Diya: Make Your Own Indian Oil Lamp
Are you celebrating Diwali? Then don’t forget to light up some diyas! Learn how easy it is to make your own unique diyas, using basic household items. It’s lots of fun to do with kids as well!
Ingredients
- Plain or wheat flour
- Food colouring
- Ghee or oil (vegetable, coconut or olive all work)
- Cotton wicks or string
- Paint, beads, sequins, and chips of glass
- Pre-heat the oven to 100 °C.
- Put flour into a bowl, add water and the food colouring of your choice a few drops at a time, mix well. Once the dough holds together, you can knead it. Take a small piece of dough and shape it into a bowl. Pinch one side into a small lip to hold the wick (see photos).
- Bake the dough in the oven for 20 minutes or until hard. Then remove it from the oven and allow to cool. You can decorate the candle using paint, beads, sequins, and chips of glass.
- Once dry, add the wick and melted ghee or a small amount of oil (see photo). Your diya is then ready to light.
- Happy Diwali!