A Taste of South Asia

Diwali is the Hindu festival of lights, celebrated by Hindus in Britain and all over the world, and also by Jains and Sikhs. We are pleased to provide a few South Asian recipes to mark the occasion. We’ve given them a healthy twist so they can be enjoyed all year round.

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Also spelt and pronounced Divali, the five-day celebration is India’s most important holiday. The festival is calculated by the lunar Hindu calendar and falls on different days each year. It occurs on the fifteenth day of the Hindu month of Kartika (during October/November in the Gregorian calendar). The fourth day of Diwali is the Hindu New Year. The festival of lights is held in honour of Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of wealth and prosperity. Hindus pray to Lakshmi to bring them good luck in the coming year. The word Diwali means ‘rows of lighted lamps’. People light hundreds of small oil lamps and place them around the home, in courtyards, gardens, roof-tops and outer walls. The more lamps they light, the more likely it is that Lakshmi will be tempted to visit them. Hindus believe that the goddess brings wealth with her when she visits.

Primary Audience

Recipe guide that offers vegetarians and vegans a delicious and healthy way to celebrate Diwali.