Deepavali is the most important and passionately celebrated Indian festival. Festivals in Indian culture are designed in such a unique way that they not only help us to enjoy but also protect and even improve health at physical, psychological, social as well as environmental levels. Deepavali is not an exception. Even the most common ritual of lighting oil lamps during these days helps to purify the air and the atmosphere!.
Deepavali Food for Health
Deepavali arrives around the beginning of winter. So the festival rituals and recommendations afterwards take this seasonal change into account. With increasing cold in the air, the digestive fire in our body is also getting stronger by the day. This results in a good appetite as well as better digestion compared to earlier in the rainy season. This is one of the reasons for having a variety of food that is rich and nutritious during Deepavali.
Ayurveda says that when fire is stimulated, it is also necessary to give it enough and appropriate fuel. So when the digestive fire in the body increases as part of the natural cycle at this time, it means it should be offered the right kind of food in sufficient quantities. If we do not do this, the increased or excited fire has the capacity to burn or use essential body tissues instead, resulting in many health problems. Therefore Ayurveda suggests consuming snigdha (lubricating) and sumptuous food containing all the six rasas, but mainly sweet, sour and salty, in this season.
Let us take a look at traditional Deepavali food and see how it fits. Ladoo, karanji, shankarpale, anarsa or chakli, shev and chiwda all fulfilling these conditions and help us maintain health at this time. Most of these recipes are mentioned in ancient Ayurvedic manuscripts and have been carried forward for generations in the Indian kitchen. It is our responsibility to preserve this precious knowledge, that follows natural needs, and turned into a festive practice. We need not be overwhelmed by trends and commercialised information around the limited ideas of proteins, vitamins and calories and keep ourselves deprived of required nourishment. It is a well known fact that if water from a well is not drawn regularly, it eventually dries up completely. Similarly, our digestive capacity remains optimal only when we consume the right food at the right times. Avoiding things like milk, butter, ghee, sweets, oil (used in moderation) can only reduce our digestive capacity resulting in poor immunity and can end up inviting diseases. Festivals like Deepavali in India or Christmas in western culture, and the food habits around them, are also meant to remind us of this important fact.
Ayurvedic Tips for Food
The following advice in Ayurveda will help to keep the quality of festive foods high!
- Make sure that the oil used to prepare these food items is of good quality. The best oil is cold pressed peanut oil. In cold places like North India or European countries, sesame oil can also be used.
- Make it a point to use only homemade pure ghee, made in an authentic way, in Deepavali sweets. Using readymade ghee where the process is largely compromised is more harmful than beneficial.
- Use stone sugar (mishri shakkar) to make homemade sweets and try to avoid buying ready made sweets.
- Eat a proper breakfast of Deepavali snacks, a nourishing and sumptuous lunch, and a light dinner, during this time.
- Avoid extremely spicy and heavy food.
Abhyanga – A simple Ritual that Goes a Long Way!
One of the important rituals in Deepawali taken directly from Ayurveda is Abhyanga. Abhyanga means the application or massage with a medicated oil on the entire body. Regular abhyanga helps in the following ways
- Balances Vata dosha
- Improves circulation
- Purifies the rakta dhatu (blood)
- Improves the complexion
- Increases vitality
- Reduces fatigue
- Helps eyesight
- Maintains your figure
- Facilitates good sleep
- Increases life span.
Even after you have done Abhyanga as a Deepavali ritual, try and continue for the entire winter season at least. It is very important to select the right oil for Abhyanga that has been prepared in the right way with Agni Sanskar. For example, oils from Santulan are given Agni Sanskar along with herbs and high quality ingredients such as milk, curd, water or fresh juices of herbs. They are given fire for more than 80 hours. This makes them very easily absorbable through the skin and body tissues and give excellent results to heal degenerative tissues and rejuvenate you.
Another healthy custom during Deepavali is to apply massage powder or ubtan made from fragrant herbs. Ubtan can be either mixed with the Abhyanga oil and applied, or used instead of soap while taking a shower after abhyang. In either way, it helps to exfoliate the dead skin, improve the complexion, improve the circulation, digest extra fat and give firmness to the skin and underlying tissue. San Massage powder is a pleasing and fragrant ubtan prepared from powerful, skin friendly herbs. Using this mixture everyday instead of soap is not only healthy but also helps to reduce water pollution caused by soaps.
Sparkles and Crackers Help Too!
Since Deepavali is a festival of light, lighting firecrackers has become customary. When used in moderation the sound of crackers can help wild creatures like snakes, frogs and insects who came outside during the rains get dispersed or return to their natural places away from societies and homes. While moderate firecrackers and sparklers can help us experience the light within, one should definitely take care to avoid sound and air pollution.
Enjoy Deepavali in every sense. Spend quality time with friends and family, encourage children to make colourful sky lamps, rangoli or killa (decorative fort). Decorate your home but at the same time take care that the surroundings remain clean, free from plastic and pollutants.
We hope that an understanding of Deepavali and the excellent health benefits of traditional rituals will help everyone celebrate better and take all these benefits into the coming year! Happy Deepavali to everyone!