Its Diwali! The time of lights, food and family!

Diwali is a great festival that is celebrated all over the world, wherever you might find Indians! Of course it is a lot more grand in India, but us British Asians give it a good go! I was born and raised in England so I consider myself quite British, however I have always been in touch with my culture thanks to my family. As part of a large community in the UK, we celebrate all the festivals all over England.

Diwali is a time where everyone would spend the weeks before cooking all sorts of sweet and savoury snacks for the big day. I remember my Mum and I creating a huge mess in the kitchen making Indian sweets, Chukri (savoury swirls), Karkaria (sweet discs), Bombay mix, biscuits and more! Our kitchen would be covered in flour and empty packets of butter, and we would be exhausted by the end of the day.

The best part was the unofficial exchange system we created from this. Our relatives would make the same snacks and we would all go to each others house and exchange food! It was a custom that brought us all together. We would offer sweets to anyone who would come to see us and vice versa. Let’s just say Diwali is not a time to be on a diet.

We would end the day with a big meal of masala fish and prawn or daal curry and all the trimmings. Chapatis, rice and poppadoms all finished with something sweet at the end, such as Gulab Jamun or Ras Malai (heaven)! And with our belly’s full to the brim, we would all stand outside in the cold and watch the fireworks.

Although I am emphasising how much Diwali is about food, it is nothing without family. The best part of Diwali is going to see all of your relatives that you don’t get to see often, or call those who are too far to visit. It is about welcoming people into your home and offering them food that you have made from scratch. It is about paying respects to your elders and remembering those who are not with you anymore.

This post is dedicated to my dear Mum who is no longer with us. Happy Diwali Mum x

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