Happy Diwali!
To celebrate, I made one of my favorite Indian desserts, a carrot and cardamom pudding, called Gajar Ka Halwa. My mother told me she used to eat it in the winter months while growing up in India. This particular version is served hot, but in the summer it can be chilled and served cold. They’re both delicious but I love it served hot. I made my own vegan version using oat milk (but you can use regular milk) and garnished with crushed cashews and pistachios and it tastes divine!
Diwali, also called the Festival of Lights, is celebrated widely as a national cultural holiday (though traditionally it is a religious holiday) that commemorates the triumph of good over evil, or light over darkness. People decorate their homes with rangoli, a design on the floor using colored rice, sand, or flowers and light clay lamps, called diyas, decorating their homes, the streets, and setting them afloat on rivers. People eat a variety of sweets (I made the carrot pudding but there are a variety of other handheld sweets that are very popular), enjoy fireworks, and families and neighbors visit each other. It’s a huge day in India and celebrated over 5 days.
The rest of the photos are sourced by pexels and pixabay: 2) flower lamp 3) and 4) clay rangoli 5) sand rangoli 6) flower rangoli 7) rangoli and lamp 8) lighted lamps 9) sweets 10) colorful mini lamps
