Diya, deepams and everything in between: Diwali celebration across the country through creators' eyes

Whether you call it Diwali or Deepawali, we know that the experiences of celebrating the festival are different across South and North India. As a creator from North Indian, Niharika Jain shares her experience of celebrating the festival.

Diwali is about lights, festivities and a lot of happy moments with our loved ones. The festival is anything but a culmination of a lot of memories that we grew up with. It's when you go out and meet new people that you realise and understand how people from across the country celebrate the same festival. The festival of lights, known as Diwali in North India, is known as Deepawali and is not as similar as one may think. Embracing the diversity that each region adds to each of the cultures, the celebration varies, adding to the extravagance that the festival has to offer. 

For many in North India, Diwali is synonymous with Lakshmi Puja, lights, and parties.For Niharika Jain, Diwali begins with Dhanteras shopping. "Since I’m Jain, we celebrate Diwali as the day Mahavir Bhagwan attained moksh, so it holds deep spiritual significance." Her day is usually filled with poojan, lighting diyas, enjoying mithais, and her favourite part, which is their little family tradition of playing games together after everything is done. Whereas in South India, Deepawali is often celebrated differently, with early morning oil baths. Known as Ganga snanam or enne snana, the family wakes up early in the morning and applies warmed sesame or herbal oils, sometimes mixed with turmeric or sandalwood, to the body.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Niharika Jain (@_niharikajain)

Also Read: 8 types of people we’ve bumped into at a Diwali party!

Many people in the North see Diwali as an evening celebration, but in the South, it begins before sunrise. After the oil bath, it is about dressing up in the new Diwali outfits, feasting on freshly made snacks and going bonkers with firecrackers. No matter how different each of their celebration is, one thing is constant, and that's the festive chaos. From decorating homes to dressing up and attending pujas, there's a lot that goes into finding a balance between all of them while creating content. Niharika thinks content creation has become a part of her lifestyle now, making it easier for her to create content while preparing for the festival. "I just capture bits of the process rather than creating something staged. Balance is about enjoying the moment first, and content comes naturally if you’re genuinely having fun."

One also cannot miss out on the family rituals or customs that make Diwali feel special every year. "One of our family traditions is playing this fun silver coin game." Niharika's family have coins with Lakshmi Ganesh ji on them, mix them with other silver coins, toss them, and then count how many Lakshmi Ganesh ones each of us got. "The number decides who’s going to be the lucky one with wealth and earnings that year. It’s a small game, but it makes Diwali night so much more fun and memorable for us."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Niharika Jain (@_niharikajain)

While there are multiple things to fixate on during this festival, Niharika finds the diyas to the a genuine reason for her to look forward to the festival. "There’s something so calming about lighting them one by one. It feels like bringing light and hope into every little corner. But I won’t lie, mithai and get-togethers are close seconds."

No matter if one celebrated Diwali or Deepawali, a lot of this also depends on getting the chance to meet with our loved ones and spending joyful times with them. But there have been times when creators like Niharika had to spend it away from home. "When I was working in the entertainment industry, I was part of the reality team for Bigg Boss. Since the show runs even during Diwali, there were no holidays. We did celebrate in Lonavala with the team, but of course, it was my first Diwali away from home. I missed my parents a lot. I even ended up video calling them during pooja because the homesickness was real." While she hasn't had the chance to celebrate or experience a Deepawali-style celebration, Niharika is excited and open to it. "I find it so beautiful how Deepawali is celebrated differently in the South, and I’d love to be part of that someday."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Niharika Jain (@_niharikajain)

No matter what you call it, Diwali or Deepawali, we know the true essence of the festival lies in the shared joy, warmth, and traditions that bring people together across regions. Through Niharika’s North Indian lens, we see how personal memories, cultural roots, and evolving lifestyles shape the way festivals are celebrated. Whether it’s early morning oil baths in the South or late-night family games in the North, the diversity in celebration only adds richness to the festival of lights. At its heart, Diwali is a reminder of togetherness, a celebration of light, love, and the little rituals that make each moment memorable.

What does your Diwali celebration looks like? Let us know in the comments below.

For more such stories, follow us on  @socialketchup