The air is filled with the sweet melody of carols, the aroma of freshly baked cakes, sweets simmering in pots, the rustle of wrapping paper, hushed whispers as Santa’s itinerary gets finalized.

Christmas eve is all about attending the midnight mass followed by gathering around the Christmas tree eagerly opening the gifts that Santa has left behind. This year will certainly be different with the health guidelines issued by the authorities. Online masses, celebrating within the family at home and virtual greetings to friends and extended family will be the new normal this year.

While we will certainly miss the festivities, bonhomie and the late night revelry, we must be grateful and thank God for seeing us through a tough year and pray for our less fortunate brethren.

Our foodies den features Tabita Fernandes. Please do visit and get an insight into the secret ingredient that makes a Christmas cake special.

“Illuminating the balcony in our Mumbai apartment with lights and the symbolic lantern – usually a star shaped kindled the sense of the beginning of the festivity. The streets in Mumbai illuminated with bright signs of sale could not be missed. The festival was in the air.

The first day of Diwali was always a unique experience. A warm shower given by mother in scented water and sandalwood soap was a privilege being the youngest in the house. That one unique moment was as though being a small child showered by the motherly love; something that I have been missing for the past twenty Diwalis.

The homemade sweets and savories shared with friends and neighbours, new clothes, fireworks and visits to maternal uncle and paternal aunts were truly memorable.

Our First Diwali in the US (Diwali 2000)

My wife, Priti, was expecting our son, Mihir. Her cravings for sweets grew as the festival neared. One fine day I returned from work to find Priti presenting a plethora of Diwali sweets. I was quite surprised and amazed.

Diwali in California’s Bay Area was nothing like in India; however we were fortunate to have about a dozen of Priti’s cousins and their friends who lived in town. One of teh Diwali days, we had a fantastic Chaat party at our home.

Years gone by

It has been a tradition every Diwali to illuminate the house exteriors. We keep those lights on all the way to Christmas and New Year. Although the tradition of visits to the Temple, meeting friends, exchanging sweets and savories with neighbours is still maintained, yet the festive experience is not the same as in India.

As Mihir grows up just as any other American youth, he would never fully understand the Diwali experience that our generation of immigrants brought with us.

This year

With the pandemic rampant, visiting or inviting friends over…the essence of Diwali…was missed. We had to make do with wishing folks over video chats or messages. A rather silent Diwali…no glitter and glamour.

Let me sign off by sharing a virtual treat with all my friends back in India…Homemade Chakli prepared by Priti.”

Diwali is a festival of lights celebrated across India with enthusiasm. People may celebrate in different ways across India, but one thing that brings together people during this festival is food.

The lip smacking snacks and delicious sweets add a special flavour to this festival of lights. This festival brings joy to everyone and helps bring families together.

When I think about Diwali celebrations of the past, I can only say that they were epic. As a chef, we are always interested in food prepared for special occasions. Just thinking about the memories brings the back the smell of shankarpali (shakharpara) or chakli being fried. We had a tradition at home that the women in the house would plan what all snacks to prepare for the morning of Narak Chaturthi. Then we would all divide the work and mother and grandmother would prepare all snacks and sweets. But we were not allowed to eat these sweets and snacks till the next day, when a thali full of all snacks would be presented before the god as a prasad early in the morning on Narak Chaturthi. Then after the pooja, we would all sit together and enjoy the lip smacking snacks like Tikhe shev, Pohyacha Chiwada, Chakali, Khari Shankarpali which were accompanied with sweets like Ravyache Ladoo, Shankarpali, Karanji, Besan Ladoo. I can assure you that even when the dishes were made without tasting anything beforehand would always turnout to be great as they were made with love and made by all of us together.

But this year things might be a little different. We cannot visit the families of relatives and friends. No late night talks or sharing of food in one place. No comparing who is better at making those tasty snacks or who is better dressed. But technology has progressed so much that even if we cannot be in one place together, we can still be together. This year people will mostly meet each other on apps like Zoom, share their favorite sweets and snacks on Instagram with friends or better yet send each other the sweets through parcels. Nothing can stop the festival of light as long as we have the will to celebrate it with our friends and family. The memories that we share with them are precious and surely we will reminisce about the past Diwali celebrations. And I am sure that those memories will bring a smile on all our faces in these challenging times.

Parimal shares some lip-smacking recipes in our “Foodies den“. Please do visit and try these out during the festival season.

Team – FACTS of Living

Over the coming days, FACTS of Living will take you down memory lane. We will hear from folks sharing their memories of Diwalis gone by…celebrations as part of a joint family, their first Diwali away from home: our non resident friends will share their experiences of Diwali in a foreign land and as a special treat our ‘Foodies den’ will feature some lip smacking, mouth watering Diwali delicacies. So stay tuned as we take you on a new journey of discovery.

Team FACTS of Living

Our focus is on the personal experience and hand crafted creation.

You may connect with us on support@factsofliving.com to join us as we continue to build bridges.

Thanks,

Team FACTS of Living