From Dussehra to Diwali: 10 Indian festivals and the foods that define them

Across India, the season from Dussehra to Diwali moves like a relay, with one festival handing the baton to the next. Each comes alive not just through rituals or lights but through food that captures the mood of the moment. Kitchens smell of roasting nuts and fresh ghee, markets brim with mithai boxes stacked in bright towers, and families gather around plates that are as symbolic as they are delicious. The dishes may shift by region, but together they map the festive calendar in the most memorable way. Scroll down to know more about the festivals and the foods that define them.

​In many north and west Indian cities, victory day tastes like jalebi and fafda. The sweet-crisp pairing is a Gujarati staple that has travelled widely. Elsewhere you will also see aloo puri or kheer served as prasad after Ramlila or temple visits. The idea is simple. Sweetness to mark an ending that is also a beginning. In parts of UP and Bihar, it is Paan and Laddoo which are considrered auspicious.

Nine nights of worship bring a distinct fasting table. Typical vrat plates include sabudana khichdi, samak rice, kuttu or singhare ki puri and aloo sabzi cooked without onion and garlic. Peanuts, yogurt and rock salt keep it balanced. The focus is satvik simplicity rather than deprivation, which is why fruit and milk-based sweets are common.

In Bengal, the community bhog defines the puja afternoons. The trio is steady. Khichuri made with moong dal and rice, mixed-vegetable labra, and crisp eggplant fritters called beguni. Payesh or a sandesh often ends the meal. The flavour profile is gentle and comforting, built for scale and shared on long tables. In Bihar and UP Malpua and Kheer are prepared on Ashtami.

The fast is demanding, so the food is structured. Before sunrise, married women eat sargi prepared by the in-laws. It typically includes pheni or seviyan, fruit, dry fruits, mathri and milk. After moonrise, meethi mathri, kheer or halwa puri are common. The menu is practical. Slow energy before the fast, easy-to-digest calories after.

The first day of the Diwali cycle is about setting the house and kitchen up. Families begin making faral or snacks that will last the week. Think chakli, sev, chiwda, shankarpali or shakkarpara and namakpare. In the North, fresh batches of besan laddoo and barfi start today so they are at peak on Lakshmi Puja.

On the main night, sweets speak for the house. Kaju katli, motichoor laddoo, gulab jamun, jalebi and milk sweets line the trays. In Maharashtra and Goa, karanji or nevri filled with coconut and jaggery is the classic. In Tamil Nadu, adhirasam appears. In Karnataka and Andhra, murukku joins the plate. The logic is festive variety with a vegetarian core.

The day after Diwali, kitchens in Vaishnav traditions prepare an annakut, literally a mountain of food. Dozens of vegetarian dishes are offered, from plain rice and dals to sabzis, kheer and sweets. It is less about a single hero dish and more about abundance. In Braj, Mathura peda is close to mandatory. In several households Annakoot ki subzee is prepared which is a medley of several vegetables.

The sibling day keeps the cooking straightforward. In north India, puri, kala chana or chole and suji halwa are common. In Maharashtra and Gujarat, you may see basundi, puri and savouries from the Diwali faral laid out again. The point is a neat, celebratory meal that can be scaled for extended family.

In Bihar, eastern Uttar Pradesh and parts of Jharkhand, Chhath is defined by discipline and a clean ingredient list. Thekua is the signature offering, a sturdy wheat and jaggery cookie fried in ghee. Rasiyaw kheer made with jaggery appears on certain days, along with fruits like sugarcane and seasonal produce. No onion, no garlic, no shortcuts.

This ceremony signals the close of the monsoon’s Chaturmas and the informal end of the Diwali cycle. Offerings vary widely. In Maharashtra, homes often make puran poli or simple naivedya like moong dal khichdi with ghee and a sweet. In Gujarat and Rajasthan, ladoo, rice dishes and seasonal vegetables appear. The mood is domestic and temple-like rather than grand.