The aura of Diwali brightened the Teacher’s lounge today. I feel fortunate to witness the Diwali in full spirit with delicious Diwali delights that was brought in for the staff lunch. Brightly decorated Teacher’s lounge with orange and yellow marigolds, colorful ornaments, and table decor rich with Diwali traditional culture embedded in it added a nice touch.

In my time attending college in India, I enjoyed the participating in festivities, with colorful Rangoli decorations, music playing in brightly decorated streets, and sharing and caring culture that warms up the neighborhoods during this time. Diwali energy and enthusiasm is that captivating. I saw the same enthusiasm in the efforts of bringing glimpse of the Diwali festival to John A. Crisafulli Elementary staff lunch during for the past few weeks.

Diwali bring togetherness, joy, and kindness towards each other. Lighting the lamps, making offerings not only for celebrating deities, also signifying enriching qualities, each deity adds to life. During this time, the Hindu community share stories of knowledge, enlightenment and family with each other.

My colleagues tell me that the “Diwali” is a five-day festival that symbolizes the victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance. It is a major religious holiday for Hindus, Jains, and Sikhs and is celebrated by more than a billion people across different regions. The name Diwali comes from the Sanskrit word Dipavali, which means “row of lights.” 

Diwali is celebrated during the months of October and November. Hindu community in Sri Lanka celebrate Dipavali by lighting lamps and decorating their homes with Diwali colors  around this time. Today’s Diwali themed decorations in staff lounge and delicious Diwali delights along with delicious homemade food brought back plenty of memories, from my own university days in Pune, India.

Making and sharing Diwali delights is a big part of Indian culture. Festive food is a way that brings togetherness, shows love, and kinship. The effort that goes into making a delicious meal and sharing it during festivities is an act that shows kindness and caring. Customs like this are heirlooms of rich culture across Asia.

Different Biryanis, Samosas, Gulab Jamun, Kaju katli, Halwa, Ladoo, and Barfi  are some of the popular foods served during Diwali. My family is familiar with the stories about Diwali from my time in the University, but the food I enjoyed today was delightful. My friends who brought in the main dishes, put in an enormous effort, from shopping, and making some of the rice and curry dishes at home. I will surely try out some of the recipes during my weekend cookouts in the coming weeks.

I hope that Diwali lunch added a nice warm touch to mid-week staff lunch. It gave moment that everyone enjoyed homemade Diwali delights and talked a little bit about festival of light. The joy and enthusiasm of it is profound that everyone is looking forward to arranging the next Diwali even better.