Diwali – A Festival of Lights and Good Food!

India is a polytheist nation, and hence there are a very large number of festivals followed in this country. However, when one makes a count of the most popular festivals of India, Diwali will certainly hold top position. This autumn Hindu festival that occurs somewhere in October or November each year is also the most celebrated of festivals in India, taking into consideration the number of people devotedly assigning themselves to making the preparations of the festival, performing the religious rites and then actually participating in the revelry of the festival.

As with most festivals in India, Diwali – or Deepavali, as it is also called – has a very strong religious background. It marks the time when Rama, the hero of the Ramayana, returns from his conquest of the demon king Ravana to his northern kingdom of Ayodhya. The festival marks his return, and the basic idea behind the celebration is the age-old moral, the triumph of good over evil.

Diwali – The Festival of Lights

Diwali literally means 'festival of lights', and there is a very wonderful display of different forms of light works in almost all houses. There are colorful paper lanterns called as kandils hanging in almost all houses, and arrangements of diyas at the doorstep, adorning colorful patterns known as rangolis. During these days, young and old people alike burst crackers of various styles, colors and even fragrances, and almost the whole of India comes alive with the display of lights on ground as well as in the sky. Shops wanting to attract festive buyers add to the festivities in a great way by adorning themselves with unique styles of lighting and Diwali-related motifs. At the same time, the houses of people with their kandils on through the night provide a very beautiful charm to anyone fortunate enough to witness them during Diwali.

Diwali – Food Customs

But the best aspect of Diwali is the food. Over the ages, the religious symbolism of Diwali has become largely overshadowed by the social bonding that happens during this period. Food is the most important element of this social bonding, since in all Hindu, Jain and Sikh houses at Diwali, sweets and special foods are prepared and exchanged with other houses. The preparation of Diwali foods begins a couple of weeks before the festival comes in. This is a very busy period for household women, as they have to set things in order. It is not just one or two foods they will have to prepare, but a whole array of sweets, fried foods, desserts and other kinds of foods will have to be prepared. Here we list some of the most popular foods that are prepared during Diwali.

Karanjis – Karanjis are a kind of semicircular pie with a filling of grated coconut that is sweetened and filled with assorted nuts and raisins. The outer cover of karanjis is made of refined flour, which is flattened to a very thin layer. Karanjis can either be baked or deep-fried, and it is well known in India that no two houses can make karanjis in the same manner. In fact, making the karanjis is a whole ritual, and many a times, all women of the house and even some women from neighboring houses will come together to prepare this sweet delicacy. Karanjis are the highlights of Diwali foods.

Laddoos – Laddoos have become very famous in the western world also. These are round sweet balls of some kind of flour. Every house has their own specialty here; some use wheat, some rice, while some may even use a whole assortment of substances such as semolina, refined flour, chickpea flour, etc. The ground material for making the laddoo is mixed with nuts, spices and other additions in careful quantities and then roasted in ghee. When this powdered mixture is still hot, the laddoos need to be rolled. This is the most difficult part of making the laddoos, but it is also the most fun part of it.

Tchaklis – Tchaklis add the variety to the Diwali platter like no other food can. These are usually made of refined flour mixed with various spices, though a variety of other substances can also be used. Tchaklis are put in special moulds from where a thin stream of the dough is made to fall on a plate with careful spiral motion. The spiral arrangement is fried, retaining the shape as it is. Tchaklis are crunchy foods, and they can be made with a large variety of tastes.

Sev – Sev is usually spicy, and it adds variety to the otherwise sweet Diwali platter. Making sev is a very simple process. A batter is made of some flour – usually chickpea flour – mixed with spices, and then dropped in thin strips into boiling oil. Within a short while, the crunchy sev are ready. In addition, every house will have some or the other specialty foods, which they have special expertise in preparing. Such other foods could be chivda, ghaantiya, shakarpali, etc. and a huge assortment of differently colored crystallized sweets known as halwas.