Caring for brass, bell metal and German silver
Three metals, three ways to clean them, and one thing never to do.
Getting ready for Karthigai Deepam
Diyas, oil and wicks: how many you need and how to keep them burning.
On Karthigai Deepam, Madurai glows from every doorstep, and most families light far more lamps than on any other day. A little planning keeps the evening calm.
Count your doorsteps, window ledges and kolam corners, and allow four diyas for each. A small flat usually needs 24 to 36; a house with a courtyard can easily take 100.
Soak new clay agal diyas in water for an hour the day before and let them dry. Unsoaked clay drinks oil, and the flame goes out halfway through the evening.
Use sesame oil or a lamp oil blend, about 10 to 15 ml for each diya, which burns for around two hours. Cotton wicks rolled thin give a steady, small flame; thick wicks smoke.
Light the brass kuthuvilakku first, inside, and carry the flame out to the diyas. Afterwards, let the diyas cool, wipe them and store them in newspaper. Good clay agal last three or four seasons.
