Photos: Houses and stores in Dubai are preparing for Diwali

Expats and Indian retailers in the United Arab Emirates have left no precious stones to celebrate the biggest Hindu festival – Diwali. Whether it's shopping without guilt or cleaning their homes in the spring, Indian expats are gearing up to celebrate the festival in Dubai on Wednesday.

Houses in several districts of Dubai, Sharjah and Ajman have been decorated with colorful lights, flowers and festive theme trinkets.

Khaleej Times Wednesday met with expatriates who were preparing to celebrate Diwali, who said the celebrations were taking place in exactly the same way as in India.

Varsha Surekha, a Dubai-based freelance artist, has been decorating shopping centers, offices and homes for Diwali for nine years.

She said Khaleej Times: "Diwali is one of the most colorful festivals in the world and I love the patterns and all the colors that symbolize the festival.People are dressed in colorful clothes, their houses are decorated in so many colors that we meet our friends , our family and parents, it's a great atmosphere.

"Diwali is a very busy time for me, in addition to decorating houses and offices on the outside, I also have to hold parties at home, I create Diwali decorations because I am very passionate about using Indian arts and themes in my works of art, "she said.

This year, Varsha has decorated two lobbies at the Dubai Outlet Mall and will be organizing decoration workshops in the Global Village. "The materials I use are handmade, I use paper pom-poms, flower garlands, umbrellas from India, decorative stickers, mud lamps, etc."

Silky Jain, a professional make-up artist and mother living in the Dubai gardens in Dubai for eight years, said: "We are starting preparations for Diwali a few weeks before the festival, we have put a lot of light into our balcony and put decorating objects all over the house.I'm involving my kids and asking them to make small glitter trinkets to hang around the house. "

Describing the celebrations at home, Silky said: "We buy a lot of treats and we go home for parties held before Diwali.We prepare a small altar for pooja prayers and decorate the house with Rangoli (decorative ground pattern We swap candies, go to friends for parties and play games.

"Even though our parents are back home, we are trying to reduce the gap between celebrating in India and the United Arab Emirates," she added.

Retailers report heavy footsteps

Flower shops, fancy shops and fashion retailers in Meena Bazaar in Bur Dubai are also enjoying a boon in Diwali sales. Jitendra Dadlani, store manager at Regal Fabrics in Meena Bazaar, said, "A week before Diwali, we have seen many visitors, and since the weather has improved, our customers arrive at 11:30 am and a second. At present, clients spend gifts in the form of costumes and saris and buy fabrics. "

Beginning of the festivities with the Dhanteras

On Monday, Diwali festivities kicked off in Dubai with Dhanteras, the first day marking the Diwali festival in India. Residents went to gold stores to buy gold and silver because there has long been a tradition of buying precious metals during dhanteras.

Joy Alukkas, chairman and CEO of the Joyalukkas Group, said: "Dhanteras are of particular importance, especially for business people, as they traditionally believe that buying gold will improve their business. Prosperity Prospects Given its importance, it is common to witness a rush during the festival. "

Gold retailers also reported experiencing a windfall in their sales. Abdul Salam KP, executive director of the Malabar Gold Group, said: "We are seeing an increase of nearly 500% in traffic and sales on Dhanteras, we have achieved a reasonable sale up to now and we are seeing a trend Positive sales figures since the launch of our Diwali promotion. "

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