The festive season is equal to a glow-up, and the same celebratory spirit has made its way into the dating world, too.
According to a new consumer study by an Indian dating app this year`s Diwali isn`t just about diya, lights, and sweets. It is equally sparking new connections and relationship trends that are a perfect mix of traditional and modern, with a dash of self-reflection.
QuackQuack surveyed 10468 daters from urban, suburban, and rural Indian cities to understand how love and dating look in the middle of all the festive chaos. The participants, aged between 22 and 40 and representing a wide range of professions, offered a candid glimpse into how Indians are mixing celebration with connection this year.
The app`s founder and CEO, Ravi Mittal, said, “Festivals like Diwali bring out an extra dose of authenticity in people. It`s the perfect time to understand the user mindset and how festivities or seasons affect it. Daters connect differently around these times. For instance, this year, daters have been a lot more conscious and self-reflective about matches, and there`s a bit of team effort too.”
Profile cleansing and emotional decluttering
Homes get deep cleaning before Diwali; why not dating profiles too? Diwali 2025 is all about emotional hygiene. The survey shows that about 34 per cent of daters over 28 years are decluttering their emotional space by finally giving closure to matches that didn`t work out, deleting chats with connections that did not lead to a relationship, and rewriting their bios to give themselves a “fresh start”. Avinash, a 31 year old software engineer based in Chennai, said, “I recently realised that I still have my ex`s favorite book quote in my bio. I made it my personality and didn`t even understand. This Diwali, decluttering was finally deleting that and letting myself shine, even if I don`t come off very elite or intellectual.”
Sparkly phooljhari matches
3 in 7 daters claimed that sometimes a short burst of genuine connections can be amazing and helps boost confidence like nothing else. Men and women from Tier 1 and 2 cities are calling them Phooljhari matches and claiming that these quick but real bonds can instantly lift your mood and come without the pressure of “what are we?” or “where is this going?” It doesn`t necessarily have long-term expectations; however, 1 in 3 of these matches have shown great potential to make it in the long run.
Sibling screening
The third person has officially entered the chat, and this time, it isn`t a bad thing. 23 per cent of male daters between 22 and 27 years revealed that this Diwali, they asked their siblings to lend them an extra set of eyes, to screen for any toxic trait they might be overlooking in their match, because love`s sparkle can truly make you blind. In Tier 2 cities, the number was even higher, especially before an IRL meetup. Young users shared that they trust their siblings` intuition more than their own, and 3 out of 4 men disclosed that the screening process is more thorough with their sisters in charge.
Family-friendly profiles
On an interesting note, daters are using family pictures as display images to soften their profile this festive season. Even edgy bios are being replaced by more wholesome ones with notes of nostalgia in 2 out of 3 profiles. 21 per cent of participants from metros and suburbs disclosed that they have made their profiles “family friendly” because it hits close to home, especially during the festive season, and they have received considerably more matches since the change.
Gautam (31) from Indore said, “People see my DP with my parents and immediately assume I am here for serious business, which I am. It gives off `this guy wants to settle down` or `this guy is safe,` all of which is true and exactly what I want to convey.”