Houses are decorated and a Lakshmi pooja is organized. Often the women of the house do "aarti" to their husbands, garlanding him and putting a "tika" on him, while praying for his long life. In some houses, there is a ritual of immersing a silver coin in a tumbler of milk. The milk is then sprinkled lightly in the rooms of the house. Prashad is kept in front of the idol throughout the night.
In Himachal, every indoor corner of the house is lit up carefully, and a large diya, bigger than usual, is kept in the temple or poja place and is guarded all night through. In Bihar and UP, it is not always one large diya, but four smaller ones, intricately shaped, which surround the Pooja place and the women of the house sit guard all night to ensure they do not go out. Even the diyas placed outside, around the house are jealously guarded and re-lit at once, if the wind puts them out.
Some of the Diwali specialties made are: "patandas" dosa like but made of flour and eaten with shakkar (jaggery powder) and ghee; "askloo" - pakodas made out of rice atta and eaten with either shakkar ghee or chutney; "poodas" or "mal poohas" which are made of flour and sugar syrup and eaten with a chutney.
