PUCHONG: For cousins Parveena Selvarajah, 41, and Sandra Thavarajah, 52, Deepavali comes with a ritual.
They dress in their finest, choose a new place and take photographs to remember the day.
This year, they picked the Sri Maha Mariamman and Sri Perumal Temple in Puchong Perdana, as recommended by a friend.
Its ornate entrance, bright lights and colourful courtyard won Parveena over.
As the family’s unofficial event planner, Parveena usually gathers everyone for weddings, birthdays and other celebrations.
For the Deepavali shoot, she finds the location, ropes the cousins in and helps decide what everyone will wear.
“I roped in my cousins, nieces and my best friends’ daughters this year. The choices depend on the mood and how elaborate they want to be. Some wear sarees, others lehengas or pavadais. Pottus, bangles and flowers in the hair are a must,” Parveena said.
Deepavali, she said, is an occasion to make time for the people who matter to them.
“Our temple visits and photo shoots have become part of that. We get to celebrate together, dress up, enjoy the day and take pictures that will remind us of these moments.”
The group has also spent the festive period on staycations, including previous trips to Melaka, Seremban and Penang.
Next year, they plan to visit the Bukit Rotan Temple in Selangor.
“The place changes, but it is always about celebrating Deepavali and enjoying life together,” Sandra said.
The younger members of the family have embraced the tradition, too.
Kaashini Shanmugaraja, 11, enjoys helping to decorate the family home.
“I love anything colourful, so Deepavali is one of my favourite times of the year. My favourite part is when amma lets me decorate the house. I can use all the colours I like and make everything look pretty and bright,” she said.
For Kavitha Shree Rajah, 25, the joy is in eating well and spending time together.
“Everyone’s dressed up, savouring the food and each other’s company. For once, we’re not worrying about what we should or shouldn’t eat.
“We get to put our usual routines aside and just enjoy being together.”
