With the onset of New Year, the
preparation has started for the celebration of the first festival of the Hindu
calender- Makar Sankranti.
This auspicious day is dedicated to the worship of
Lord Sun - the source of supreme power & energy as it slowly starts its
transition to the Northern Hemisphere marking the end of winter and beginning
of longer days.
Makar Sankranti has been crowned by
different names & modes of celebration all over the country.
Haryana &
Punjab welcomes the day as Lohri with prayers & bonfire.
In Bihar
& Uttar Pradesh, it is the festival of Khichdi (cuisine prepared
with mix of rice, dal & vegetables) or donation where people donate, rice,
pulses or clothes and also organize big fare.
Pongal is the observance
in South whereas Gujarat enjoys with its Kite festival.
Assam embrace
the fiesta as Magh Bihu and Bengal joins the festivity with offerings
and arrangements of finger licking home-made sweet dishes.
Let us sneak peek through the luscious
Bengali cuisines….Starting with the juicy “Nolen Gurer Payash”-blending
of rice with liquid date palm jaggery and dry fruits happens to be the starter
of the day.
Followed by “Patishapta”- pancake type stuffed with jaggery
flavored coconut and “Malpua”-
dish from the mixture of flour, semonila, coconut & sugar.
The flow
continues with coconut ladoo and “Shondesh” (freshly prepared from
paneer mashed with jaggery and moulded into variety of size & shape). The
day ends with a family picnic encircling the bonfire and enjoying the food
cooked in traditional way.
This year you can feel the flavor of
some of these cuisines and add your
experiences!!!
Wishing you all a grand celebration
ahead with all the blessings!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment