Q: Is there a typical meal? Should I hang lights and light candles? What else can I do that makes him see I take his culture seriously????? Other details: We are living in New York away from his family in India. I am aware of the symbolism of Diwali and have done research into the 'tradition' I just want some practical advice for a non Hindu who wants to do something that would make my husband feel as if I made an effort
A: South has so many cultures too. My friends get up early on Narakchaturdashi, this time on 8th Nov. and then take an oil bath. After that they wear new clothes. So get him some new clothes to wear that day. You too. As for dishes, cook the items you know of. Just have a simple well cooked meal. Make a "Payasam" . That is the easiest of sweet. It is a rice pudding. http://search.yahoo.com/search?search=Payasam&ei=UTF-8&fr=ks-ans&ico-yahoo-search-value=http%3A%2F%2Frds.yahoo.com%2F_ylt%3DAsTcAZKfzcirUoGsk4ezH70azKIX%3B_ylv%3D0%2FSIG%3D11i1rtb3h%2FEXP%3D1194613358%2F*-http%253A%2F%2Fsearch.yahoo.com%2Fsearch&ico-wikipedia-search-value=http%3A%2F%2Frds.yahoo.com%2F_ylt%3DAnibJr9gWZ.1Ylf1Ch6zyKIazKIX%3B_ylv%3D0%2FSIG%3D121ki3o2b%2FEXP%3D1194613358%2F*-http%253A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FSpecial%253aSearch&p=Payasam Check out these links : http://food.sulekha.com/ http://www.rediff.com/getahead/2006/oct/20diwali1.htm Do light some tea-candles and decorate house. On the 9th Nov all put up lights. *Happy Diwali!*