Community Corner

Celebrating Diwali

The Indian "Festival of Lights" provides an opportunity to connect with one's culture, friends and family.

Editor's note: This post is the result of user-generated content. Mountain View Patch encourages readers to send articles, photos and video clips of anything newsworthy, quirky, beautiful, funny or dramatic when you're out and about in the city, at home or anywhere. This was written by Sonia Pallavi.

Diwali, also called Deepavali or the "Festival of lights" is one of India’s most beloved holidays. As a child I looked forward to this day, or rather, the days in which Diwali was most joyously celebrated. So what makes Diwali special?

Well, first some history. Diwali is a conjunction of the words "deep" meaning light and "Gavali meaning row. In the five days of Diwali, families light diya’s, or tiny clay oil lamps, placing them in rows in front of their homes. Friends and family gather for food, ceremonies and festivities. They enjoy cooking and eating elaborate meals, the best parts of which of course are the too, too sweet confections and the salty and savory snacks!

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There are many rituals, ceremonies and prayers all over India and each region has its own meaning associated with the holiday. The stories and rituals are as varied and deep as the cultures that celebrate it and thousands of years of history and folklore have contributed to the variety. The stories I grew up with told of the return of Lord Rama from exile for 17 years. Families lit lamps to guide his journey home. Despite the variety of meaning, Diwali is a time of celebration for all.

The final day of the celebration is often the loudest, brightest and sweetest, with many ceremonies, dinners, firecrackers and celebrations. For myself and many others, Diwali is closely associated with firecrackers. Children and adults alike collect firecrackers for weeks beforehand and light them during the festival. The country explodes with songs and dancing out in the streets. The din of the music and firecrakers is unlike anything else you’ve heard, and it is uninhibited fun. These are the moments Indians savor and share with their communities. However, there is little to this celebration that the fire marshall's would consider safe!  

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Every year Diwali celebrations presented me with an opportunity to educate myself about Indian culture. The meaning of this holiday has extended past my initial childhood wonder and matured into a deeper understanding of the religious and cultural significance of the holiday. I have also begun to understand better the family oriented aspect of this holiday.

This year my husband and I are celebrating Diwali together for the first time at our home in Mountain View. "Thala Diwali,"  the first Diwali a married couple shares is said to hold special meaning. On this day, the couple must bathe before sunrise, wear new clothes, go to the temple and visit the brides family for a feast. This year we are opening up our home to our friends for a homemade feast.

The ambitious meal we have cooked we hope will allow our friends to share the rich flavors and diversity of vegetarian cuisine. How do I explain the complexity of our country? I can do this with food

Our menu included samosas, mint, coconut & tamarind chutney, Idly with sambar, dhokla, yogurt rice, yogurt vada, daal, almond kheer and pumpkin halwa. While you may not have been able to join in our meal, we wish you and your family a very happy Diwali!


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