Diwali

Diwali came and went and life moves on. Diwali - Festival of Lights when everyone young or old, hindu, muslim or christian everyone enjoy equally in India.
You can hear lots of boom blastic crackers bursting into the sky way into the night. Houses are beautifully decorated with dazzling lights and diyas. Lots and lots and lots of snacks and sweets for you to munch on at home. You wear new dresses and enjoy all the 5 days thoroughly to your heart's desire. I get nostalgic during diwali rememberin the childhood days when you used to really wake up early before sunrise at dawn, apply scented oil on your body and take nice hot bath and wear new clothes, burst crackers, light diyas at your doorstep, put colorful rangolis outside your house and eat lotsa sweets :))

This time round its different because I got to decorate my own diwali. I say this because now am all grown up and married and have my own sweet home to decorate so that I and all my family and friends can enjoy the same warmth and fun that I had grown up with.

Well, in US you cant really have a similar diwali but nonetheless where there's a will there's a way. Thanks to my sweet husband, we had lotsa friends to celebrate it with.

First day, i.e. 19th Oct, was Dhanteras in Hindi or Dhanatrayodashi in marathi. This day, the business folks like gujjus etc buy a lot of new vessels or gold. Also, it is said, one should light lamps at their doorstep this evening so that Lord Yama would excuse this door that day :) So ritual or no ritual, I went to the Indian grocery store and lit lamps at our doorstep and inside our home.

I had also attempted ladoos, sev and shankarpalli(also tukdi in konkani). Chaklis turned out a disaster..hehe.

On friday, I took some of these goodies to my office and distributed it to everyone. They liked it ! and of course I was enjoying it..:)

That evening, we went to see DON...so totally enjoyed.

Next day on saturday, we had cousin's at our place for lunch, and we thoroughly had a good time. Evening again we had to attend a friend's place for party.
Before that, I did Lakshmi puja at home and it was so much to decorate the place with diyas.

At our friend's place, she had made lovely snacks with toast and garlic cheese spread on it yummy..! Then we all danced to bollywood's favorite tunes and someone had got disco lights..which turned the atmosphere into a lovely den.

Next day, Sunday we had a potluck at another's friend's place...which turned out to be so much fun. BY the end of it, we were so tired as everyone had exhausted themselves with Diwali...totally..and thoroughly !!!

We ended that evening by visiting a beautiful temple...a perfect finish to our Diwali celebrations..