I know I am a little late, but I wanted to put some pictures of Divali in Trinidad, for those of you who might be wondering what the Indian diaspora in the Caribbean do for Divali.
Eating on soharee leaves (looks like fig leaves but different plant), is still popular in some places, as well as using old-fashioned deyas (oil, wick and clay pots). Unfortunately I didn't have any pics of the more elaborate structures using bamboo which is cut in half and bent into fantastic shapes. Deyas are then held in place by mud which hardens. It looks quite spectacular at night.
Eating on soharee leaves (looks like fig leaves but different plant), is still popular in some places, as well as using old-fashioned deyas (oil, wick and clay pots). Unfortunately I didn't have any pics of the more elaborate structures using bamboo which is cut in half and bent into fantastic shapes. Deyas are then held in place by mud which hardens. It looks quite spectacular at night.
Comments
I was always told they were "soharee" leaves, not "fig" (banana) leaves as those are not robust enough. They look very similar but come from different plants.
Have your kids had the experience of eating off leaves yet? Mine haven't, but maybe someday...
And no, the kiddies haven't eaten off leaves yet - when we went back home there wasn't an occasion for it.