The Sugarcane Goddess

Each year, I look forward to the festival of lights with the excitement of a child. No, it isn't for the crackers and loud noises, rather its the sweets, decoration and meeting people that make it special. Though Diwali adds a lot of pollution to the air, it does its job on the belly as well in tandem. The guilt of consuming those calories is quickly washed down by the joy of the occasion. This time the day was all the more important as we had recently shifted to our new home and this would be our first Diwali here. So, it was time to clear up our act and go all out in decorations and celebrations.

As if in an annual ritual, we wait till the very end i.e. Choti Diwali to put up the lights. This year we were in a better position as almost half the lights had been put up by Dhanteras (after a very hectic day at the market).  An improvement you might say!

The next day was spent preparing the home for the 'traditional Diwali'. So, the floor decorations were done using geru and ground rice paste. 

The puja sthan

The main entrance

and the image/statue of the Goddess Lakshmi was made using sugarcane

and the Goddess's clothes all shiny and new

The puja sthan was then decked up with the essentials 

and the customary Rangoli

Not to forget the last minute rush to the market at 6 p.m. to buy new kurta pajamas  as we couldn't locate the ones we owned in all the packed cartons. Thankfully, the market was open and we were able to get new clothes.

This time the highlight in the 'fried category' were the 'singal' - a sweet, spongy fried dish that feels too heavy on the stomach!

To top it all, I again tried my hand at having a musical evening (it has turned into a tradition of sorts now!) to no avail. The instrument of choice was the flute. So, I spent the remainder of the time watching the fireworks. 

It was one good beginning to the festivities at the new place. I hope that all of you had a great Diwali. I look forward to adding more elements to the Diwali festivities next year (Especially more music!) 

Diwali Wali selfie!

Cheers!