Diwali: How international students in the UAE celebrate the festival of lights

Dubai: The glow of fairy lights flickers across Dubai’s skyline, sweet scents fill the air, and the laughter of friends echoes through university campuses, Diwali has arrived.

But for hundreds of international students living away from home, the Festival of Lights means something a little deeper this year: finding comfort, connection, and community in a city far from their families.

Gulf News spoke to international students at Middlesex University Dubai, to find out about their festival of lights celebrations away from home. This is how they do it.

For Mish from Mumbai, now in her second year studying Law and serving as the Events Coordinator at Middlesex University Dubai, this time of year brings both excitement and an ache of homesickness.

“It is kind of emotional. It’s a completely different vibe. I miss my family and friends back home,” she said.

Every year, Mish’s family flies to Lucknow to celebrate Diwali with relatives, a cherished family tradition she’ll be missing this time around. “At home, the celebrations start days before,” she added. “Shopping for clothes, decorating the house, making rangolis, sharing sweets are those little moments that make Diwali special.”

It’s those small rituals, the ones that make a home feel festive that students abroad find themselves longing for.

For Shruti Premal Modi, a newly arrived student from Mumbai studying Event Management at Middlesex University this is her first Diwali away from home. The morning of the festival began with a bittersweet video call to her mother back in India.

“I video-called my mother today after getting ready, and she teared up,” Shruti shared. “I miss making rangoli with her.”

To bring a piece of home to campus, she’s joining a rangoli-making competition, hoping that the swirl of colours beneath her hands will bridge the distance between Dubai and Mumbai, if only for a moment.

Bhumika, another Law student at Middlesex University from Mumbai, was always the “self-appointed party organiser” back home, the one who planned games, decorated the house, and ensured the celebration sparkled.

“Now that I’m here, my family says the celebrations don’t have the same charm anymore,” she said with a smile.

Determined not to let homesickness dim the joy, Bhumika's co-hosting a mini Diwali celebration at The Myriad for other international students.

“Unless you celebrate Diwali together as a community, it doesn’t feel like Diwali,” she added.

A true Gen Z spirit, Bhumika admits that one of her favourite festival traditions is creating TikToks with her family, something she plans to recreate this year with her friends and classmates.

For Rheanna and Tannay, both first-year Business Management students from Delhi at Middlesex University, this is their very first Diwali away from home and the feeling is “odd and surreal.”

“I miss Delhi. I miss the food and I miss my family. I feel left out and have FOMO,” Rheanna confessed.

The two reminisce about family board games, firecrackers with siblings, and the smell of home-cooked sweets wafting through their neighbourhood, memories that feel especially distant this time of year.

But amidst the nostalgia, there’s also warmth to be found in new traditions.

A third-year student Merin Mariyam at Middlesex University from Kerala has turned her homesickness into an opportunity to bring people together. She’s organising a DIY diya-decorating stall to help students connect and celebrate the festival in their own creative way.

“I’ve spent every Diwali away from my family, so I understand how hard it can be,” she said. “That’s why I make sure to host bonding activities. It helps everyone feel a little less lonely.”

As evening falls, campuses across the UAE shimmer with light and laughter. Students dressed in traditional attire share sweets, click photos, and call home to exchange blessings. In those shared moments, the glow of diyas, the warmth of friendship, the taste of laddoos they find a sense of belonging.

Far from home but close in heart, these students have redefined what Diwali means: it’s not just a festival of lights, but a celebration of resilience, togetherness, and the comforting reminder that family can be found wherever love shines brightest.