A Festival of Lights

In India, and wherever people of Indian ancestry live, houses, courtyards, roofs, gates and gardens will be illuminated starting Thursday with tiny earthenware oil lamps to welcome Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity. Fireworks will be lighted in front of every home to ward off evil spirits.

The occasion, the most popular of the year’s Indian holidays, is Diwali, also known as the festival of lights. The festivities continue for three or four days, depending on the region. (The first day of Diwali also varies according to region; for some this year, it began Tuesday.)

On the first day (Dhana-trayodashi), doorways are garlanded with mango leaves and marigolds and the floors before them are decorated with patterns of colored powder (rangoli) to welcome guests. The second day (Narak-chaturdashi), people rise early and take a ritual oil bath before sunrise.

When I was a child, the children in our neighborhood had a competition to see who would get up earliest and light the first firecracker on Narak-chaturdashi. My brother would always win. Lucky for him, though, none of our friends would come over later and see that he had merrily gone back to sleep after waking everyone up. (He’d bribe my sister and me to secrecy by making our beds that day.)

After daybreak on Narak-chaturdashi, the festivities begin. People visit friends and relatives, wearing new clothes. Festive meals are the order of the day. As people share cookies at Christmastime, many kinds of snacks are prepared in advance and exchanged among friends and relatives.

The third day, Lakshmi Puja, is when the goddess is welcomed into households. This day is of great importance for the business community. In some places, the fiscal year runs from Diwali to Diwali, rather than January to December.

On the last day of Diwali, Bhau-Bhij, brothers give their sisters gifts and sweets and sisters offer prayers for the brothers’ longevity and prosperity.

There are many legends about how Diwali began. One is that Krishna killed the demon of hell, Narkarsura, on Narak-chaturdashi after two days of fierce battle. Another is that Diwali is the day that Rama, the king of goodness and virtue, was crowned in the city of Ayodhya after the epic war with the demon king Ravana. The royal family of Ayodhya ordered the city to be lighted with rows of lamps, glittering on a dark night to welcome Rama and his wife, Sita, home after 14 years of exile.

CRESCENT COCONUT DELIGHTS (Karanji)

This recipe uses pie crust dough and the pastries are baked, rather than fried, as they would be in India.

1/8 teaspoon saffron

1/4 cup hot milk

1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon cardamom

1 recipe pie dough for double-crus pie, or store-bought pie crust (thawed)

Flour for dusting

Ghee, oil or butter for greasing pan

Put saffron and 1 tablespoon milk in small bowl and soak 5 minutes. Transfer to saucepan and add coconut and sugar. Cook, stirring constantly over medium heat, just until sugar dissolves, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and add cardamom. Set aside to cool.

Knead pie dough into ball and divide in half. Roll out 1 piece as thin as possible on lightly floured work surface. Using round 3- or 4-inch cookie cutter, cut as many circles as possible from dough.

Place 1 teaspoon coconut filling on 1/2 of each circle, leaving about 1/8 inch space at edge. Gently fold other half of circle over. Seal edges well with slight pressure of thumb. Repeat with remaining dough and filling.

Lay crescents on greased baking sheet and brush tops with some of remaining milk. Bake at 325 degrees until golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes.

25 to 30 karanjis. Each karanji:

108 calories; 26 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 6 grams fat; 12 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram protein; 0.21 gram fiber.

POTATO MUNCHIES (Batata Chivda)

Shoestring potatoes, which are readily available in supermarkets, replace potatoes prepared by the traditional Indian method of baking, grating, drying in the sun and finally deep-frying. Garam masala, a spice mixture, is sold in Indian grocery stores and some supermarkets.

1 tablespoon oil

4 to 5 serrano chiles, minced

1/2 cup unsalted peanuts

1/2 cup raisins

1 tablespoon lime juice

1 1/3 teaspoon salt or to taste

1 tablespoon sugar

4 cups shoestring potatoes

1 teaspoon garam masala

Heat oil in large wok and fry chiles briefly until brownish green. Add peanuts and raisins and stir-fry 2 minutes. Mix lime juice, salt and sugar and stir in (keep face averted from heat while doing this). Add shoestring potatoes and garam masala and stir 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and cool completely. Store in airtight container.

5 cups. Each 1/4-cup serving:

82 calories; 183 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 4 grams fat; 10 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 0.49 gram fiber.

Napkins from Room With a View, Santa Monica.

Vietri pottery plates from Pottery Shack, Laguna Beach.