In India, the land of copious Gods and high-spirited religions, what is valued the most since the very foundation of this society is the proximity with one’s family and worshipping is not just limited to the predefined Gods but it goes to the extent of praising all the earthly and celestial bodies, be it trees or rivers or mountains or the moon or the sun or even the planets. Worshipping the Almighty with love and joy along with all family members on a pre-set day is a way Indian festivals are celebrated.

The essence of a festival or any celebration is to be with one’s family and feel privileged for all that one has. And when it comes to festivals, there is always one coming up at any given point of time during the year. One such festival is Diwali. It is not just a one-day festival, but it is a five days festival. The date varies according to the Hindu calendar but tentatively it falls between mid-Octobers to mid-November. Diwali is a celebration of light triumphing over darkness. Each of the 5 days has an interesting history and a very special ritual behind it. Now, amidst lavishly lightened up and decorated houses and sounds of distant firecrackers bursting, let’s get into the significance of these five days.

1. Dhanteras

Dhanteras, also known as Dhanatrayodashi and Dhanvantari Trayodashi, is the first day that marks the festival of Diwali. As we know the Hindu calendar follows the phases of the moon, so accordingly there are 2 phases of 15 days in a month of the Hindu calendar and the festival of Diwali starts on the 13th day of the last phase of the last month of the Hindu calendar, the day is called “Dhanteras” which literally means wealth “Dhan” and thirteen “teras”. People worship Goddess Lakshmi for a prosperous life and well being on Dhanteras. Lord Kuber is also worshipped on Dhanteras as he is considered a treasurer of wealth and bestower of riches, along with Goddess Lakshmi. On this day apart from Lakshmi pooja, there is a tradition of cleaning the house and purifying it by lighting up diyas and especially lighting up a diya in front of the plant of Tulsi (Basil) in one’s house. Dhanteras is considered as the most auspicious day to buy gold and silver jewellery or new utensils on this day.

2. Chhoti Diwali

After that, there comes “Choti Diwali” which is the day prior to Diwali in some parts it is known as “Kalichaudas” but in most of the Indian states, it is termed as “Choti Diwali” or “Narak-Chaturdashi”. The 14th day of the lunar calendar is celebrated as “Kali Chaudas”, where Kali means dark (eternal) and Chaudas means fourteenth. Devotees worship Goddess Kali on this day. Mahakali is known as a destroyer of all the negative and evil elements. Devotees worshipping Goddess Kali on this day, to get rid of all the negative energies. Also, on this day, people across the country make colourful Rangolis and light up diyas and lanterns. 

3. Diwali

Then comes the day all are waiting for, Diwali. This is the last day of the month of the Hindu calendar. The next day marks the beginning of the New year. Lakshmi pooja is performed on the day of Diwali. This pooja is performed in the evening to invite Goddess Lakshmi at home. Prayers are offered to the Goddess so that the New Year is filled with peace, wealth and prosperity. People celebrate this very special day by bursting crackers and wearing new clothes and visiting friends and relatives. This is the time to celebrate and meet friends and relatives and exchange gifts and sweets. All the houses are decorated marvellously and ingeniously. If one does have the chance to view India on this day from outer-space, it certainly will be a treat to the eyes. 

4. Govardhan Puja / Hindu New Year

On the fourth day of Diwali, i.e after Diwali comes the First day of the first month Hindu calendar. This is the New Year according to the Hindu calendar. In northern Indian states, this day is celebrated as ‘Govardhan pooja’ as lord Krishna saved the villagers of ‘Gokul’ by lifting up the ‘Govardhan’ mountain and defeated Indra. In south India, this day is celebrated as Gudi Padwa, a symbol of love and devotion between the wife and husband.

5. Bhai Dooj

Then the last day, the end of Diwali festival is Bhai Dooj. Bhai Dooj is also called Yama Dwitiya. Bhai Dooj is a celebration of the pious bond between brother and sister. This day is associated with the emotional tale of brother-sister love between Yama and Yami. Yamraj himself blessed the siblings and declared that every brother who greets his sister on this day will have a long life. On this day every brother and sister exchange sweets and sisters apply ‘tika’ on the forehead of their brothers. 

The festival of light is just around the corner and you must be very excited about meeting your relatives and friends, celebrating Diwali with them, new gifts, lip-smacking sweets, delicious snacks, and whatnot. Though last year the situation was very difficult due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But with the help of vaccination and proper precautions this year, the situation is a bit better. And so we all are very excited to celebrate Diwali. But we at justhaat.com request our beloved customer to follow all the COVID-19 guidelines and celebrate the festival of lights with all precautions. 

With Diwali comes a lot of preparations to be done. Decking up the house with lights, planning the menu for guests, shopping for new clothes, home decor things, gifts and much more. But the most important part of gifting your loved one with a token of love is something you would be jumbled up with. You can find n number of items in the world to gift your loved ones and that makes the choice a gift that can stand out of the ordinary ones. Although we will suggest you some of the unique and perfect gifts for your loved ones before that let’s understand why gifting is a tradition in Diwali.

Diwali is a festival that brings each and everyone close to their loved ones regardless of cultural differences & busy schedules and gifting make this a better way to strengthen the relationships. The tradition of gifting has seen a lot of variations over the years. Let’s check out some of the gift ideas for Diwali that are handpicked from different categories.

Let’s check out some of the gift ideas for Diwali that are handpicked from different categories.

• Dry Fruits and Chocolates

Dry fruits and chocolates are the most subtle and perfect gift for Diwali. A box filled with a whole lot of sweetness and love is what this gift feels like. Presentation matters here; you can choose different ways like putting them into a jar and covering it with red velvet or putting it into a box of glass and decorating it from top to bottom. You can also make a hamper filled with dry fruits and chocolates. You can also check our Diwali special premium quality dates stuffed and coated with different chocolate flavour. It's a perfect gift for Diwali.

• Diwali Special Sweets

No festival is complete without sweets aka ‘Kuch meetha hojaye!’ From the young generation to the older generation, everybody loves sweets so, Diwali Sweet hampers are the perfect gift for the sweet lovers. Gift your loved one with traditional Indian sweets such as Kaju Katli, Peda, Milk Cake, Ladoo, Soan Papdi, Mix Mithai etc. 

• Candle Stand

Diwali decoration is all about lights, and your relatives and friends must need a place to put their candles. Let’s help them out by gifting one. While buying a candle stand keep in mind the décor of your relatives’ room and choose some artistic and creative accordingly. You can also make your own candles and gift it. 

• Diwali Pooja items

Everyone does have the Diwali pooja items at home and by gifting the same things you may increase the burden. So, rather than gifting the mainstream items of Diwali pooja, buy something that is different and useful too. A pooja thali decorated with lilies and roses; you can also include the Ganesh and Lakshmi idols, torans, hand-decorated diyas, remade rangoli stencils, etc.

•   Books

What’s better than a book for that one friend who is a bookworm. Just track down the person’s favourite author or genre and gift them accordingly. A book can never be forgotten because with a book you impact a person’s mind and heart.

Though finding a gift is a tricky, confusing, and doubtful process, a little creativity and thoughtfulness can make it untiring and exciting too. Always remember to keep your friends and family members in mind while selecting the gift for each and every one. With these, we hope you might have got the gift ideas for your loved ones.

Diwali is a festival that brings cheers to everyone. You would never want to get short on the shopping list of Diwali and that’s the reason we have a complete collection of Diwali essentials. From a wide variety of sweets to snacks, grocery to household essentials, gifts hampers to pooja essentials, we have it all. Place your order right now at JustHaat.com the Online Indian Grocery Store near you and Grab this Season's Biggest Discounts & Offers!

May the festival of lights fill your life with the glow of happiness and the sparkle of joy. JustHaat.com wishes you and your family a very Happy & Prosperous Diwali!

Have a safe and Happy Diwali!

With Diwali just around the corner, joy, excitement and preparations are at its peak. Yes, we are soon approaching the most awaited festival of the year, Diwali the festival of lights. Diwali is one of the festivals that is celebrated in almost every corner of the world.

It is celebrated as a victory of light over darkness, triumph of good over evil, and to honour Ramachandra, the seventh avatar (incarnation of the god Vishnu).

The gold lit colourful lamps, the artistic lanterns, the beautiful rangolis, the range of flowerpots, sparklers, crackers, shopping and a wide variety of sweets and savouries is a perfect picture we sketch in our minds when we talk about Diwali. It’s one of the festivals where you need not fast but simply feast & relish to the fullest. 

With the onset of this festival, people start shopping, decorate their homes, and prepare flavoursome sweets, snacks and other delicacies. There is a lot of positivity, happiness and joy around. The celebrations occur over a period of five days and include numerous traditions, activities, and, yes, tasty treats too. When we talk about tasty treats it is true that food plays a very important role in all celebrations. Sweets and snacks are an integral part of Diwali festival. Yes, gorging on these delicacies will definitely add a few calories on you. But hey it's Diwali, and indulgence is fine during the festival, we can have a detox week later.

Any Indian festival is incomplete without sweets. So, let's begin with the first things first. Have you ever wondered why sweets are an integral part of festival celebrations? Why do we gift our loved ones sweets? Why are Diwali sweets the most gifted item during the season? Let’s find out the significance of gifting sweets. Let’s get back to mythology, link the connections and find out:

• Legends have it that after the 14 years exile of Ram and Sita, they were returning back to Ayodhya. The defeat of Ravan and the victory of Ram symbolizes good over evil and so people welcome Lord Ram with decorative rangolis in front of their house and gave sweets to celebrate the happy occasion.

• The other epic story is when the Pandavas return from their 13-year exile imposed on them by the Kauravas over a gambling game. Hastinapura was fully illuminated with lights by the people and sweets were distributed as a sign of happiness and joy to welcome the Pandavas back.

• Diwali is also celebrated as the victory of Lord Krishna over the evil king Narakasura.

• In recent years  Diwali signifies the end of the harvest season and the beginning of a new year and so farmers exchange sweets with each other as a mark of celebrating the harvest and being thankful for the abundant crops. 

• It is also the start of the new accounting year for a businessman as they close their books of account during this period and celebrate their success.

All these stories and more call for celebration and victory and so it becomes very significant that sweets be a part of this grand celebration even now. Here are some traditional sweets which are prepared at almost every home before the festival sets in:

• Ladoos

A wide range of Ladoos is prepared for Diwali celebrations. Besan Ladoo, Coconut Ladoo, Boondi Ladoo, Rava Ladoo, Dry fruit Ladoo are some of the most famous varieties prepared. These Ladoos are extremely delicious. Make it, taste it, they just melt in your mouth.

• Mohanthal

Mohanthal is a fudge-like sweet made with gram flour, ghee, saffron and dry fruits. It has a mouth melting texture and delicious flavour. It is popularly made in Gujarat and Rajasthan on the auspicious occasion of Diwali. 

• Gulab Jamun

Gulab Jamun is one of the classic Indian sweets which is prepared on many festivals and special occasions. It’s easy to make and is preferred by all. The succulent sugar dipped juicy Jamuns are definitely a treat for everyone. Some like it hot, some like it cold. Hot or cold it’s simply yum.

• Halwa

The humble yet sweet treat halwa again is something made in almost every household be it any occasion. Halwa is an Indian version of a sweet pudding that is enjoyed during festivals, religious and special occasions. Wide variety of halwa like Gajar (carrot) Halwa, Lauki Halwa, Moong dal Halwa, Atta Halwa are prepared during the festive occasion of Diwali.

• Kaju Katli

Kaju Katli is a star of Indian sweets. It is one of the most famous sweets that is perfect for any celebrations, whether it be Raksha Bandhan, Navratri or Diwali. It’s an Indian version of fudge made with powdered cashew nuts and sugar. Nowadays there are many variations of Kaju Katli like Chocolate Kaju Katli, Kesar (saffron) Kaju Katli, Anjeer (fig) Kaju Katli and many more are prepared. Also, a wide variety of Kaju Rolls with different flavours like Kaju Anjeer roll, Kaju Pista Roll, Kaju Badam roll, Kaju Mawa roll are enjoyed.

• Gujiya

Diwali celebration is incomplete without Gujiyas. Gujiyas are sweet dumplings made of maida and filled with khoya and dry fruits mixture and deep-fried in ghee. The crisp outer layer and sweet inside filling will take on your senses. Nowadays Gujiyas are prepared with many variations like Coconut Gujiyas, Rava Gujiyas, and even chocolate Gujiyas are made.

• Barfi

No festival is complete without barfi. Whether it be festivals, celebrations or just what to indulge in sweets barfi is the perfect sweet. barfi is prepared from full-fat milk and sugar. A variety of flavours can be added to simple barfi to make it more tasty and delicious like Pista barfi, chocolate barfi, mango barfi, anjeer barfi and many more.  

We know your sweet cravings and we know this is the best time for such Indulgence. Preparing sweets and snacks can be a bit difficult if you are busy with other preparations and can’t find the time, don’t be disheartened. Be assured you can enjoy all this and more with JustHaat. We at justhaat.com have ensured that all of you enjoy and celebrate this Diwali to the fullest and so we have a wide range of sweets & snacks stacked on our shelves waiting to be picked just for you.

JustHaat's Diwali Special Sweets

• Kaju Katli

• Kaju Rolls

• Sweet Delight

• Pista Barfi

• Kesar Peda

• Motichoor Ladoo

• Rasmalai Tikki

• Rasgulla

• Gulab Jamun

• Moong Halwa

• Dry fruits

 ‘Let this Diwali be A sky full of lights, Mouth full of sweets and heart full of Joy.’ JustHaat wishes you all “A very happy and prosperous Diwali”. 

Have you ordered your sweet portion? No then, Hurry up. Order now and Grab this Season's Biggest Offers & deals from JustHaat.com.