“The Parking Lots in Meena Bazaar Were All Full”: Gold Rush Opens Diwali in UAE
“Some jewellery shops were very crowded. The parking lots in Meena Bazaar were all full,” said Gagan Deep Dhanjal, a Dubai teacher who reached Bur Dubai at 5:30 p.m. Friday to buy gold for Dhanteras — the auspicious day that opens Diwali celebrations across the United Arab Emirates.
Dhanjal beat the crush by ordering a small custom-made pendant in advance. “We had just gone to pick it up. Thankfully, we managed to get back in about one and a half hours, skipping a lot of the crowd,” she said. Her daughter Janisha was glad the festival falls on a weekend this year — it “gives all of us the chance to spend time together as a family.”
High Prices Push Some Buyers to Silver
With gold prices remaining high, not everyone queued for jewellery. Indian expatriate Arijit Nandi took the day off to prepare, and chose a silver coin instead. “We buy one every year as part of the ritual, as it symbolises wealth and prosperity,” he said — a practical adjustment to a long-standing custom.
Decorating for a Festive Family Celebration
After the shopping came the decorating. Nandi’s son was the driving force. “My son has been insisting that we get ours up as soon as possible,” Nandi said, prompting the family to buy string lights on Friday — a familiar sight across UAE neighbourhoods this weekend.
The days ahead are packed: visits to friends’ homes, festive attire, sweets and gifts. “It is a lovely way to celebrate together,” Nandi said. On Sunday, his wife and son will create a rangoli, a colourful floor design, at their entrance. A decorative toran will hang on the doorway, and in the evening the family will light earthen lamps in their backyard, welcoming neighbours.
The Dhanjals reshuffled the calendar entirely. “Instead of hosting people at our house on Diwali weekend, we planned our hosting last weekend so we could all be together this weekend,” Janisha said. Their Diwali evening: lamps, indoor games, a quiet family gathering — and a visit to the Gurudwara for Bandi Chhor Diwas, the Sikh celebration that coincides with Diwali.
A Author’s Story of Light After Hardship
For Dubai-based author Rucha Daryani, the festival carries a heavier weight. Her children’s picture book, The Light Never Left, grew out of her stroke and recovery. “Diwali for us started today and carries on until Sunday,” she said. “On the day itself we do puja, the house is lit with diyas, everyone dresses up, and the kids eat all the food they love.”
Illness changed the rituals. “Before I became unwell, I used to do rangoli with the kids. Now they do it themselves,” Daryani said. “My daughter does hers on her own, and my son does his with my husband.” The family also brings Diwali to friends of other backgrounds — her children dress up, show them how the family celebrates, and often carry small presents: a chocolate, a candle. “Their friends absolutely love it,” she said.
The book was not written for Diwali, but its themes fit. “The book is about a family finding hope in a very hard time and how the light is there if we look for it,” Daryani said. “It is okay to be scared in the dark, and you just take one step at a time. Diwali has always been about hope and light over darkness, so it feels like a natural fit.”
Her hope is that families who find the holidays difficult will find their own way to celebrate.
