I can't quite believe it's Diwali already. Not only Diwali but a second lockdown in the mix of things. I'm sure we can all agree his year has been a very different year for everyone all over the world. It's been a year that's taught me so much, something I'll write for another day. This year will be the first year that I won't be with family during Diwali - something that's so alien to me. Every Diwali I think back to all the family gatherings, the diyas, the food, the prayers... that togetherness. Whereas this year it will be me, my husband, and our little Tupac. Regardless of the current situation, I love to get myself into the spirit by decorating (and not to forget cleaning) the house & most importantly... cooking!
When I say I love decorating.. I LOVE decorating! I'm always the first to help others too because I genuinely love it so much. Pretty much all my decorations for Diwali are from Etsy (because I love to support small businesses), Homesense (for unique finds), and of course, Amazon (for anything I can't find anywhere else, haha!) - these are my go-to's for anything home-related for the holiday season. I've decorated all the rooms downstairs with beautiful floral silk hydrangea garlands, the traditional Indian marigold garlands & lots of little trinkets and candles which I've collected over the years. Getting my home looking like Diwali really helps me get into the spirit. It has surprisingly made me feel much better about being just us during Diwali this year. They say home is where the heart is and my heart is definitely feeling like Diwali.
Food plays a huge role in Diwali. Without chakris, farsi puri & mathiya... Diwali never feels complete. I remember growing up my mum & aunty would spend weeks preparing such delicious food for everyone to enjoy in the weeks running up to Diwali and even after. I didn't realise how big of a part Diwali food, in particular, played when it came to feel that festive feeling inside your tummy. There are so many accounts on Instragm that have inspired me this Diwali when it comes to food. Off of the top of my head I love Sanjana, Nisha, Manjari, & of course Radhi.
This year we've made a selection of Diwali treats including (some very hard) vegan baked chakris, which I'm trying to perfect the recipe on, oven-baked mathiya & nankhatai inspired vegan hazelnut & chocolate biscuits. For Diwali day our menu is looking like stuffed aubergine & potato Gujarati curry, Paneer karahi, garlic naan, kachumbar, jeera rice, daal, vegan kheer (with fresh oat milk) & papad 🙂 Oh my gosh, my mouth is watering just thinking about all the food we're going to have this weekend! You can catch my stories over on Instagram where I'll show you a snippet into our weekend.
Everything aside, Diwali wouldn't be Diwali without the Vedic & spiritual meaning behind this time of year. This is the time of year when prayer can aid darkness within our lives turn into light. It's where Goddess Laxmi is able to bless our lives with prosperity & fortune. It's a time of year when we are really able to reflect & meditate on things we wish to seek out of our lives, making room for light to enter bringing an abundance of happiness and love. My morning meditation routine is something I can't seem to start my days without, something which I'll be sharing with you all on Instagram & my blog in the coming months 🙂 and my morning meditation have been so beautifully nourishing to my mind and energy this week! If you haven't tried meditation before then there are lots of apps with help you with guiding you through the entire process. The type of meditation I do every morning is transcendental and mantra meditation with my 108 bead mala.
I know this year will be different for us all but I wanted to spend some time wishing you all an abundance of light, love, happiness, prayer & prosperity. There is nothing more in this world I would want than for everyone to feel love in their hearts. Here's to making Diwali 2020 something special, where we can work on our spirituality, kindness & love towards ourselves & others. I'm sending you all the love & light from my heart to yours. Subh Diwali & Sal Mubarak to everyone celebrating this year.