More than five decades after her first Diwali in Canada, Harminder Grewal says the festival has grown from a quiet home observance into a widely celebrated tradition.
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On her first Diwali in Canada, Harminder Grewal made kheer, said a prayer and thought about her family in India after arriving as a new bride in August 1975. She and her husband, Surinder Grewal, marked the holiday quietly at home. “On Diwali day we would sit here and miss family. There was nothing to do,” Grewal said. “We would make kheer [Indian rice pudding], pray and that was it.”
Grewal said a phone call home helped ease the distance, even though her husband kept track of the cost of the call. “When she called home, I was happy to see her happy, but my heart would sink knowing it was five dollars per minute,” Surinder Grewal said.
Over the years, Grewal said Diwali became more than an at-home tradition as she and her husband got to know other families. She described pulling out an old photo album and remembering that community efforts helped them make about 100 samosas and plenty of sweets, all from scratch.
A friend from Karnataka, India, also helped shape that transition. Sunanda Sortur began celebrating with the Grewals in 1996, saying the gatherings were an opportunity to learn from one another. As the women cooked together, they shared dishes from their home states, and the friendship continued to grow with later years.
Sortur said she noticed how much had changed during later shopping trips for Diwali supplies. “Yesterday when I went to store to buy Diwali things with Harminder, I sent video to my friend,” Sortur said. “She said, ‘Wow, you live in India or Canada?'” Grewal said she once brought a diya from India to show students how it was traditionally lit, and that household routines now have access to more supplies locally. “But now you get everything at stores. It’s amazing,” Grewal said. “The times have changed now. The new generations have brought Diwali here.”
While Diwali is a major festival for Hindus, the same period also includes other light-based observances in Canada. Sikhs mark Bandi Chhor Divas and Jains observe Mahavira Nirvana Diwas, alongside traditions involving light.
Statistics Canada reported in an October 2025 article that the 2021 census counted about 828,000 Hindus, 772,000 Sikhs and 8,300 Jains in Canada.
Public recognition for Diwali has expanded over time. In 2017, Canada Post and India Post jointly issued Diwali stamps and unveiled them at Toronto City Hall, and Canada Post has issued the stamps annually since 2020. Popular culture and retail offerings have also reflected wider visibility, including a Diwali Barbie doll created with Indian designer Anita Dongre.
Retailers have seen seasonal demand as well. Walmart Canada said more than half of its stores stocked Diwali products in 2025, including food, décor, clothing and gifts. TD also marketed a one-gram Diwali gold bar for 2026, drawing on a custom associated with Dhanteras, when some families buy gold or silver as a sign of prosperity.
For newcomers, traditions tied to familiar foods and symbols can offer a way to keep family practices going. Grewal said a classroom diya can help children share a custom their families have long practised.
Even as celebrations have changed around her, Grewal said one tradition still connects her to the family home she missed on her first Diwali in Canada. Her husband said their house in India remains empty, but every Diwali, relatives visit to light a diya. “Diwali means everything to us,” Surinder Grewal said.
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