Diwali Season in Trinidad and Tobago
It’s Diwali season again and I have already made my favorite sweets. For most of you who have never heard of it, Diwali is the festival of lights, celebrated by millions of Hindus, Sikhs and Jains across the world in triumph of good over evil with beautiful rituals such as festive lights, fireworks, sweet delicacies and family gatherings.
One of the main stories in Hindu mythology, Diwali is the day Lord Rama, his wife Sita Devi and brother Lakshmana return to their homeland after 14 years in exile. The villagers lit a path for Rama, who had defeated the demon king, Ravana. Reenactments of this story are part of celebrations in some regions.
Hindus also reenact the legend of Lord Krishna who defeated the demon, Narakasura, and freed the people of his kingdom. After he slayed the demon, Lord Krishna declared it a day of festivities. In some parts of India, people burn effigies of the demon kings in both stories as part of the celebration.
People also celebrate the Hindu goddess, Lakshmi, during Diwali. As the goddess of prosperity, wealth and fertility, the romantic Diwali story says that she chose Lord Vishnu, one of Hinduism’s most important deities, to be her husband on the night of Diwali. Diwali, is celebrated by Hindus around the world and is called the Festival of Lights which symbolizes the lifting of spiritual darkness. It is a celebration of good over evil and light over darkness.
In Trinidad and Tobago, we celebrate Diwali with a twist. The celebrations are one of the largest in the English-speaking Caribbean and are not only held at temples and by religious groups but have been extended to homes and communities. Business organizations have also embraced the season with special events held to commemorate this occasion. Corporations and government institutions encourage their employees to dress in traditional Indian wear like the sari and salwar.
Diwali was brought to Trinidad and Tobago by Hindus who came as indentured labourers in 1845. The celebration of Divali in Trinidad and Tobago is marked as a national holiday.
As a child, I admired the lighting of deyas and driving through the “Indian neighbourhoods” to view the spectacular light show. Deyas are small circular clay pots filled it with coconut oil or ghee (clarified butter) and a wick made of wool is placed in it.
Deyas are placed on creatively bent bamboo frames constructed in savannahs and other open spaces or simply arrayed in the driveways of homes. The process of bamboo bending involves using a hard, long and thick bamboo, splitting one end of the bamboo into strands and securing the un-split end of the bamboo to the ground and bending the strands outwards and fastening them to the ground. People also create different shapes of bamboo bending e.g. elephant, Ohm sign etc. During the season neighborhoods orchestra what is known as “busing bamboo” where flammable liquid is placed inside the bamboo and lit and makes a sound similar to fireworks. It can get quite noisy but enjoyed mostly by the youths in the community.
The Hindu community does not eat any meat during this festival. It is a sacred time for them and they fast from all meat consumption. The cuisine is quite inviting with roti, channa and potato, curry mango, chataigne (also known as the meat replacement), pumpkin and so much more. You can’t have roti without the appetizers like phoulorie, saheena and the sweet you must try, especially the kurma and jalebi (very similar to funnel cake).
Those of us who live away from the island have had to research the recipe on YouTube and make most of the festive delicacies ourselves. And, post-pandemic I think we have done a pretty good job.
Shubh Diwali!
Subrina Hall-Azih is a Trinidadian Educator residing in New York.
