New Year has just started and time for festivity has commenced. We welcome the New Year with immense prosperity and happiness, harvesting the success, health and wisdom. Winters are at the verge of bidding us goodbye for the next year to come where spring is just on the way. A time of harvest celebrated with joy and pompous, sweetening it up with authentic ingredients like til, gul, popcorns, mungfali and many other sweet candies. A wave of festive season spreads across India in form of Lohri in Punjab, Pongal in South India, Uttarayan in Gujarat, Makar Sankranti in Maharashtra and with many other names.
People gather with loved ones to celebrate these vibrant festivities of Lohri celebration around the bonfires all the through the night singing and dancing at the beats of dhol, savoring sweet delicacies of til, gul, gajjak, mungfali, makka ke phule (popcorns) and many more. In some places this festival is celebrated with kite flying festivals which are very popular internationally. A fresh flash of colors are sprayed in form of kites on the backdrop of light blue sky. A cheering of kai po che echo is heard everywhere from the delightful crowd enjoying along with the delectable chikkis made of puff rice, puffed gram, til, gul and many more.
Festival celebration reflects versatile shades in India where diverse cultures meet its unity. The sugar coated saying as it goes “Til gul ghaya, goud goud bola” blend with black sarees and haldi kumkum highlights the tradition of Maharashtra. Our blessed Tamil Nadu kins celebrate this day as Pongal whereas people from Shimla, Karnataka and Rajasthan celebrate this day as Magha Saaja, Suggi and Makar Sankrant.
And how can we forget food? A vital part of any Indian ritual and festival, food rules in all cultures. In Maharashtra sweet puran polis are served in the main course where as in Gujarat a versatile winter vegetable rustic and spice explosive undhiyo is the day’s specialty followed by syrup dripping hot jalebis.
So enjoy the spirit of the festival with your near and dear ones with mouth watering cuisine, nach, gaana aur til gul. Reservedeal wishes you all a very happy and prosperous Lohri, Pongal and Makar Sankranti!
No comments:
Post a Comment