Diwali is considered one of the world's oldest religious celebrations, a Festival of Lights that honors the Hindu god Lord Rama’s defeat of the demon king Ravana. Traditionally, Hindus illuminated their village to welcome Rama home on a moonless night. Today, local residents all over India decorate their homes with clay lamps, or diyas, on Small Diwali, then purchase new clothes, offer prayers, light fireworks, and share a plentiful feast.
After hotel pickup in the late afternoon, your guide takes your small group to shop for Indian garments before the annual fall celebration begins. Skip the overcrowded marketplace and head to a specialty shop known for clothing and other sustainable products made by rural artisans who use traditional skills and hand-based processes.
Women can have fun trying on silk cotton saris, skirts and dupattas (long scarves) while the men in the group can dress in kurtas (long tunics) and nehru jackets. Shop assistants can help you decide what to purchase, but you won’t have to bargain since everything has a fixed price.
After shopping, head to the home of a local family and experience a traditional welcome with a beverage. Slip off your shoes to enter their home, where you can learn about Diwali’s history and its associated festivities as you sip chai tea and enjoy light Indian snacks.
People offer prayers to Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, and Lord Ganesh in homes and Hindu temples, where doors and windows are left open to allow prosperity to pass through. During you visit to a home, see powdered colors poured on the floor to create intricate designs called rangoli. Women and girls can pay to have the palms of their hands decorated with henna in traditional Indian design patterns (see Additional Info for more details).
For dinner, your small group shares an authentic Indian feast with the host family. Dine on a selection of dishes accompanied by rice, Indian bread, salad, curd and pickle followed by desserts. When darkness falls, watch a fireworks display illuminate Delhi’s skyline and join the celebration as locals spark firecrackers in the streets.
Return to your Delhi with plenty of memories of the joyous occasion.