Diwali gifts can either be things that are traditionally associated with the holiday, or items that are more modern and creative — and both will surely be appreciated by the recipient! Sure, you can always choose time-honored, all-occasions present such as gifts for tea lovers, gifts for coffee lovers, or toys for kids, many of the Gift ideas (and decorations!) we’ve rounded up below are associated with the central themes of this important fall holiday.
But first, some basics…
What is Diwali, and why is it celebrated?
Diwali, the biggest holiday in India, is an important religious festival for Hindus, Jains, Sikhs, and some Buddhists. Celebrations for this festival of lights vary by religion, country, and region, but in general, people exchange gifts (clothing, jewelry, sweets, dried fruits, and so on), get together for family feasts, and brighten their homes with flowers, candles, and oil lamps called diyas.
When is Diwali?
In 2021, Diwali begins on Thursday, November 4, and lasts for five days.
What are the best gifts to give for Diwali?
To find the perfect gift for the festival of lights — or to get a few suggestions for decorations — check out our big list of picks below!
Best Diwali Gifts For Family
Numi Organic Tea By Mood Gift Set
What a great idea for a tea sampler! This box of 40 tea bags — packaged in a pretty box — features eight flavors that include a breakfast blend (for focus), jasmine (to reflect), Moroccan mint (to refresh), and chamomile lemon (to sleep). The teas are all organic and only contain real fruit, flowers, and spices. Bonus: Numi is a Certified B Corp and is fair trade and climate neutral certified! One gift-giver noted, “I bought this for my sister-in-law who is a huge tea drinker and she loved it. She enjoyed the descriptions of each tea as they coincided with her moods.”
HAITRAL Industrial Desk Lamp
Sticking to the “light” theme, this lamp would be perfect for a nightstand or desk. (Just make sure the gift recipient is into modern design!) The lamp is compatible with incandescent, halogen, LED, and CFL bulbs (bulb not included) — as well as Edison bulbs like this one, which is similar to what’s pictured. Here’s what one happy customer wrote: “Absolutely love this lamp, so much so, I ordered another one for my room and one for a friend. … Has that industrial look, yet modern, sturdy and lightweight, very aesthetically pleasing. Definitely recommend!”
Mala the Brand Soy Candle
The popular candles from Mala the Brand are hand-poured in Vancouver with clean-burning soy wax and a FSC-certified wooden wick. (The certification denotes responsible forest management.) They are paraben-free, phthalate-free, and paraffin-free — and their fragrances have creative names like “cabin fever,” “succulent,” “cereal,” and “fireside.” One customer wrote, “This candle is EVERYTHING!!! I’m obsessed with the scent and the company is ethical and uses amazing ingredients. I LOVE supporting womxn POC owned brands and this one makes sure to decrease their carbon footprint.”
Cocod'or Signature Rose & Bamboo Reed Diffuser
This bestselling diffuser includes 6.7 oz. of fragrance oil in a glass bottle, plus five reed sticks. Besides this rose & bamboo scent, you can choose from “garden lavender,” “black cherry,” “pomegranate,” “lovely peony,” and several others. What you won’t find is trichloroethylene, didecyldimethylammonium chloride, toluene, xylene, or styrene — chemicals that can be irritating and harmful. One reviewer shared, “I opted for Black Cherry and well, I don’t know what black cherry is supposed to smell like but this smells GOOOOOOD! This scent brings so much peace and tranquility to my messy and chaotic room.”
Best Diwali Gifts for Kids
Binny's Diwali by Thrity Umrigar
This children’s book, which was written for kids aged 4–8 and published in 2020, teaches young readers about Diwali through the story of a girl named Binny, who — even though she’s nervous — tells her classmates all about the holiday, which is her favorite! The illustrations are colorful and eye-catching, and the book has many positive reviews, including this one: “I am surprised by this Diwali book. It is actually engaging and realistic to the typical Hindu kid’s Diwali experience. It was not ‘telling’ what Diwali meant, but ‘showed’ the meaning through the text and the art.”
GoLine Kitty Night Light
In keeping with the “festival of lights” theme (but diverging a bit) is this adorable cat night light for kids. (I would totally buy this for myself.) It’s made from BPA-free, washable silicone, is USB-chargeable, and has both a white-light mode and a mode that cycles through colors. Measuring about 4″ x 4″ x 6″ inches, it makes a great little night light. One of the thousands of positive reviews says, “It illuminates the room but softly enough to not be a distraction and keep up a child.”
Diwali 50 Activity Book
This activity book is one of 14 titles in a series called Maya & Neel’s India Adventure Series. It’s created by two authors who are “indie authors and 1st generation Indian immigrants, who have dedicated the past decade to spreading multiculturalism.” The book, a bestseller at Amazon, helps kids celebrate Diwali with crafts, recipes, puzzles, coloring, dance-alongs, and more. One dad noted in a review that his daughter “is absolutely obsessed with it and completed it just in two days.”
Jozo Star Projector Night Light
What a fun gift for a kid’s room — and it has a 4.5-star rating from more than 2,000 reviews! This projector night light makes a starry sky appear on the walls and ceiling with four color options (white, blue, green, and red). You can choose a single color or a combination that’s “recommended by sleep experts.” (Check out the great customer photos to see the designs.) One mom noted, “The coolest light ever!! Worth every penny! I set it for 60 minutes each night and my toddler loves looking at the lights while he is trying to fall asleep!”
Best Corporate Diwali Gifts
Barnett's Gourmet Chocolate Biscotti Cookies Gift Basket
The biscotti in this gift box look so, so good — plus, they’re free of additives, preservatives, and trans fat. The toppings include peppermint, coconut, candied almonds, cookie crumbs, and caramel chips. Best of all, reviewers mention that these aren’t like some biscotti that are so hard you worry about cracking a tooth. Here’s a part of mom’s very relatable review: “If I knew they were going to be as good as they were I would of hidden them and ate them without the kids.”
Lulu Candles Jasmine, Oud & Sandalwood Soy Candle
Lulu Candles are super popular and have tons of positive reviews. With almost 30,000 (!) customer reviews at Amazon, this style has earned a 4.5-star rating. The candles have long burn times and are made in the U.S.A. from eco-friendly soy wax. Other fragrance options in this 9 oz. size are amber rose & sheer musk, lemon & vanilla bean, and blueberry cobbler (and now I’m hungry). One reviewer shared, “The candle was brilliant. It smelled great from the start but not overpowering. … It lasted approximately 50 hours.”
Coffee Masters Around the World in Twelve Coffees Gift Set
The “Around the World in Twelve Coffees” theme of this gift set is such a fun idea. Each of the 12 “Perfect Potful” packets (ground, not beans) makes 8–10 cups of coffee. (The product description helpfully notes that equals 11,400 mg of caffeine!) The coffee blends’ origins include Guatemala, Indonesia, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Honduras. One reviewer noted, “I wanted to try some other coffees, but I don’t like to buy a whole bag of ground or beans of something I may end up not liking. This is a wonderful way to try a lot of different blends one pot at a time.”
Best Diwali Decorations
Craftsman 10-Piece Handmade Brass Oil Lamps for Diwali
This 10-piece diya (oil lamp) set is made of pure brass, and each has a very pretty, traditional design. They’re made in Uttar Pradesh, a state in northern India, and measure about 1” x 2.5”. (One review notes that tea lights can also fit inside.) Other sizes of sets are available, from two pieces to 50 (!). One reviewer noted that their aunt’s guests all wanted to know where she got them from.
IndoTribe Clay Diwali Candle Holders
The pictured designs and color combinations for these handmade clay diyas (oil lamps) look great — but there are other pretty options available, too! They’re also just the right size for tea lights. The diyas are made in Kolkata and handpainted in Gujarat. One reviewer noted, “These beautiful lamps (diyas) lit up our Diwali… I was afraid that the diyas might get damaged during delivery, however [they were] very carefully packaged and delivered.”
zkee Mini Lanterns with Flickering LED
These petite lanterns aren’t designed specifically for Diwali, but they’re very pretty, and their flickering LED light is safely powered by batteries. (The button cell batteries are included.) You can choose from four colors: silver, gold, brushed gold, and black (note: not the genuine metals, just to be clear!). With their little loops for hanging, you can put them anywhere! One (non-Diwali) review reads, “They are beautiful. I love the color and design. I have already gotten compliments from many people.”
Homeimpro Solar LED Outdoor Lantern
Judging by the 1,644 5-star reviews it’s collected, you can’t go wrong with this solar-powered LED lantern! The stainless-steel, weather-resistant lamp charges during the day (well, sunny days, at least!) and automatically lights up at night — for up to eight hours. Both options, the blue and the white, look great, and the intricate design creates a pretty light pattern. One happy customer shared, “I’ve placed it among my plants and it really looks amazing at night. I really like how it’s a soft yellow light rather than the harsh LED blue tints. The light stays nice and bright all night.”
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