Diwali - The Festival Of Lights

The festival of lights… 

Diwali or Deepavali is one of several major festival celebrated along the length and breadth of India. Diwali or “the festival of lights” is celebrated over 5 consecutive days at the end of the Hindu month Aswayuja. Governed by the lunar calendar, Diwali usually takes place in October/November every year.  Diwali activities are based on several religious beliefs. The celebrations include decorating the house with an array of lamps signifying the welcome back ceremony for the Hindu mythical prince- Lord Rama who returned from exile after 14years. Diwali is also considered as the occasion when the goddess of happiness and prosperity, Lakshmi, enters the house to give a fulfilling year ahead. This is especially important to many businesses, for they start their year now with hopes of prosperity. 

A gastronomic delight stretching across a month and a whole nation! 

The days leading up to Diwali are full of unique celebrations. The various parts of India have specific cuisines to match the events. Talking about the various types of foods prepared during this festival across India during this time would be a hard task since north Indian and south Indian cuisines are very different. So here we concentrate mainly on the specific food preparations in the northern parts of the country.  

Milk and sweets it is! 

The preparing, consuming and giving of sweets is a significant facet of the festival. Festival preparations start many days prior in anticipation of the guests, family and friends who invariably drop in to convey good wishes. As with most meals, sweets are prepared in every family according to the closely held recipes handed down through many generations. Families invest in the finest ingredients they can afford and take enormous pride in the quality of the sweets that are shared.  The ‘mithai’ as sweets are called, is exchanged as presents, similar to the way Christmas gifts are exchanged. The northern region, also called the ‘cow belt’ is inordinately fond of sweets made of milk and other dairy products. A typical Diwali sweet would include milk or cottage cheese cooked in different ways to produce mouth watering dishes after combining it with rice, semolina, cinnamon, cardamom, raisins and nuts.  As for other food, any food which is rich, tasty and bad for the waist line, makes it fit for Diwali. The food is also usually vegetarian owing to the fact that the number of vegetarians is pretty high in India and eating meat is also deemed inauspicious during festivals.  If you are fortunate enough to be in India at the time of Diwali, you will experience a cultural feast second to none. Otherwise, get adventurous and prepare one of the easy to make meals of the festival. Though hardly an exhaustive list, some of the popular and easy- to- make sweets prepared during Diwali are listed below to bring a taste of India to your home. 

Gulab jamun: milk balls immersed in sweet syrup. This is one of the most popular Diwali preparations.

Burfi: a preparation made from khoya (Indian cheese) or coconut. Many innovative versions of this sweet are available in the market like the chocolate flavored Burfi.

Kalakhand: made out of cottage cheese and nuts. 

Besan Laddu: sweet prepared out of gram flour.

Balushahi: a ghee and flour preparation.

Jalebi: a sweet made out of deep-fried batter and dripping with sugar syrup. It has a rich orange color.

Rasmalai: a sweet made out of milk cream which melts in the mouth.