Festivals & Rituals · 5 October 2026 · 6 min read
Diwali Gifts: What Is Traditionally Given, and What Is Avoided
Which gifts carry a good association, which ones are quietly avoided in many families, what to give someone who has just moved house, and how not to spend more than you meant to.
By Dr. Kimaya Parikh-Ambekar, Vastu consultant, Andheri East, Mumbai
01
Why certain gifts are preferred
Diwali gifting follows the same logic as Dhanteras buying: the preference is for things that last, that are useful, and that are associated with light, food or the home.
None of it is a rule in any strict sense, and families differ. What follows are the conventions people most often ask about — worth knowing so a gift is not received awkwardly, not worth agonising over.
02
What is traditionally given
The safest gifts are the ones that are either consumed or used, which is most of them.
- Metal vessels — brass, copper, steel. The oldest and most consistently welcome gift.
- Lamps and lanterns, which match what the festival is about.
- Sweets and dry fruit. Always acceptable, and the default when you do not know the household.
- Plants — tulsi, money plant, a flowering pot. Living and long-lasting.
- Things for the home: linen, crockery, a good set of containers.
- Silver coins or small silver items, commonly given between families.
- Books, for children, and school supplies, which are given without ceremony.
03
What many families quietly avoid
These are not prohibitions, and plenty of households ignore them entirely. But they come up often enough that it is worth knowing before you hand something over.
If you have already given one of these, nothing needs undoing. The convention in most families is that a small coin given in return turns a gift into a purchase, which settles it.
- Knives, scissors and sharp items — associated with cutting a relationship. Commonly avoided.
- Clocks and watches, in some communities, for their association with counting time down.
- Black or very dark items, including dark clothing, in many families.
- Leather goods, which are avoided in vegetarian and observant households.
- Empty containers, wallets or purses. A coin or a sweet is usually placed inside first.
- Anything broken, chipped or visibly second-hand, which is the one near-universal rule.
04
For someone who has just moved house
This is the most common question in October and November, because possession dates cluster around Diwali.
The conventional housewarming gifts are the ones that stock or settle a home: a metal vessel, a set of containers, something for the kitchen, salt, rice or sugar, a plant, a lamp, or a wall hanging for the entrance. A तुलसी (tulsi) plant is the traditional choice in many families.
What is avoided is anything that implies the home is incomplete or needs fixing. A gift is not the moment to point out a Vastu problem in somebody's new flat, however obvious it looks.
05
Office and client gifting
For business gifts the conventions relax considerably, and the practical considerations matter more than the traditional ones.
Food, dry fruit and plants travel well and offend nobody. Avoid alcohol unless you know the household, avoid leather, and avoid anything branded so heavily that it is clearly advertising rather than a gift. For staff, something the whole family can use is received far better than something only the employee can.
06
On the spending
Diwali is the most heavily marketed month in the Indian year, and a good deal is sold using the word auspicious.
No tradition requires a particular amount, and none requires gold. A household that gives sweets it can afford is following the custom exactly as well as one that gives silver on credit. If money is tight this year, give food, give time, or give something you have made — all three are older than anything in a catalogue.
Questions
Frequently asked
What are good Diwali gifts?
Metal vessels, lamps, sweets, dry fruit, plants, silver coins and useful things for the home. Something edible or something for the kitchen is never wrong when you do not know the household.
Which gifts are avoided at Diwali?
Sharp items such as knives and scissors, black or very dark items, leather in vegetarian households, clocks in some communities, empty wallets or containers, and anything chipped or second-hand.
Why is a coin placed inside a gifted wallet or purse?
An empty container is avoided as a gift in many families, so a coin or a sweet is placed inside first so that it is not given empty.
What should I give someone who has just moved into a new flat?
Something that stocks or settles the home — a metal vessel, containers, salt, rice or sugar, a lamp, or a tulsi plant. Avoid anything implying the home needs fixing.
Is it necessary to give gold or silver at Diwali?
No. Nothing in the tradition requires a particular value. Sweets, food or something made by hand follow the custom as faithfully as metal does.
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