Divaali

My friend invited me to her home on Friday to celebrate Divaali, which is an Indian Festival of Lights, but since her family is small (or far away), she often lets the day pass by without making it a celebration here. Having an eight year-old son is motivation for her to keep the tradition alive, so he can learn about the traditions of his family and heritage. So my friend invited another Indian couple and their son over, plus me and another white lady (sorry, that was the easiest way to describe us).

This friend of mine recently described me as her little sister, and then she included me in her “family” celebration of Divaali. Suffice it to say, I’m really grateful and I loved learning about and participating in their holiday and ceremony.  Seema’s friend read us the story of Divaali from a picture book, which is a tale of Rama who overcomes a demon king (hanuman—my favorite giant monkey—makes a few appearances in the story too). It was pretty funny because the two boys corrected the storyteller every time she pronounced something incorrectly.

Have you ever had Indian food?  No, I don’t mean restaurant Indian food. Like, the real thing…we had what can only be described as a feast, with Seema’s New Delhi flair and her friend’s Bombay inspired food. I got to take some leftovers…