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When my children were growing up, we tried to celebrate all holidays that we could learn about (because who doesn’t like holidays, when most come with sweet treats and fun celebrations!?!?). At the time, many of my coworkers were in India and so I’d glob on to their holidays and traditions. They would share photos, recipes and special traditions they had with me, and I’d then share with our American coworkers and my family. One of the fun things for us was learning the story behind the holiday.
One of my personal favorite holidays to share with my family was Diwali, which spans a few days, but is celebrated on October 20 this year. We decorated with lights and lanterns and ate wonderful foods that were so fun to make. I remember the children saying that it was a bit like Christmas. Lights, gifts, deliciousness. Diwali symbolizes the victory of good over evil and the lesson is that even in hard times, positive thinking can help us find the right path.
The story behind Diwali is the story of Prince Rama, the Hindu god Vishnu, but in human form. His father told him to leave his kingdom for 14 years. While in this exile, his wife is kidnapped by an evil king, Ravana. The prince rescues his wife and returns to his kingdom with her and all the people lined the streets for them with oil lights and lanterns. It’s a bit of a welcome home story and because of that, this is a time that many take to do fall cleaning and decorating their homes with lights and special foods.
One special food that became a tradition in my home is Puran Poli. One of my coworkers in India shared her family recipe and I’ve made them every year since. Not necessarily for Diwali, but just for a delicious fall dessert (or… shhh… breakfast). It’s soft dough stuff with a sweet fragrant mixture of lentils and a special sugar called jaggery that you will use in so many other things once you taste it! There is cardamom, nutmeg and saffron mixed up in there, too. You roll them out very thinly and then cook like a pancake. It may be time to whip out the lentils again soon (also, because it’s lentils, my brain decided it’s healthy. Not sure if that’s true, but I’m not Googling to confirm or deny).
Here is a link to a nice article that is basically what I do based on my old friend’s recipe and instructions: https://ministryofcurry.com/puran-poli-a-sweet-lentil-stuffed-flatbread/.
Happy Diwali, everyone!
Sources:
- Astitva Raj. “Is Diwali on October 20 or 21? All You Need to Know About Tithi and Muhurat.” NDTV, 17 October 2025, https://www.ndtv.com/offbeat/is-diwali-on-october-20-or-21-all-you-need-to-know-about-tithi-and-muhurat-9470860. Accessed 19 October 2025.
- Kaur Harmeet. “What to Know About Diwali, the Festival of Lights.” CNN, 10 October 2025, https://www.cnn.com/travel/diwali-festival-of-lights-explained-cec. Accessed 19 October 2025.
- Nolan, Cara. “The Epic That Inspired Diwali.” Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art Blog, 15 November 2018, https://asia.si.edu/whats-on/blog/posts/the-epic-that-inspired-diwali/. Accessed 19 October 2025.
- Mundhe, Archana. “Puran Poli | Sweet Lentil Flatbreads.” Ministry of Curry, 27 October 2021, https://ministryofcurry.com/puran-poli-a-sweet-lentil-stuffed-flatbread/. Accessed 19 October 2025.
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