Karthigai deepam

Deepavali is celebrated on an Amavasya day, whereas Karthigai deepam is celebrated on the Pournami (full moon) day of the Karthigai month (november-december). This usually falls just after Deepavali. In the Thirvannamalai Shiva temple, a very huge lamp is lit on the karthigia deepam day.

People light oil lamps (earthen lamps, Kuthuvilakku, pithallai akal etc). Down south it is a tradition to give new set of lamps for the newly married girl from mother’s house. Also similar to holi in North India, for karthigai deepam, sisters pray for brother’s welfare and brothers in turn give some gift to sisters.

And ofcourse none of the festival is complete without our home-made sweets. For Karthigai , Pori Undai and Appam are the important sweets.
Pori Undai is made from “Karthigai pori” and jaggery and made into balls.

I suddenly think what are names for these in English. Since I could not find much on the internet about these, I made my own definitions using my logic (similar to the counterparts corn flakes, pop corn etc):
Karthigai pori is puffed rice. This is crisp.
Normal white pori is popped from nellu (rice seed!). So it is nelpori. This is soft so difficult to make the sweet with jaggery.
And Aval is rice flakes.

You feel great when thinking about how all these festivals and celebrations have evolved. Imagine people have even thought of the health from ages before, because for each traditional festival, sweets and savouries are different and are good for health…!

To light your own decorated lamps visit Decorated Karthigai Akal

I love India!

Deepavali celebrations

Our family celebrated deepavali with new dresses, sweets and crackers. Till last year Abhi was scared of crackers. But this time he wanted to light sparklers and crackers. He enjoyed deepavali.

In addition to our normal celebrations, I wanted to do something more. I-volunteer,chennai members decided to visit the juvenile home at royapuram. Though it was bit far away from my residence, my family also decided to join me. We took lot of clothes,toys, shampoo sachets and sweets.

We could see the happiness in the children to see visitors bringing them sweets etc.

Navarathri

Yet another "Navarathri" has come. And everyone around have become really busy doing pujas, lalitha sahasranamams, making chundals, visiting other houses for "Golu" .... The navami and dashami (9th and 10th day) is considered as auspisious for starting new ventures, professional prosperity, education prosperity, art & music etc . Navarathri and "Golu" is mainly in southern states of India. In some parts of India it is celebrated as "Dusserha".

"Golu" brings me lot of childhood memories.

Arranging the "Golu", the park, colour kolams etc were all real fun. Everyone at home join hands to make the "Golu" arrangement and decorate it.

Being a girl has lot of advantages during this festival. A small girl child (Kanni ponnu) is considered as "Goddess Kamakshi" and whatever is offered to small girls are beleived to be offering accepted by the goddess.

So girls are invited to "Golus" and are given lot of goodies (as children say these days) like new dress, bangles, bindhis etc along with the thamboolam. The thambolam consists of the betal leaf an aracanut, turmeric, kumkum, banana and a 1 rupee coin. We girls used to collect these coins for our piggy banks, making the boys at home jealous! Boys get usually their share of the chundal in the evenings!

Every mami used to compete to make different types of chundal and sweets and children used to compete to get the taste form as many houses as possible. But the current "Golu" trends have changed a lot.

Another important memory that comes to mind is the "Navarathri Katcheri" at the Saraswathi mandapam near Padmanabhaswami temple at Thiruvananthapuram. All the nine days, vetarans of music will sing at the mandapam. The royal family willbe there to listen. Public are also allowed. This tradition was started by Maharaja Swathithirunal.
Any music lover from Thiruvananthapuram cannot forget this event.

Some links of interest :

http://chennaionline.com/specials/navaratri04/navarathiri.asp
http://www.indiatastes.com/festivals/navarathri/durga.shtml
Navarathri festival at Thiruvananthapuram
http://www.swathithirunal.in/rlinsti/navarathrimand.htm

Sree Krishna Jayanthi

Sree Krishna Jayanthi is the festival to celebrate the birth of Lord Krishna. Lord Krishna was born on the midnight of Ashtami day (8th day) on star Rohini. This festival is known by different names like Janmashtami, gokulashtami, ashtami rohini etc.

This is one festival which I love to celebrate because this festival is not meant for praying for one own wealth etc but symbolizes the happiness when Lord Krishna was born at Gokulam. People towards Kerala, pray Krishna in the form of Guruvayurappan.

I doubt whether anybody is there who is NOT fascinated by baby Krishna and his Leelas (childish pranks). Celebrating this festival gives a special joy to all mothers and ofcourse the children. It is a festival which accepts the pranks which children do.!

The celebration is done by putting kolams and “Krishnan kal”. (supposed to be baby krishna’s foot prints as he plays around the house). These are drawn with paste made from rice flour. I even put them in my kitchen tables imagining the stories of Kannan (pet name of Krishna) climbing up to steal butter.!

We make delicacies and snacks which are favuorites of Krishna. They include Unniappam, Aval, Pal payasam, Thattai, murukku, Cheedai etc and ofcourse his ever favourites milk and butter. Puja is done in the evening. The sweets and snacks are distributed to the children.

I have heard that in olden times, and even now in some villages and northern parts of India I suppose, games like Uri-adi etc are conducted remembering the games which Krishna played with his friends.

P.S: My mother and grandma used to make 7 or 9 items at home itself. Children loved to eat these home made through out the day. Recently, all items are available as a package (!) from many sweet shops at Chennai. Also the current trend is of the Lays chips and Kur-kure than these home made and quite healthy snacks.!

Onam Celebrations

Onam is the festival of Kerala. Celebrated in remeberance of the great ruler King Mahabali, shortened as "Maveli". People put flower arrangements known as "Atha poo" for the 10 days of celebration. Vallam Kali or boat race is very famous during this season. And ofcourse the Onasadya!

When non-keralites also joined for the "atha poo" arrangements in our apartments, it became a featival of national integration. Celebrating many festivals in the aprtment complexes bring people together.

Maveli nadu vanidum kalam, manusharellarum onnupole.....