Diwali is a religious Hindu festival. The festival starts quite prior to the actual day of celebration, around Dushehra. People start doing the diwali shopping well in advance so that they do not miss any important thing in diwali pooja.
Diwali pooja is considered very auspicious and pious. It is believed that the people, who clean their home, do the diwali decoration with fresh flowers, colors, candles, diyas, etc. and worship Lord Ganesha and Goddess Laxmi on diwali, gets the blessings of both. They become prosper and happy in life.
Lord Ganesha showers blessings for all new beginnings and Goddess Laxmi enhances wealth and goodness. Diwali pooja is done with diwali pooja thali which is decorated with akshat, roli, mouli, fresh coconut, ghee lamp/deep, sweets, flowers, etc. You can make your own thali or buy one from the market or an online store.
People decorate every nook and corner of their homes with earthen lamps, electric lamps, flowers and other decorative items. People wear new clothes on diwali and buy house hold goods, jewelry, new homes, shops, offices, etc. as it is considered very auspicious to do so, on diwali.
Diwali is believed to be very lucky also because it is also the beginning of the Hindu New Year for most of the people. Diwali is celebrated with different customs and traditions all over India, however, the charm and significance of the festival is still the same.
One of the most important traditions is giving diwali gifts to the family member, relatives, friends, neighbors, etc. In Indian culture, giving anything on festivals and otherwise also, is considered good. It is believed that the donator or the giver is blessed by the God and gets double or even more in return.
Well what ever the reason is, it is a good tradition, as the needy people also get a lot of benefit on this great festival. Every body celebrates this joyful festival, be it poor or rich, hence it can be truly called a festival of happiness and light and the celebration for prosperity.
People like to give tradition gifts such as clothes, jewelry, sweets, etc. There are uncountable varieties of sweets in the market. You can also buy sweets online and send diwali sweets to various parts of India and other countries. If you do not like the traditional sweets then you can opt for chocolates for diwali for you and your friends.
You can buy fresh flower bouquet and loose petals and other decorative items from ferns n petals near you or even online. You can give designer candles with diwali crackers and/or soft toy to your friends or kids. You can buy diwali gift hamper and/or diwali gift basket for a combination of diwali gifts. You also have an option of sending online diwali gifts to USA, UK, Canada, etc.