Lights at night- Diwali
andromeda of plymouth
Susan and Andrew Wilson
Wed 9 Nov 2011 19:25
Wednesday the 26th of October was Diwali which is an event taking place in
Hindu communities all over the world and especially in Trinidad. It
represents the last night of a months’ fast and celebrates the return of
one of the Hindu gods from exile. In Trinidad it’s very much a community
event as we were about to see.
But first there was the Nagal – an Indian Bazaar – set up in tents on the
other side of Port of Spain. Susan went with Vicky from Cinnamon Teal on
another of Jesse’s trips on the Monday before Diwali. The scene at the
Nagal was very reminiscent of any local show. Lots of booths - selling
all sorts of things, from doors to new cookers and of course jewellery and
Indian dresses, as well as spices and toys. There were racks upon racks of
beautifully decorated outfits in every colour you could think of. Susan
managed to resist most of them (there were some beautiful orange outfits)
but eventually gave in to the one she wore on Diwali. And then there were
the food stalls. A big long line of vendors with lots of different things
on offer and a very yummy supper was had by all who went.
On the Wednesday two maxi taxis, Jesse’s taxi and a bus picked up lots of
cruisers from the various marinas and we set off at 3pm towards the
village of Felicity, south of Port-of-Spain. Jesse has been arranging
these trips for several years and the cruisers are warmly welcomed. First
by the very loud drums and cymbals of the local Tassa Band before going
into the temple and after looking at the various representations of the
Hindu Gods we were given an address by one of the officials. After another
display by the Tassa Band we went and had a meal served on banana leaves.
Here we had roti bread, curried pumpkin, curried chick-peas and curried
mango, very delicious and easy to clean up after - not washing up.
As it was now close to dark we were encouraged to wander around the
village until it was time to return – this was earlier than usual because
of the curfew in place at the moment.
Almost every house in the village had numerous small clay pots called
deyas - filled with oil and with long wicks - scattered around the
courtyards, balconies and gates,often in very intricate designs and
patterns. Some involving great pieces of bamboo shaped into trees or
simply extensive stands. As night falls these are lit. The oil is kept
topped up during the evening and most householders sit or stand at their
gates welcoming friends and strangers as they walk though the village.
Many offer small bags of Indian sweets as this is considered good manners
and good fortune as gifts. And yes they are very, very sweet
.
As we were walking around the village we were stopped by a camera crew who
wanted to interview Susan about why she/we were here and what we thought
of the Diwali festival. It turned out that one of the crew was Indian by
birth and she noted that in India the festival is essentially one in the
home, unlike here in Trinidad where it’s very much a community event.
After nearly two hours walking around the village and seeing the lights,
listening to the music –mostly very loud with some enormous sound systems
delivering them and some of the firecrackers, usually with a child in
attendance soon after it goes off, it was time to head back to the marinas
and tired legs were grateful for the ride back. All along the route back
were more houses with little lights glowing outside them and many
celebrating home owners. Certainly something to see and experience should
the opportunity present itself and one we very much enjoyed even though we
do not know a great deal about Hinduism – all those taking part certainly
welcomed one and all.
All in all a very interesting and eventful evening.
more in due course
Susan and Andrew
S/V Andromeda of Plymouth
Trinidad
