Sreejith Jeevan has been hosting Deepavali gatherings at his Kochi home since 2017. (Supplied)
With easy access to people’s lives and events taking place across the globe, the world surely has gotten smaller. Cultural boundaries have blurred and celebrations have become a lot more democratic than it was. Come Onam, you see people of North Indian cities clad in set sarees and mundus enjoying a wholesome sadhya. Similarly, you see dandiya nights and full-fledged Holi celebrations in the south as well.
“Thanks to social media, everybody celebrates everything now,” says Sreejith Jeevan, the Kochi-based fashion designer, who is not only known for his contemporary designs but also the festive gatherings that he hosts. For him, festivals aren’t limited to Onam, Vishu and Christmas. His annual Deepavali get-together is something his friends and family look forward to.
“Deepavali is not big in Kerala. It’s a holiday, yes. People get sweets and put up the lights. And that’s as far as the celebration goes,” shares Jeevan, who started his own little tradition — of throwing Deepavali parties every year at his home in 2017.
Decor for Spider-Man themed Deepavali party last year. (Supplied)
Having lived in Kochi all his life, Jeevan got to experience full-fledged Deepavali festivities when he moved to Ahmedabad and later to Delhi for work.
“In Kochi, Onam is the biggest festival and Christmas is the next big thing. After I moved to Delhi, I saw a different kind of Deepavali. Because of the nature of my work in Delhi, I used to frequent all kinds of stores. So I would see how Deepavali decor is done and how people celebrate it. I sort of imbibed that,” shares Jeevan, who decided to bring a slice of culture with him when he moved back home.
It’s like how people who live in the US start celebrating Halloween after a point, he adds.
“You learn what to do. I think Deepavali for me happened like that. When you have seen how it’s celebrated, you don’t want to sit simply and do nothing when the festive season comes.”
Talking of how a typical Deepavali celebration goes, Jeevan shares, “There’s a festive dinner. Sometimes we do a potluck. All of us would dress up, have a lot of sweets. It’s not over-the-top like you see in the North but we like to bring in the festive feel. So we deck up the house. We do a festive table setting. Call people over. It’s a simple, yet a fun evening.”
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What started off as a simple dinner party got bigger when his son was born.
“My son’s birthday always comes around the Deepavali week. So we started clubbing both the celebrations,” he shares, adding that sometimes that leads to some wacky party themes.
“Last year, my son wanted a Spider-Man themed party. So we had a red and blue themed Diwali celebration,” he laughs. “The decor, table setting, and streamers were all according to the theme. Lights were put up because it was Deepavali and my son was in a Spider Man costume,” he adds.
Every year the festivities have a different theme.
It’s not consciously done. It ends up like that, Jeevan tells us. In 2021, it was a lotus-themed party where everything was pink. This year, Jeevan and family are planning to go with the theme — Southern Spices.
Lotus-themed decor for Deepavali gathering in 2021. (Supplied)
“The theme is mostly incorporated in the decor and a little bit in the food. So we thought this time, we will lean towards a Tamil style. So we are getting Thombai, an accessory that’s typically seen in Madurai. Obviously there will be a lot of diyas as well,” shares Jeevan.
As years pass, the celebrations get bigger and better.
“You may not always have the bandwidth to pull off a grand celebration but we try. A lot of people who come to our event —including my cousins, uncles and aunts — don’t celebrate Diwali at home. After all these years, now it’s become like a tradition for them to wait for the party at home.”
In a day and age where all celebrations are happening on Instagram, people want to be virtually part of all the festivals even though you aren’t living where it’s normally celebrated.
“And that’s why we have our little version of Deepavali here,” Jeevan signs off.
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