.png)
Here comes another festival, 'Diwali', in the long rows of festivals. Just as someone says the word Diwali images of Diya, candles, sweets, rangoli, decorations, fireworks, and Laxmi poojan comes to mind. Diwali is also called Deepavali meaning “string of lights” in Sanskrit. It is a celebration of good triumphing over evil. It is usually celebrated in October or November each year marking the start of Hindu New Year lasting up to 5 days. The first day is called Dhanteras when everyone cleans their homes and shop for something new like gold, electrical appliances, etc. On the second day called Choti Diwali, homes are decorated with diyas, candles and small rangolis are made on the floor using colorful sand or flowers. The third day is the day of the main event Diwali when families and friends gather to feast, pray, exchange gifts, and play cards till late at night. The fourth day is considered as the first of the Hindu new year. And on the last day, Bhai Dooj is celebrated when brothers visit their sisters who prepare their favorite dishes for them. The story behind the celebration of Diwali varies in different parts of the world like:
In north India, it is celebrated on the occasion of the return of Lord Ram and Sita to the city of Ayodhya after defeating the evil king Ravan with the end of 14 years of Vanvas (exile).
In West Bengal, India, people worship the goddess Kali (destroyer of evil forces).
In Nepal, Diwali is celebrated as Lord Krishna’s victory over the vicious king Narakaasura.
In the city of Leicester and London, United Kingdom (UK), people every year hold a large celebration in which they gather on the streets to enjoy the festivals of light with music and dance.
Diwali additionally honors the Hindu goddess of wealth, Lakshmi. The lighting and lamps are said to assist the goddess to discover her way into peoples’ houses, bringing prosperity to their lives. But it’s not just about lights and legends - Diwali is a time to have fun with friends and family. People exchange gifts and with them they also give sweets. It’s like bringing happiness in a box. Traditionally, people buy sweets from shops and get them to be gift-wrapped there itself that gives no personal touch to them. Aren’t you tired of these old traditions? Why don’t you try something new this time?
Here are some ideas you might like, and what’s the harm in giving them a try?
Pineapple pudding
Ingredients
Basic vanilla sponge
Whipped cream- 50gm
Pineapple crush- ¼ cup
Pomegranate- ½ cup
Instructions
Take 1 pudding glass then cut the sponge into the size which can be easily fitted in the glass. Now put the cut sponge in the glass.
Then spread 1 tsp pineapple crush on top of the sponge piece in the glass.
Now put the whipped cream in a piping bag and put the design above the crush.
Now put some pomegranate above the cream layer.
Repeat the same process 1 more time and the delicious pineapple pudding is ready to serve.
Here, we have one more recipe for kids
In the festive season, everybody is busy with their works and we forget about kids; they do not take their food properly. So, here we have one more delicious healthy drink for kids.
These yummy hot chocolate stirrers make a great Diwali gift for kids to make, but they're not just for Diwali - they're also a lovely treat to have around the house whenever the weather is chilly. Your child & everybody will like it. It is also a quick & easy recipe to make.
Give a stir and spread love!!!!
3 Flavors of Stirrer
Pan masala stirrer
Ingredients
100gm – White chocolate Compound
1 tbsp - Pan masala
2 tsp – Tooty Frooty
2 drops – Liquid green candy color
1- Ice cream stick
small Disposable glass.
Instruction
1Take the white chocolate in a microwave-friendly bowl and put it inside the microwave for 30 seconds. OR. Take and boil some water in a saucepan and put the bowl of white chocolate over the saucepan while stirring it to avoid lumps. This is the double boiling method.
Now put all the ingredients with melted white chocolate in a mixing bowl and mix them very well.
Take a disposable glass, fill more than half of the glass, and tap it to make it even.
After that insert a wooden stick and decorate it with tooty-frooty.
Keep it in a fridge & set for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove it only with a little bit of twist.
How to serve
Take 1 glass of hot milk and put the stirrer in it.
Stir Well & Serve
Rasmalai Stirrer
Ingredients
● 100gm white chocolate
● 1tsp- Chopped Pista
● 1tsp- Cardamom Powder
● 1tsp – Chopped Almonds
● 2 drops – Liquid Yellow candy color
● 1 Ice- cream stick
● disposable glass
Instructions
Take the white chocolate in a microwave-friendly bowl and put it inside the microwave for 30 seconds. OR. Take and boil some water in a saucepan and put the bowl of white chocolate over while stirring it to avoid lumps.
Now put all the ingredients with melted white chocolate in a mixing bowl and mix them very well.
Take a disposable glass, fill more than half of the glass, and tap it to make it even.
After that insert a wooden stick and decorate it with some chopped almond and pista.
Keep it in a fridge & set for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove it only with a little bit of twist.
How to serve
Take 1 glass of hot milk and put the stirrer in it.
Stir Well & Serve.
Coffee stirrer
Ingredients
50-50 gm – dark & white chocolate, compound (melted)
1 tbsp – Nutella
½ tsp- Coffee powder
Instructions
Take the dark and white chocolate in a microwave-friendly bowl and put it inside the microwave for 30 seconds.OR. Take and boil some water in a saucepan and put the bowl of chocolate over while stirring it to avoid lumps.
Now put all the ingredients with melted dark and white chocolate in a mixing bowl and mix them very well.
Take a disposable glass, fill more than half of the glass, and tap it to make it even.
Now do it the same with the rest of the mix.
After that insert a wooden stick and decorate it with some coffee powder.
Keep it in a fridge & set for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove it only with a little bit of twist.
How to serve
Take 1 glass of hot milk and put the stirrer in it.
Stir Well & Serve
Stirrer as a Diwali Gift
If you want to add an extra special touch, you can also pack the gifts yourself. Just follow the given steps to make small cups more decorative and the idea of packing stirrer in small glass jars.
Painting glasses:
Take the glasses you want to paint., a bowl of water, and a few drops of your favorite color nail paints.
Put a few drops of each color nail paint in the water forming a pattern.
Now dip the bottom of the glass. Therefore, the pattern transfers onto the glass.
Don’t worry if the pattern is not a perfect shape, you can always give it a perfect shape using a cotton bud and a nail polish remover.
Now let it dry for few hours after which you can add your pineapple pudding, cover it with a cellophane sheet of any color, and tie a satin ribbon of your choice of color.
Decorating Small Glass Jars
Take small glass jars, some ropes, and a few newspapers or pages of old books.
Take the rope and tie it around the neck of the jar making a bow.
Now take the piece of newspaper or old book page to wrap it around the jar body, if there is excess cut it off and make a heart-shaped hole in the middle of the paper before pasting the edges of the paper on the backside of the jar and it’s ready for putting stirrers in it.
You can also add instructions for stirrers like Add 1 glass of hot milk and stir it well till it’s fully melted for enjoying it to the fullest.
At last, you can put all of these in a basket with some chocolates, dry fruits like almonds, pistachio, cashew nuts, walnuts, raisins, etc., cover it with a cloth or net fabric and your basket of joy is ready to be spread across your friends and families.
Enjoy it with your close ones and do share your favorite Diwali moments and sweets with us. After all, festivals are about creating priceless moments with family and friends which can be cherished for a lifetime.
Recipe Credit: Mrs. Shweta Gupta
By Vandana Sahu, Akansha Sinha.
