Diwali, known as the Festival of Lights, is one of the most significant celebrations in South Asian communities around the world. The holiday marks the triumph of light over darkness and good over evil, and is observed through prayer, family gatherings, food, and vibrant cultural traditions.
In Canada, where South Asian communities make up a growing part of the nation’s cultural fabric, with more than 2.3 million people identifying as South Asian, according to Statistics Canada, many are finding personal and creative ways to celebrate.
For some, it’s a time to reconnect with family traditions, and for others, it’s an opportunity to give back or showcase their heritage through digital storytelling.
This year, three Canadian creators — Simrit Talwar, Alisha Virmani and Dhivya Sri — are each marking Diwali in their own way, reflecting on how cultural celebrations can evolve while staying rooted in meaning.
DIWALI IS A “A FULL CIRCLE MOMENT”
For Simrit Talwar, this Diwali feels especially meaningful.
An IT technician by profession and a model and influencer by passion, Talwar moved to Canada from Punjab, India in 2017. This year, she’s celebrating Diwali back home for the first time in five years, and it will also be her young daughter’s very first Diwali there.
For Talwar, Diwali means more than lights and rituals, it’s about passing down practices and creating new memories with the next generation.
“Sharing these traditions with my daughter, watching her experience the colours, lights, and energy of Diwali for the first time in its place of origin — it’s a full-circle moment that I’m really grateful for. It brings a whole new layer of meaning to the celebration for me as a parent.”
Talwar describes her family’s Diwali as simple and heartfelt: cleaning the house, lighting diyas (oil lamps), gathering for prayer and cooking together. For her, it’s never been about grand gestures, but about intention.
One of her most cherished memories is making sweets with her mom and grandmother.
“The house would fill with the smell of cardamom and ghee, and I’d be by their side, more excited to sneak a taste than to help — but still completely immersed. This year, I’ll get to relive that with them along with my mini me, and it honestly means the world,” Talwar explained.
Living in Canada has given her new ways to celebrate — from citywide festivals to supporting local South Asian small businesses — but being in India this year brings a wave of nostalgia.
“Celebrating Diwali in Canada is always beautiful in its own way — more intimate, more curated — but there’s nothing quite like Diwali in India. There’s a collective energy there that’s hard to replicate. The streets, the markets, the sounds — the whole environment moves with the festival.”
IT’S ALL ABOUT BRINGING LIGHT INTO SOMEONE ELSE’S LIFE
For dentist and content creator Dr. Alisha Virmani, celebrating Diwali isn’t just about gathering with friends — it’s also about giving back.
This year, she’s hosting a Diwali potluck where guests are asked not to bring traditional gifts, but donations of menstrual products. These will be delivered to Seva Food Bank, which serves immigrants and international students in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).
“I am very privileged and I’m very lucky enough that I don’t need gifts as a host. I think there are people who need support much more than any kind of token of gesture. And what a beautiful way to celebrate our version of the new year and our largest holiday by sharing that light,” Virmani told Now Toronto.
“Diwali is the festival of light, and I wanted to bring light into someone else’s life.”
In South Asian communities, menstruation is often a taboo subject — something not openly discussed. Virmani wanted to challenge that.
“I think raising awareness was really important just to have that conversation about the importance of menstrual hygiene and how menstruation is a part of normal health. It’s something important, and we need to do our best to make sure menstrual health is attainable for all.”
Her guests have been overwhelmingly supportive, many saying they’ve never attended a Diwali celebration centred on giving back. Alongside the drive, the evening will include games, Bollywood music, and a spread of homemade South Asian dishes from different regions of India.
“Diwali means celebrating togetherness and also celebrating triumph, the ability to bring all your loved ones in the same room and just celebrate all the success that we’ve had throughout the year and just kind of cherish each other’s company and all the milestones that we’ve gone through throughout the year,” Virmani said.
CELEBRATING DIWALI SHINES LIGHT ON SOUTH ASIAN VISIBILITY
For content creator Dhivya Sri, Diwali is about celebrating identity and proudly sharing it online.
Growing up in Ottawa, Sri began creating content in 2021 to showcase her Tamil heritage.
“It started with me doing transitions of looks based on saris and cultural things like wearing the bindi. I’m a Tamil creator, so that’s where it all started. And I would say that’s the base of my page to this day, a lot of it is rooted in showcasing my culture, embracing my darker skin tone, and showing my love for the culture,” Sri told Now Toronto.
For Tamil people, the festival is known as Deepavali, meaning “row of light.” For Sri, it’s always been an intimate family gathering centred on good food and lighting divams (lamps) outside the home.
This year is particularly special since she and her husband just moved into a new house, where they’ll host their first Deepavali celebration together.
For Sri, fashion isn’t just about dressing up, it’s a way of celebrating her Tamil heritage and carving out space for representation she didn’t often see growing up. Each year during Diwali, she brings that cultural pride to life online through carefully curated looks that spotlight traditional South Asian clothing.
“So one thing is, I do Deepavali looks and they go insane for us South Asian girls. So one thing I’ve been doing for my audience i I started making a series since 2023 where I’ll do a bunch of transitions with different Deepavali looks, showcasing saris or lahengas.”
But for her, the tradition goes deeper than the outfits themselves.
“I feel like it goes beyond just the looks. I just think that a lot of us South Asian girls, we didn’t really have that representation growing up. And in the recent years, I’ve been seeing other brown creators, I’ve been appreciating their work, and I feel a lot more seen personally. So I can only imagine what a young brown girl is feeling when they see all these creators showcasing our culture, showcasing our deeper skin tones, and showcasing it in a way where we’re showing love for it,” Sri said.
Dhivya plans her looks weeks in advance, drawing inspiration from Tamil films, family traditions, and her community. For her, fashion is more than style, it’s cultural storytelling.
“I’m seeing so many people who look like me online, and I feel, in a sense, normal. I feel seen. I’d say our Tamil culture is very unique and very different from the mainstream that was being shown. So even seeing other Tamil people online and being represented, and I guess me being a part of that representation makes me super happy.”
A SEASON OF LIGHT, IN MANY FORMS
While each creator celebrates Diwali differently, their stories share a common thread: light as both symbol and action.
For Talwar, it’s about passing traditions to the next generation. For Virmani, it’s turning celebration into community care. And for Sri, it’s embracing her cultural identity and making it visible in spaces that once felt distant.
Whether it’s the warm glow of diyas in India, a Toronto potluck with a purpose, or the flash of a sari captured on camera, these celebrations reflect the many ways South Asians in Canada keep their culture alive, radiant, and evolving.
“Diwali is a celebration of light, but more importantly, a celebration of meaning. It’s about coming home to yourself and your people. It’s the joy of tradition, the comfort of food shared with family, and the quiet glow of knowing you’re exactly where you’re meant to be — even if just for a moment. It’s beautiful, emotional, and deeply grounding, ” Talwar said.
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