FIVE totally simple and really cool Diwali decoration ideas

Photographs: Rupak De Chowdhuri / Reuters Shifra Menezes

Shifra Menezes lists out a few fun decoration ideas to user in the festival of lights

The festival of lights conjures up images of beautiful star bursts of firecrackers and colourful rangoli displays.

Preparing and distributing sweets, family get-togethers and of course, manic shopping for fireworks are just some of the highlights of the season, as is decorating your home with lovely little elements that reflect the joy and revelry of the occasion.

So as you prepare to begin the festivities, here are a few fun decorations ideas to usher in the Diwali celebrations.

Diyas

Small individual diyas, 4-5 diyas arranged in a flower or leaf pattern, larger diyas decorative stands below are just some of the many choices available. And they all come in colours galore! You can choose to match them with the rangoli patterns or colours, making a symmetric design, or instead go all out with mix-and-match colours and shapes.

If you plan to place a few diyas at the threshold of your home, instead of just placing one at each corner, you could arrange the diyas in a petal or flower pattern and do a rangoli around them, creating a lovely design all of your very own.

For all the DIY types out there, a fun little home project can be to gather all the kids of the family and get them to paint diyas with little messages on them or different motifs. These can then be placed around the home and even gifted to family and friends.

If you want to try something new this year, pick up a few Chinese tea lights or floating candles. These can be placed in pretty candle holders or set afloat in a glass bowl filled with water. To add a little more colour, delicately arrange flower petals on the water around the candles. Once the candles are lit, the light and colour will give your home a luminous, welcoming beauty.

FIVE totally simple and really cool Diwali decoration ideas

Photographs: Punit Paranjpe / Reuters

Rangoli

This is the perfect canvas for all the artists among us, but freehand rangolis might not be for everyone. So if you do want to decorate your home with a colourful rangoli, do not fret! A visit to almost any neighbourhood store will yield a wide variety of stencils that you could choose from. Pick up 3-4 different designs and lots of different colours, to match the rest of your Diwali decorations.

And there's no limiting the imagination here: a rangoli with flower petals (the vibrant oranges, yellows, reds of marigolds and roses) or little crushed bits of coloured paper can be used to make your rangoli a little hat ke. Simply stencil out your design on a tile or on the floor. Then drop little balls of paper into paint and let them dry for an hour or two. Once they are dried, with a little bead of glue on each, just colour in the stencil and your rangoli's all done!

FIVE totally simple and really cool Diwali decoration ideas

Photographs: Rupak De Chowdhuri / Reuters

Torans

When it comes to decorating your home for Diwali, a toran to adorn your front door and rangoli at the doorstep are two of the most integral. The toran -- whether store-bought or homemade -- is a wonderful way to add colour to your home and invite family and friends in to participate in the festivities of the season.

If you are short on time, just drop by any neighbourhood store and choose from a wide variety of torans – beaded, floral, ethnic, abstract and many, many more.

If you do happen to have some time on your hands, you could create your own. Drop by a florist and pick up some loose flowers -- marigolds or genda (the season's favourites), roses (whole or just loose petals), orchids (for a more exotic effect), or anything you like -- and a few fresh green leaves for contrast or as separators.

A reel of thick thread and large needle complete the list and you're all set to design your own toran. Now, simply string the flowers together (running the thread through the centres of the flowers), alternating colours and types.

Once you have the length you need, knot the ends and your Diwali toran is ready to be displayed. You could also make a few extra strands that can be hung along the vertical edges of your front door and at the windows.

For a toran that lasts more than a few days, you could swap the flowers for beads. Large colourful wooden beads or multiple strings of fine glass beads are pretty, eye-catching alternatives.

FIVE totally simple and really cool Diwali decoration ideas

Photographs: Rediff Archives

Lights

No Diwali celebration is complete without lights, of course. So stream your windows and balconies with pretty strings of lights, and don't be limited by the oh-so-regular lights either. There are plenty of options to choose from thanks to the light invasion from across the border.

There are tiny fairy lights, lights shaped in the form of leaves, fruits and animals, attractive artistic and abstract themes and forms, and even lights shaped like diyas.

Or if you fancy your creative skills, you could even pick up a few strings of regular lights and pin them up to form your own unique design.

FIVE totally simple and really cool Diwali decoration ideas

Photographs: Sanjay Sawant

Lanterns (Kandeel)

While the kandeel is a must-not-miss, again, there are loads of colourful new designs to choose from. While the traditional ones still remain all-time favourites, you could choose a contemporary design just to add some variety.

Alternatively, you could also take it up as a home project and create your own kandeel. There are plenty of websites that provide detailed instructions of how to put together your own lantern, with just a pair of scissors, some decorative paper and streamers. So set aside a couple of hours and give your Diwali decorations a special, personal touch!

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