Diwali is a significant festival in Indian culture. As the festival is nearing, many people have already begun making preparations for the carnival of lights. Diwali! The festival which celebrates the triumph of good over evil, right over wrong, light over darkness, and knowledge over ignorance, provides a reason to enjoy, socialise, and share happiness, as well as a purpose for traditional Diwali decoration!
This Diwali, let’s vow to be responsible and produce less trash and pollution. Given the current situation, which has transformed a vast section of the country into a gas chamber, an eco-friendly Diwali is a way to go if you want to experience the genuine spirit of the festival. Diwali is more than a celebration; it is a chance to get together and share your creative artistic abilities with friends and family.
Decorating the home is a lovely Diwali tradition. When purchasing Diwali decorations, make sure the materials are eco-friendly. Instead of buying plastic decor, opt for natural flowers or you can even recycle old dupattas and sarees to make colourful curtains. Send a seed or sapling with each present so that even if just one person grows it, you have introduced new plants to the earth and made it a green Diwali.
You can use these Diwali decorations to start new beginnings for eco-friendly living:
Make Diwali lanterns that are not harmful to the environment.
Candles or Diwali lanterns are a must-have for Diwali decor. Instead of buying a store-bought lantern, make your own to add a personal touch to your Diwali decorations this year. Make captivating lantern designs using coloured craft paper, newspaper, or even paper cups.
Make lanterns made from recycled glass jars.
Spray paint on antique jam jars, sauce bottles, pasta jars, pickle jars with bright colours, and make fashionable designs with gold/silver glitters. Voila! Your Moroccan-themed recycled glass lantern is ready for Diwali.
Offer creative gifts to neighbours.
Gift eco-friendly products such as seed balls, jute bags, plant saplings, and khadi clothing. These environmentally friendly goods ensure the well-being of everyone around you as well as the environment.
Make lovely candles out of seashells.
Do you recall all of the seashells you gathered on your beach vacations? Now is the time to put them to good use for your Diwali displays. You can melt candle wax in those shells and make beautiful candles out of them.
Avoid using plastic wherever possible.
During parties, you may need a large number of utensils to serve your guests. Rather than using plastic disposables, use ceramic and biodegradable dishes. It is best to go plastic-free as soon as possible.
Make newspaper hangings for the wall.
Wall hangings produced from scrap materials can brighten up your space and bring your walls to life. Most homes have an abundance of newspapers and magazines, which you may turn into a lovely wall hanging with little effort. These innovative Diwali decoration ideas may bring the entire family together in a pleasant activity, strengthening ties and sharing joy. Choosing papercrafts would also bring you closer to a green and environmentally sustainable Diwali. It will let your creative juices run while also allowing your family to create a sense of unity as you decorate.
Another idea to make your eco-friendly, no-plastic Diwali more effective is to utilise old waste paper cups at home to build a string of miniature lamps to adorn your walls. Cut a slice at the base of each glass to hold the light within when inserted; give plain colours or put tiny polka dots, lines, or floral prints over the glasses.
Use vintage sarees/bedsheets to renovate your house.
Have you got any old, worn-out sarees or bed sheets that you no longer use? Utilise your creativity to repurpose these as curtains, pillow coverings, tablecloths, and even blanket covers. Renovate your house with a touch of luxury from the past.
Make lamps made from recycled CDs.
You must have discovered stacks of CDs that are no longer in use when cleaning your home study space. Reap this holiday season to give things a new lease on life by upcycling them into beautiful lamps. The best thing is that you do not have to deal with the trouble of breaking CDs and putting the parts together.
Use natural ingredients or fresh blossoms for rangoli instead of artificial colours.
During festivities, rangoli made with flowers provide food for bugs and other creatures. People nowadays use artificial tones, which are both harmful and ineffective. Therefore, use rice powder, turmeric powder, coffee, and similar ingredients to bring out white, yellow, and red shades.
Light eco-friendly candles that are good for the environment.
It is a common misconception that all candles are non-toxic. The majority of candles are, in fact, composed of paraffin wax which emits harmful smoke. Even artificially scented candles are unhealthy. Choose candles made with soy wax, beeswax, or other natural materials.
At home, you may make lamps or even a chandelier out of old clear bottles. Put tiny colourful lights in the transparent bottles, arrange them on the top in the way you choose, then turn them on to create your starry sky.
Parting words:
This Diwali, also donate to the needy. Nobody can adequately express the delight of giving. Give away clothes that are in good shape but that you no longer wear. You can donate notebooks, textbooks, and old books to the public library or a local public school if you are done needing them. If you end up getting too many sweets, please give them away so that you may brighten up someone else’s Diwali as well!
