If you are South Asian and Hindu, some of the biggest annual festivals are around the corner. It’s the time to celebrate the victory of good over evil, bring out the best ethnic outfits out from storage, and brush up your dance moves.
After all, major Indian festivals Navratri, which means nine nights, Durga Puja, Dusshera, and Diwali are set to begin from this week.
Navratri - a celebration of the divine feminine - is set to begin on October 15 and will end on October 24 in 2023. The festival ends with celebrating Lord Ram’s victory over Ravana on Dusshera. However, another form of Navratri - Durga Puja - celebrates the victory of Goddess Durga over the demon Mahishasur. Durga Puja is more commonly celebrated in the eastern states of India.
Around 20 days after Dusshera, Diwali or Kali Puja is celebrated. The former is a five-day festival celebrated during the Hindu lunisolar month Kartika, and is more common in Northern India. In Bengal, Kali Puja is celebrated generally a day after Diwali, depending on the lunisolar calendar. And, much like Bonfire night, fireworks are a big part of Diwali.
And, for all of these mega celebrations - Indian sweets are a must. Birmingham has a large South Asian population who will be celebrating at home and at community gatherings. If buying sweets were on your mind, we have taken a look at some of the best sweet shops with at least 55 reviews on Google. Here are the eight best Indian sweet shops in and around Birmingham, ranked by Google reviews:
1. Singh Sweet Centre, Handsworth
Located on Holyhead Rd, this sweet shop has 4.9 stars from 60 reviews.
2. Sagar Sweet Centre, Smethwick
This sweet shop has 4.8 stars from 57 reviews.
3. Suraj Sweet Centre, Stratford Rd,
Suraj Sweet Centre has 4.6 stars from 420 Google reviews.
4. Omni Sweet Centre, Kingstanding
Located on College Rd, this sweet shop has 4.3 stars from 177 reviews.