As Diwali is just around the corner, people have started cleaning and planning decorations for their homes. However, the 2020 pandemic has made people hesitant to step out for Diwali shopping. Many have instead opted to showcase their creativity, and jazz up their homes for the celebrations. Here are some inspiring ideas that would beautify your house and add charm to your festivities.
1- String and Fairy Lights:
Diwali decorations mean lots of lights. Earlier, Diya’s were used for decorations, nowadays they are mostly restricted to auspicious occasions. In their stead, lights in various creative forms can be used as Diwali illuminations.
String lights can be draped on your curtain to give a fairy tale look. A bare wall, a wide opening or above your plants, dangle the string lights like a curtain to make it look festal. Make a DIY hula hoop chandelier to highlight your dining table or a decorative corner. You can re-use your wine bottles with string lights as a showpiece or table lights. Fairy lights can be draped around furniture and plants to create a fairy tale look.
2- Rangoli with flowers
Once happy with the sparkling and twinkling lights, the next thing is unmistakably the flowers. Flowers are not only delicate and sweet-smelling, but they are also deemed pure. They are used on auspicious occasions for offerings to deities, and also for decorative purposes.
Rangolis are considered a part of Indian culture, and are most intrinsic parts of celebrations during the auspicious occasions. Creative designs are commonly generated using various colors, but now people have started adding different flowers to create rangoli designs. One can decorate it fully with flowers or opt to use combinations with colors, flowers, candles, and diya.
3- DIY DIYAS
People have opted to go eco-friendly. While few are looking for a low-consumption lighting option, they have also kept the options open to go for the ancestral customs. Kids are excited to showcase their artistic skills by decorating Diyas with mirrors, acrylic colors, clay moldings, paper quilling, and more. Indian culture and festivals are opportunities for kids to finetune and hone their arty skills. Festivals prove to be significant occasions in the growth of children. Kids are the ones who take responsibility of planning the decorations while the elders cater to the meetings and religious part.
4- Lanterns/Kandils
Kandils take us down the memory lanes when in our childhood, paper-kandil making used to bring great joy to us. With modernisation and various other fancy options for decorations, we left them behind. With restricted movement and ample time in hand, Diwali this year, has given us a valid excuse to refresh our skills and teach the next generation this kandil-making.
Diwali decorations have always been incomplete without lanterns. Apart from paper lanterns, you can also make thread lanterns. You can make them using some glue or Fevicol, a bowl, balloons, cotton yarn, and water. First, fix some water mixed glue in a bowl and keep it aside for few minutes after dipping the thread/yarn in the mixture. Now, blow a balloon and wind the soaked thread all around it tightly till you get the desired pattern. Allow the glue to dry for a few hours. As it dries off, burst the balloon and pull it out of the lantern. Insert the string lights in it and hang it up in the desired spot.
These lanterns in varied sizes and colors can be hanged in series or bunches. Usually, bunches in the odd numbering of 3,5,7 goes well with these kandils. These can be dangled from offbeat heights to highlight the desired spot. In case you own a beautiful lawn, hang these paper lanterns in rows. This will give a colorful and artistic look to your lawn.
5- Handcrafted Lampshades
Beautiful lampshades can be created with paper for Diwali. Desired designs are drawn on a paper piece and penetrate it with a compass. Fold the penetrated paper in a cylindrical formation and glue the ends together. Set it over the lamp that scatters the light through the punctured patterns and forms a beautiful image on the surface.
I hope these ideas have helped you set your Diwali decorations in gear. Stay safe and enjoy the festivities. Have a happy Diwali!!!!
Aashi is a working PR professional who enjoys a good amount of her free time reading, cooking, and taking care of her 2 dogs.