Students celebrating Diwali in Liverpool have found ways to celebrate, despite being away from family.
Diwali, also known as the festival of lights, is a widely celebrated holiday amongst Indian people around the world, often marking the occasion in temples, or in their homes with family members.
Since many students in Liverpool are studying away from family, the main place to go to celebrate is the Hindu Cultural Organisation, which is a great alternative as they include all traditional festivities.
Malvika and Shreyash, a couple from India who are currently studying in Liverpool, explained how they celebrate Diwali as they were on the way back from the Hindu Cultural Organisation.
They described the differences between celebrating the festival at home, in India where it is more traditional, and in Liverpool, where it is harder to carry out all of the traditions as they are in accommodations away from family.
Malvika said: “As we are students, we don’t have a Puja or a temple in our home, so we just go to the temple, which is a community thing.”
”The Puja is a worship ritual done towards the divine, which is in an image. In the Hindu religion, they would offer flowers, candles, food and water to the divine, however, for students in Liverpool, this is not always possible.
She added: “It’s very different from the Indian culture, what we do, of course, in India we are with family, and here we are alone, so we need to mix with the community who are there.”
Shrevash said: “It’s one of the biggest festivals in India, so it will be happy vibes everywhere, people will buy new clothes, they have holidays from work and students have holidays from school.”
The festival symbolises the spiritual victory of Dharma, a God, over the evil spirit of Adharma, signifying light over darkness.
It is a Hindu festival, meaning that although most in India take part in the festivities, some regions, like the south of India, may be less likely to celebrate, or would celebrate in different ways.
This may include dressing slightly differently, in terms of the traditional outfits, or not celebrating at all if they are of a different religion, such as Buddhist or Sikh.
Mahi Kara, a 20-year-old student, discussed her favourite parts of Diwali.
She said: “My favourite part I think is the food. There’s so much and it’s so good.”
She elaborated: “Sometimes there’s food I haven’t had in a while because the last time I had it was Diwali or maybe a wedding and I’m like ‘yes, amazing I’ve been waiting all year.’”
This food includes traditional Indian cuisines such as Pani Puri and chickpea and potato curry.
She also explained how Diwali is more than just a festival for her.
She said: “It definitely means family for me.
“Me, my sister and my mum spend time decorating the house with tea lights and rangoli patterns.”
Mahi shed light on the fact that the decorations are so the Goddess Lakshmi can find her house and bring fortune and protection from the dark
Another positive coming from the festival, is that it is a time for students who live away from family, like Mahi, to spend time at least once each year to catch up.
Although it can be harder for students in Liverpool to celebrate this festival away from family, there are local communities in the city where these traditions do take place each year, with the most popular being the Hindu cultural organisation.
@merseynewslive Diwali is the festival of lights and was celebrated yesterday in Liverpool, Monday 20th October 2025. Students away from home celebrate at the Hindu Cultural Organisation with traditional festivities! Do you celebrate Diwali?! #liverpool #student #diwali #celebration
♬ Happy Diwali – Arpita Mukherjee,Meenal Jain,Sandeep Batra,Vishal Kothari & Kavita Soni
