'Festivals Being Celebrated Openly...': French Designer Reveals What She Loves About India

The festive season is underway across India, and markets buzz with shoppers, pandals draw large crowds, and cultural festivities light up cities and towns alike. A French woman living in India has opened up about what she loves about India – the festival celebrations on the streets instead of behind closed doors.

“Festivals being celebrated openly in the street instead of behind closed doors is one of the things I love the most in India,” French designer Julia Chaigneau shared on a post on X (formerly Twitter).

“The closest I can compare it to is Christmas. But in Europe (at least in my experience), once the day comes, people disappear into their homes. If you don’t have family around, you can end up alone,” she added.

Festivals being celebrated

openly in the street instead of behind closed door is one of the things I love the most in India.

The closest I can compare it to is Christmas. But in Europe (at least in my experience), once the day comes, people disappear into their homes. If you… pic.twitter.com/TDVitT69dI

— Julia Chaigneau (@juliachaigneau) September 28, 2025

Chaigneau said she had never celebrated a festival openly before, but her neighbours and friends made sure that she was included in the festivities. “Since moving, I’ve never celebrated a festival alone. Neighbours, friends of friends, even complete strangers always made sure I was included. It feels almost unimaginable to people that someone would be left out,” she said.

“That human warmth with food, music, rituals shared on the streets with friends as much as family, is what makes me feel so welcome and happy here,” Chaigneau added.

Several social media users agreed with Chaigneau’s views, adding that India loves to celebrate festivals together. “This is the beauty of Indian society. We celebrate moments of joy together,” a user said.

“As an Indian, when I was in Europe on christmas day, it came as a shock to me. The largest, most important festival in Europe and the streets were empty, shops closed, silence everywhere. I wished it was more “merry”,” another individual commented.

“That’s why I chose to not go live abroad. Loneliness cries silently among all the shiny infrastructure in those places,” a third person wrote.

Earlier, Chaigneau wished everyone a Happy Navratri in a previous post and shared a video of doing garba with her friends.