon king. Diwali is the main celebratory event during which Ma Lakshmi and Lord Ganesha are worshipped with a proper puja ritual, lights, sweets and more! Goverdhan Puja, a day after Diwali is celebrated to honor Lord Krishna’s feat over Indra by lifting the Govardhan Mountain, while the fifth day is a rakhi equivalent for sisters, when sisters perform a tilak ceremony for their brothers by applying a teeka of rice & vermilion for the brother’s long life, also marking the end of Diwali celebrations.

India being the cultural hub of different religious beliefs, customs and practices, there are age-old norms attached to each sect of the society as well, based on generations of folklore and traditions. Despite our liberal thoughts and evolution into a modern society, most people choose to follow these norms, for fear of losing out on life’s good and abundance. Some associated beliefs with Dhanteras and Diwali are still followed and you can choose to be just aware and or follow them for your personal satisfaction.

On Dhanteras, Lakshmi Puja should be performed for sure during Pradosh Kaal (immediately following the sunset) to invoke abundance and good luck in life. Any purchase of gold is said to multiply in good fortune, and cow worship is considered very auspicious. Abstain from lending money on the day, making any payments or paying back any debts, as symbolically it is all about receiving prosperity and not giving out.

It is believed that during Diwali, the altar should be set up in the north-east direction of the home or office, with the idols facing the east and people performing the puja should be seated facing the north direction. The main lamp during the puja should be lit with ghee and the number of diyas in the ritual should either be 11, 21 or 513, with a mustard oil lit diya in a home’s south-east corner, kept lit throughout the Diwali festivities. It is also said that Ma Lakshmi only visits places that are neat & clean, well lit, and free of all conflict, quarrels or disagreements! Her blessings are manifold and families who involve each member in the puja derive peace, harmony, health & happiness always.

Everyone enjoys giving and receiving good wishes, gifts and lots of love during festivities and celebrations. They signify the warmth, happiness, peace and prosperity of our well-wishers, friends and family. Not to mention the gifts of abundance and of course personal interests! Diwali celebrations are one of the biggest festivals in our country and rightfully a harbinger of happiness galore when people from all walks of life come together to share their joys and things alike.

Celebrated all across the world, the festival marks the advent of a new year and the victory of good over bad, light over darkness. Apart from home décor, exchange of sweet treats, gifts and spending a lot of money, one of the best ways of spending Diwali is together with your loved ones, you can wish well for the people who’re special in life by celebrating the day with them, or sending personalized messages of love and light to them by video messages or voice notes as well. Or, be creative, make an initiative and wish everyone in a different language this Diwali!

House cleaning in honour of Diwali is no less of a spring cleaning! Considered one of the biggest celebrations in the year in India, Diwali has most of us occupied with preparations, right from discarding clutter, cleaning our space, buying new things to decorating the house and getting gifts for people close to us. Home decoration these days is no easy feat, with a variety of expensive and drool worth options available in the market to do up our personal space and offices alike. However, one doesn’t need to invest heavily in decorations always. Here are some inexpensive yet beautiful ways of decorating your home for Diwali.

A paper cup garland is an all year through piece of décor that can be left hanging long after Diwali’s over, in place of fairy lights. You can use LED lights in order to prevent any fire hazards with paper garland and over-heating challenges. All you need to do is wrap some paper cups with different decorative papers of your choice and put a hole on the base of the cup, cutting it with a knife, big enough to hold the lights and small enough to avoid letting the bulb slip to the bottom of the cup!

You can also create a beautiful toran made of crepe paper, which will last longer than fresh flower garlands and is much brighter and captivating than a plastic toran. You can be as creative with colours as you’d like your toran to be and attach bright embellishments like vibrantly coloured pom poms, tassels and bells. This can also be used for other festive occasions later.

There are other options like mason jars in different sizes, wrapped in lace, ribbons or yarn with t-light candles inside, or paper bag luminaries with battery operated candles. All you need is to punch some holes in a paper bag with a decorative punch or safety pin or a needle! You can also decorate t-light candles with washi tapes in different colours and designs, which matches the width of the holders mostly. And then there are the hand-painted diyas always that can be adorned with acrylic paints, embellishments and colours/patterns galore.

You can wish your loved ones, with a mix of e-greetings and/or paper greetings as well. With a variety of options like text messages, WhatsApp messages and greetings, wishes on the social media platform, digital greetings and paper crafts, there’s no dearth of expressing your feelings during such joyous occasions.

Dhanteras is all about celebrating the richness in your life and invoking Ma Lakshmi’s blessings manifold, so your greetings should signify wishes of opulence, prosperity and presence in your loved ones’ lives. Quotes and wishes that call for a bright future, glowing life, wealth & prosperity, good health & abundance, peace & harmony, togetherness and divine blessings make for a lovely and thoughtful greeting for Diwali festivities.

In addition to expressing happiness and harmony, you can make your wishes for Dhanteras and Diwali more special and personalized by adding little tokens of love and light with your greetings. For instance, paper crafted figurines of Ma Lakshmi and Lord Ganesha is an auspicious way of wishing someone a lifetime of good things, while gifting a handmade dream catcher is a perfect way of wishing prosperity & growth, hanging globe terrariums make for a creative & unique wish of abundance and progress as will decorative handcrafted diyas, signifying light to banish all negativity and darkness from one’s life. You can also invite your friends and family over for Diwali, light some sparklers together and celebrate with healthy banter, sweet treats, music & dance, games, etc.

You can add to the festivities and wishes by sharing edible gifts by cooking some drool-worthy sweets and savouries, perfect for celebratory Diwali exchange. For instance, savouries like namakpaare, mathri or besan sev and sweet treats like balushahi, laddoo, barfi, pedha, kaju katli, gulab jamun, halwa and shahi tukda are perfect for the festive greetings, in addition to other snacks like dry fruits, chivda, chirote, chakri and more!

We all have numerous things at home or office which we never use, or have been lying around useless for ages. Instead of letting them take up space without reason yet another year, why not donate it all to someone in need. Become a Santa Claus this Diwali with festive treats! You’d extend the gesture by remembering and honouring the working class as well. There is a whole lot of people who end up working on Diwali for us, like our society watchman or delivery executives, policemen for our safety. Share the gift of love and light with them by gifting them sweets, chocolates or flowers and make their festival even more special!

You have only one home, but your house help has plenty of tasks that are taxing, or endless or you may have a part-time maid who has several houses to clean during the festivities. Instead of sitting back and lazying around, judging them for their average skills, why not make an initiative and offer them a helping hand! You’d also volunteer with police, fire department or hospitals in rescuing burnt victims and offer help in keeping your city safe during the festival time.

Diwali may not always be a happy time for some people, like the elderly living without their families at an old age home or kids who don’t have families in an orphanage. Uplift their spirits by making Diwali special for them by spending some time, or sponsor some books or food for them. Offer to decorate an old age home or an orphanage with rangoli, diyas and more to help alleviate the residents’ mood during the festive season, in addition to sharing sweets and inexpensive gifts with them that signify love, and togetherness.

Take your employees/colleagues out for lunch this Diwali; Considering every one works so hard, it's only fair that everybody takes some time off and celebrate the festivities together! A bonus may be great, but sharing a meal is even better, with witty banter and special treats to express your thoughts of good luck and prosperity for one and all. You can also organize a small bash at the office with a potluck lunch and or a get-together at home for your colleagues and usher in harmony and celebrations in your own space!

The soldiers of our country put their lives in danger for our protection, without any bias and/or care for their well-being. The least we can do is express our gratitude and wish them a "Happy Diwali", giving them a reason to feel warm, loved and admired! There are portals where at the click of a button, you can send personalized wishes to the Armed Forces and wish the best for them, or better still sponsor some sweet treats and supplies for them as well. Just as a little token of gratitude and to honour their protective presence in our lives.

Being one of the most significant festivals in Hinduism, Diwali is celebrated by many other communities with equal fervour and gaiety if not more. In lighting up the dark, this festival unites different regions of the country with excitement and grandeur, symbolizing the good everywhere. With different meanings true for the festivities in different sections of the society, Diwali is significant just as well in Sikhism, Buddhism and Jainism as it is in Hinduism. From celebrating Lord Ram’s return from his exile in North India to Lord Krishna defeating the demon king Narakasura in South India, to marking the day of Emperor Ashok’s conversion to Buddhism and Lord Mahavir’s attainment of Nirvana, to the homecoming of Guru Har Gobind Ji from the Emperor Jehangir’s captivity, Diwali may have different reasons of celebration, but it unites everyone together all over the country alike.

Celebrated joyfully and colourfully everywhere, Diwali is enjoyed differently in various parts of the country, for instance, in Jaipur, the whole city’s decked up royally with the streets, homes and market places lit with sparkling lights, captivating fireworks in a shimmering display of colours against a dark blue sky. In Varanasi, scores of people assemble to witness the popular Ganga Aarti in the evening, with thousands of diyas floating in the river and priests chanting prayers, singing in honour of Ma Lakshmi and Goddess Ganga. In Chennai, Diwali commences with a traditional oil bath and then an elaborate puja ritual, while in Delhi, not only is the weather a bit chilly, but also perfect to enjoy countless streams of twinkling lights decorating the entire city, giving off a warm and festive glow everywhere.