It’s that time of the year again; the air is festive. The much loved and awaited festival of Diwali is here. Everyone longs for the victory of light over darkness, of good over evil. It is a time for prosperity, family togetherness, and making memories. This year COVID19 has played spoilsport to many plans. For those who own secluded luxury villas in Goa like Kasu Zama, private celebrations are a great solution to having fun and staying safe. Here are a few tips on having a festive time in your own villa this Diwali.

#1 Lights

Diwali is also known as the festival of lights, every member of the Diwali party needs to be involved in illuminating and decorating the home. Decoration can be made into an activity or a competition, it’s all part of the celebration.

Candles, fairy lights, sky lanterns, or diyas? The lighting options to decorate a luxury villa during Diwali range from the humble clay Diya to crystal bedecked opulent floor lamps.

Try traditional handcrafted brass lamps with multiple wicks in strategic corners of your villa for a magnificent yet minimalistic look. Add elegance and appeal to the interiors with the warm lights from candles. Deck the windows with strings of fairy lights or place them in glass bowls to make creative installations. Line up terracotta diyas by the pool or at the entrance of your villa to bask in the glow of Diwali nostalgia.

#2 Floral arrangements

As synonymous as Diwali is with lights, so it is with flowers. Vibrant yellow marigolds and milky white chrysanthemums along with mango leaves are not only a fixture at pujas but are also used to make beautiful floral rangolis.

Flowers are strung into vibrant wall hangings, are set around floating candles, and displayed in lavish floral arrangements around the home.

Get family and friends together to have fun and explore their creativity with a variety of flowers. Maybe even float some in your pool.

#3 Alternatives to firecrackers

Firecrackers cause injuries, environmental pollution and are detrimental to animals, older people, and people with sound sensitivity issues.

There are fun alternatives to crackers; with a little ingenuity and a lot of spirit of the festivities, it is possible to not miss them at all. Try popping confetti-filled balloons in lieu of bombs and glowsticks instead of sparklers. Elephant toothpaste in the backyard of your luxury villa is a super fun alternative to firecracker fountains and silly string from a can is a lot of fun too.

To really bring out the big guns, a professional can be hired and a personalized laser light show can be organized in the backyard.

#4 Card Games

It is customary to have night-long card game sessions during Diwali, so multiple packs of cards need to be bought in advance.

Folklore has it that goddess Parvati won a game of dice against her husband, Lord Shiva. During the festival each year she bestows prosperity and good fortune on anyone found gambling.

Rummy, poker, and Teen Patti are the games of choice. Bringing Laxmi into the house is the goal.

#5 The Pool

The icing on the cake of having one’s own luxury villa in Goa is the swimming pool. It would be a shame not to have some pool activity as part of the festivities. Besides decorating around the pool with colourful throw rugs and cushions, floating flowers and candles will add to the festive ambience.

When the festivities come to an end; the lavish food and drink consumed, luxurious gifts exchanged, card games fought over and won, what will remain are the wonderful memories of time together in a space that you call home.