No crackers, only lights: Dubai homes sparkle as Indian families celebrate Diwali

As the evening settles over Dubai, the lanes of Karama and Bur Dubai burst into life, glowing in festive light and spirit of Diwali, which will be celebrated on Monday, October 20.

String lights snake along balconies, LED lamps flicker gently on window sills, and candles shimmer on driveways. Sweets shops spill over with trays of colourful sweets and savouries, especially in the old parts of Dubai.

Diwali, also known as Deepavali, is one of the most important and widely celebrated festivals in India and among Indian communities around the world — including in the UAE. For Indian families across the Emirates, Diwali is more than a festival — it's a bridge to home, a way of staying rooted even while living miles away.

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'Giving' while celebrating

Geetanjali Kumar, a UAE resident for the past eighteen years, highlighted that for her family, Diwali is as much about giving as it is about celebrating.

“When people are away from their tradition, this is the time when I can teach our children,” she said. “We cook traditional food, invite friends who are like family, and make grocery gift packs for those who need it.”

Each year, Geetanjali and her family prepare small hampers of rice, lentils and essentials for community helpers — security guards, drivers and cleaners — and hand them out with their children’s help.

“It’s a simple thing, but it teaches them empathy,” she said. “It’s the spirit of Diwali— spreading light in someone else’s life.”

Geetanjali Kumar

Her husband, who runs a shipping-related business, holds a morning prayer at his office, where staff families are invited. In the evening, Geetanjali lights diyas (oil lamps) at home, and the family gathers for dinner.

“We must observe such festivals so that the next generation knows our culture, no matter where we live,” she added. “I’m a teacher — so I want children to learn that joy comes from kindness and togetherness.”

Geetanjali with her daughter

Sweet nostalgia and a glow of memories

Across the city, in Arabian Ranches, Sheetal Sablepatil is busy dusting shelves and kneading dough. For her, Diwali begins not with lights, but with cleaning and decluttering.

"That’s how I saw my mother do it — clearing the unwanted and making space for the new," she said. "We prepare karanjis, a Maharashtrian sweet (Maharashtra, a state in India) stuffed with coconut. Her kitchen is a fragrant blur of home-made treats — laddoos, sev, chiwda and shakkar pare.

Sheetal Sablepatil preparesDiwali delicacies

Rangoli decoration at Ritu Agarwal's villa

“I prefer making them at home because once a year I want my children to experience this tradition of preparing sweets and savouries at home — to know what tradition looks like,” Sheetal said. “They might not have school holidays in Dubai like we did back in India, but they observe. And observation makes a big difference.”

Her villa is shimmering with lights, and for the past 18 years, she and her closest friends have celebrated one evening together — an unspoken tradition that has outlasted time. “Diwali is about celebrating bonds with family, friends, and everyone who is part of our lives. I like marking it with lights, laughter and not the noise of firecrackers," she smiled.

Sablepatil's decked-up Arabian Ranches villa

Sheetal creates patterns on the floor called rangoli to decorate her house.

Like many families, the Sablepatils also hold a small prayer at their office, symbolically starting a new accounting book — a custom that has survived even in today’s digital age.

“It’s representational — starting afresh, with gratitude,” she explained. “Every day of Diwali has a meaning, a purpose. For us, it starts early, before sunrise, with the abhyang snan — the oil bath and prayers. It fills the day with good energy.”

Her memories stretch back to a time that has stayed with her even after all these years.

“Once, in 2006, we were in Jumeirah and some Emirati families passing by in their car wished us Happy Diwali. It was such a warm moment — that gesture showed the spirit of this city,” she recalled.

“The lights, the prayers, the food — they remind us where we come from,” said Sheetal. “It’s how we bring a piece of India (for a few days) into this beautiful city that we call home.”

Balancing faith, festivity and work

In the Springs, yoga instructor Ritu Agarwal strings the last row of fairy lights across her villa’s terrace. The house glows softly as her family gets ready for five days of Diwali celebrations — beginning with Dhanteras to Bhai Dooj.

“We decorate the entire villa with lights and perform prayers on most days,” she said. “On Dhanteras, we buy gold jewellery, and during the main Diwali day, we have a special prayer. One of the other days, I cook 18 special dishes.”

For Agarwal, the beauty of celebrating in Dubai lies in finding balance.

“Our karmabhumi — our place of work — is Dubai, and we must respect its rhythm,” she said. “It’s not a holiday here, but that doesn’t mean we celebrate any less. My husband will go to work, my son will go to school, and I’ll teach my yoga class. We’ll come together in the evening for prayers. Work is also worship.”

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