Diwali, Trini Style

Trinidad's been at the top of my list of "must-visit" Caribbean destinations since I started at CT+L; it's so different from most of the other islands, home to a huge population of East Indian descendants. Brought to the island as indentured servants beginning in 1845, 40 percent of Trinidad's current 1.4 million residents are Indo-Trinidadian. As an India junkie myself, I was desperate to visit for Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, held each year in October or November, and I happily got the chance the third week of October. Celebrated on the darkest night of the year, according to the Hindu calendar, families gather all over the island to light deyas, small clay pots filled with coconut oil. There's plenty of food (the food, oh, the food), music and camaraderie. We celebrated in a village called Felicity, at the home of a family who was kind enough to prepare the traditional Diwali curries for us. Yum. The night culminated for me in lighting some deyas for myself, clad in the traditional Indian salwar kameez (watch that scarf by the flames, Becky). The combination of Caribbean and Indian culture was both what I'd expected and a surprise, a fascinating and delicious mash-up. Ever been to Trinidad for Diwali? What did you think?

*photos courtesy of Jon Whittle

Diwali, Trini Style