This year, Diwali felt extra special.
Every Diwali, our home here in the US feels a little closer to India. This time, though, it was a new home. We moved from our townhome into our single-family house back in May, and this was our very first Diwali here.
The lights went up, the kurtas and saris came out of the closet, and for a few days our usual routine took a back seat. There was decorating to do, friends and family to visit, and a lot of “Happy Diwali!” to go around. And somewhere in the middle of all that, we were making the first memories in a house that’s slowly becoming ours.
A new chapter, and a first Diwali
Our townhome will always have a special place in our family’s story. So many everyday moments, little celebrations and memories happened there, and we’ll carry all of them with us.
Moving brought the excitement of starting a new chapter. Celebrating Diwali here made that new beginning feel real.
Decorating this year came with a different kind of happiness. As we put up the lights and carried the festive warmth from one room to the next, we weren’t just decorating. We were starting our traditions all over again, in a new place. The first Diwali photos in this house. The first festive visits. The first of what we hope will be many, many celebrations here.
Bringing Diwali home
For me, putting up the lights is where Diwali really begins. The moment the house starts to glow, I get that old, familiar feeling: something special has arrived.
Those lights take me straight back to the Diwalis I grew up with. For Viaan, they’re simply part of his childhood, and I love that. We bring along what we remember and find a place for it in the life we’re building here. The street outside looks nothing like the one I grew up on, and this year even our own front door was new, but the warmth inside felt exactly the same.
And then, of course, the photos. Everyone dressed up, sparklers lit, diyas glowing, and maybe thirty seconds of cooperation from the kids before they’d already moved on to the next exciting thing.
Making time for each other
Diwali is also about people. Visiting friends and family, wishing each other well, and actually sitting down together instead of sending a quick message.
“Happy Diwali” is such a simple thing to say. But saying it in person, with a smile, a proper conversation and kids playing in the next room, is what makes the festival feel complete. This year also brought our first festive visits in the new house, which made them feel even warmer.
Living so far from India makes this matter even more. The friends we celebrate with here become part of our kids’ Diwali too. Years from now, they might remember whose house they visited, who they laughed with, and everyone dressed up in their festive best.
Watching the kids together this year, it struck me that they’re building their own connection to Diwali. What I remember from my childhood is slowly becoming something they’ll remember from theirs.
Welcoming the Gujarati New Year
After Diwali, the celebrations carried on into the Gujarati New Year, and we visited the Swaminarayan temple.
After all the excitement of the festival, it was a calm and meaningful way to start the new year as a family, and in a new home: a little time for faith, for gratitude and for blessings.
For Viaan, the temple also helps tie everything together. The lights and decorations at home are one part of it. The temple connects them to what we believe, and to the wider community we’re part of.
Even a simple greeting like નૂતન વર્ષાભિનંદન (Nutan Varshabhinandan, “Happy New Year”), or the everyday સાલ મુબારક (Saal Mubarak), becomes a small chance to pass on our language.
Why we keep celebrating
Growing up in the US, our kids will have a childhood that looks quite different from ours. We love watching them learn, make friends and feel at home here. But we also want them to know the traditions that are part of their family’s story.
I’ve come to realize that this doesn’t happen through explaining. It happens through doing. Helping put up the lights. Wearing a kurta. Holding a diya. Visiting the people we love. Going to the temple together. And asking why we do all of this.
They won’t understand every custom yet, and that’s completely okay. Understanding can come with time. For now, I just want our festivals to feel joyful and warm, something they look forward to every year.
That’s why we make the effort, even when school days and work schedules don’t pause for Diwali. Every celebration is one more chance to share a story, keep a tradition going, and simply spend time together.
Making this house our home
For Viaan, this Diwali will become part of what he remembers about growing up: the house glowing with lights, all of us dressing up together, celebrating with friends and family, and welcoming the new year at the temple.
We moved in back in May, but it was Diwali that gave us that lovely feeling of really belonging here. With our traditions, our loved ones and our family together, we were making this house our home.
Years from now, I hope we look back at these pictures and smile and say, “That was our first Diwali in this house.”
And maybe, when Viaan decorates a home of his own someday, a little of this childhood will light up with it.
Happy Diwali, and નૂતન વર્ષાભિનંદન, from our family to yours.
— Viki