Diya Maniar is really excited for this Diwali, especially because she couldn`t celebrate the festival of lights in a big way in the last three years of the Covid-19 pandemic. “I am looking forward to celebrating the festival with my family and close friends by sharing delicious meals and lighting up our home with vibrant diyas and decorations.” While they will be conducting a special puja as a family, Maniar is excited about one more aspect. “Our celebration will also include a sparkle of fireworks—especially for my younger brother, who loves them,” shares the excited 19-year-old.
Every year, Indians around the world celebrate Diwali during this time of the year. The occasion, which is popularly known as the `Festival of Lights`, because of the lighting of diyas and firecrackers, is celebrated over five days, with the third day observed as the main celebration. This year, November 12 is the main day, as celebrations started earlier this week. It will be followed by Govardhan Puja or Hindu New Year, and Bhau Beej. As always, Mumbaikars are excited for the festival. It is not only because of how it is celebrated in the country but also because of how people from different parts of India call the city their home. The celebration is marked with food, tradition, and firecrackers, and Maniar’s family has already got that underway in the city.
Celebrating the Festival of Lights
The 19-year-old further shares, “In our family, the Diwali festivities are woven with beautiful cultural traditions. We begin by coming together for a heartfelt prayer, expressing gratitude, and seeking blessings for the year ahead. The house comes alive with vibrant rangoli designs at the entrance, a symbol of prosperity and joy. The Diwali Pooja holds a special place where we gather to light diyas and share the warmth of this auspicious occasion. It is a time when tradition and togetherness create joy in our home.”
Every festival is incomplete without food, and unsurprisingly, Maniar will definitely be enjoying traditional good food. The Kandivali resident shares, “Our celebrations include a feast of delightful sweets such as gulab jamun and jalebi, complemented by an array of savoury dishes like samosas and pakoras.”
Elsewhere in the city, in Vasai, Sameer Salvi will be gorging on chaklis, shankar pali, karanji, chivda and besan laddoo too. While most people will be celebrating Diwali in a big way, Salvi says there is more to their celebrations than food and lights. “Since I am from a traditional Maharashtrian family and have an elder sister, we give utmost importance to Bhau Beej and also Laxmi Pooja,” he adds.
There is a lot more to the Mumbaikar`s celebrations than food and tradition. “We will be doing Pahili Anghol (Abhyanga snaan) with locally sourced utna. Then, we visit temples, and make a rangoli. We don`t buy lantern (kandil) but make it at home, along with a lot of Diwali faral.”
It is a stark difference from the last three years when access to things was limited not only for Salvi but for every other Indian. The Vasaikar says the Salvis avoided going out frequently, so there were no visits to temples and no shopping; so a lot of things were recycled from pre-Covid years for Diwali in his house.
Diya Maniar is going to be busy celebrating the festival of lights with her family by lighting diyas, food and bursting firecrackers. Photos Courtesy: Diya Maniar
Bigger and better
Even Pooja Shah Thanawala makes her own diyas and decorations because, for her family, Diwali is an extremely unique celebration that they don’t leave any stone unturned to enjoy it in the best possible way, like many other Indian families. She shares, “We decorate the house as if there is a wedding. We go to town every two years to buy a few decorative things. We will be calling family and friends for dinner, lunch, and get-togethers for almost two weeks.”
It is not only the excitement for the festival and the decorations in the Thanawala family, because they also indulge in the bursting of firecrackers in all its grandeur. “Bursting crackers on our terrace will be like a full show with a wide variety of fancy crackers that cost a minimum of Rs 20,000 – Rs 25,000,” adds the Borivali resident, who says that apart from living in a joint family, she also has a very big extended family, especially on her paternal sides, all of whom come together for the festival.
Such is their celebration that the family decides on a theme that every member has to follow while dressing up for the occasion. With such enthusiasm, they didn`t even let the Covid-19 pandemic spoil their Diwali celebrations, as they celebrated it virtually in more ways than one. While they celebrate the other days of Diwali, they take it a step further by celebrating Tulsi Vivah (Krishna marrying Tulsi) uniquely. “We divide our family into a bride and groom team, and it is as good as God`s wedding with decor, food and welcoming the groom by the ladkiwalas.”
Interestingly, being Gujaratis, Thanawala says they love food and eating different kinds of specialities, especially for the festival. “Our preparation starts a month in advance. We make chivda, ghughra (sweet with mawa and all dry fruit powders), kaju katri, kaju roll, chakri, cholafali, mathiya, dal nuth, sev, gathiya and magas laddoo. Each day of Diwali also has a lavish menu with sweets like basundi, gulab jamun, rasagulla, kheer, and farsan like dhokla, patra, samosa and batata vada too,” shares the Mumbaikar, who reminds why Indians love and celebrate Diwali in such a big way.
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