A Lighter Side of History: Shining A Light on Deepava

Deepavali, also known as the Festival of Lights, is a major cultural festival in Singapore that celebrates the triumph of light over darkness. During this festive season, families decorate their homes with brilliant lights as aromatic spices fill the house and tantalise taste buds. The inclusion of spices in iconic Deepavali (and other) dishes is a practice associated with Ayurveda, a form of Indian medicine which has roots in ancient Sanskrit sources. Interestingly, Ayurveda shares some common ground with Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).

In this special programme that is presented as part of the museum’s Ethnic Festival Celebrations for Deepavali, explore the similarities and differences between Ayurveda and TCM’s understanding of herbs and spices, with Vasanthi from the Ayurveda Association of Singapore and Mei Yi from Thye Shan Medical Hall. This programme will also feature paintings of everyday herbs and spices from the museum’s prized William Farquhar Collection of Natural History Drawings.

Video will be uploaded to the National Museum of Singapore’s website.