MILWAUKEE — Monday marked the first day of Diwali, also known as the 'Festival of Lights.'
It is a five-day festival celebrated by more than a billion people all over the world, particularly in India. It represents a triumph of light over darkness.
TMJ4's Jessica Madhukar stepped inside a local Indian bakery to capture all of the sweet traditions the festival brings to many in Milwaukee.
Over the last 24 hours, Bombay Sweets has been everything except calm. Customers shuffled in and out to order their Diwali delicacies, and nothing brings people together like sweets.
"Sweets are considered a token of love and no celebration is complete without it," Kanwl Singh said.
Some of those tokens flew off the shelves, including sweets like bright-colored Jalebis - which is deep fried and soaked in sugar syrup.
"We make everything fresh, all the sweets from scratch," Singh said.
For Singh, the holiday has taken on a new meaning for her since moving from India to Wisconsin over 20 years ago.
"It reminds me of my childhood and I'm sure of course to everyone else too who were born and brought up around India, Pakistan," Singh said. " Even here our kids, those who are born and brought up here, they celebrate it too and that's how they connect with the heritage."
Bombay Sweets is located at 3401 South 13th Street in Milwaukee.
