DIYAS............

Diya is a small earthen lamp primarily lit during Diwali, the festival of lights. Also, known as 'deep', diya is traditionally made of clay. Lighting a deep during aarti is a custom in the Hindu culture. During Diwali, the earthen lamps are used for illuminating the entire home and premises, apart from aarti. The diya is filled with ghee or oil, which work as fuel for it. A wick, usually made of cotton, is inserted into the diya. Today, with the increasing competition and due to the popularity of candles, diya is now available in a variety of material, the most common being those made of metals and blue pottery. Designer diyas have also been introduced in the stores.
Diwali Diya Decoration Ideas

• To make the ordinary earthen diya look more beautiful, you may color it with different colors. You may make use of bright acrylic colors for the purpose. You can also paint some portion of the diya, instead of whole of it, draw various shapes on it with paint, to give it a traditional look. Do not forget to leave the diya to dry completely, after painting.
• Bring some small decorative glass pieces and stick them on the edge of the diya. When you light the earthen lamp, the flame would be reflected by the small mirrors, which would add to the beauty of the lamp. This type of decoration is especially suitable for metal diya, because glass can easily adhere to their surface.
• Take wheat flour in a bowl and prepare its dough, with the help of water. The dough should be made thick, which can be rolled into balls. Now, rolls the balls of the dough and make diya out of them. With this dough, you can make diya of any shape and size of your choice. After shaping the lamps, color them using acrylic or poster colors. Set them aside to dry completely and use them.
• Another way to make diya and decorate them is to use the dough of wheat flour and mix it with fresh petals of rose. It will not only add some natural color to your diya, but also the particles of petals attached here and there on the diya will also make it look stunning.
• You may make use of ceramic clay to decorate the diyas. Make beautiful shapes of flowers, using the ceramic clay. Before it dries, stick it to the diya. Now, paint the lamp with acrylic color and allow it to dry completely. This would give your earthen lamp a cool look.