Monday, October 27, 2014

Diwali Festivities

               As many of you might be aware, last week was Diwali, the festival of Lights. Diwali, also known as Deepavali spiritually signifies the victory of good over evil. It is usually celebrated over 5 days. Each day has a special significance.

               First day is the Dhanteras, followed by Naraka Chaturdasi or Kali Chaudas. The third day is the main day, Diwali. For some parts in India, mainly western India, the fourth day marks the beginning of their new year. The festivities end with Bhai Beej dedicated to the sister-brother bond.

               So, wish you all a very Happy Diwali and a prosperous new year too. Hope you all had a great celebration too. In the spirit of the festival, plus my husband's birthday, we had a fun filled weekend which included a special Diwali dinner on Friday evening with a group of friends. The menu for the evening was:

Main Course/ Entrees:


               No meal can be completed without a good dessert, so how can I miss the yummy dessert that we had.
  • Chocolate Pani Puri


               Saturday was reserved for his birthday. I made a special plan for him, took him out for Sunset Sailing under the beautiful Golden Gate bridge followed by an amazing dinner.


               Sunday was another Diwali lunch with another group of friends, but this time it was a potluck. The theme for the potluck was regional specialties, so we had a nice variety of food. Some of the items from the huge menu, whose recipes I will be posting in the near future, were:
  • Peas Kachori
  • Undhiyu - A special curry recipe from Gujarat
  • Baked Pakodas
  • Sev Khaman - Another Gujarati recipe
  • Dal Dhokli
  • Tamarind Rice - A Southern Indian Specialty
  • Puran Poli - Specialty of Maharashtra, western part of India
  • Bajri(Millet) Bread - A specialty from North Gujarat and Rajasthan
  • Choorma Ladu - A sweet dish



              Do let us know how your celebrations were. Also, how do you generally plan parties and do you have any tips on managing and executing the plan successfully?