Deepavali in Singapore and Malaysia

What is worn for Deepavali in Singapore and Malaysia

Deepavali, the festival of lights, is a public holiday in both Singapore and Malaysia, kept mainly by the Tamil and other Indian communities. In Singapore, Little India is decorated with lights along Serangoon Road, and bazaars sell sarees, bangles and sweets. Families clean the house, take an oil bath at dawn, and wear new clothes, then visit the temple and relatives. Women wear a new silk saree, many from Kanchipuram, or a salwar suit or lehenga, and men wear a kurta or veshti. In Malaysia, there are open houses, where friends of other communities are invited. The date follows the Hindu almanac and is the same as Diwali in India, a day earlier or later by country.

The sarees

Kanchipuram sariA silk saree often bought new for the festival.SariThe saree shops of Little India are busiest before Deepavali.