This year, the festivities are different. We have the bommala koluvu as usual, but did not visit anyone or have people over in the 10 days of Navratri. It all feels different. I have been meaning to buy more dolls for the koluvu whcih hasn’t happened this year either. Hopefully, next year I will have…
Category: Indian Festivals
Diwali Message
On Diwali this year, I got a lot of wishes as usual. One wish stood out in particular. It was from a neighbor whose son is the same age as Sarath. She wrote “Happy Diwali!! Thank you for being a great friend and part of my support system as I try it balance my family…
Bommala koluvu
When me and my brother were kids, every year during Dasera we had bommala koluvu at our house. My grand parents also had one. Infact pretty much everyone in our family had one. We used to have fun setting it up, decorating and everything. We usually had holidays all 10 days of Dasera. So, we…
Vada Pappu
This is one of the dishes made for Lord Rama on Sri Rama Navami. Ingredients: (These quantities are all approximations.) Moong Dal: 1/2 cup or even less Raw Mango: 1/4 cup Shredded Coconut: a little Green Chillies: 1 (adjust according to taste) Oil: 1/4th tsp Mustard seeds: 1/4th tsp Soak moong dal for a couple…
Panakam
This is usually made on Sri Rama Navami. Ingredients: Jaggery, Black pepper, water Mix jaggery with cold water. It takes time to dissolve. After the jaggery completely dissolves, filter the water. Then add some finely powdered black pepper. I prefer to grind the pepper myself instead of store bought pepper powder. This gives a very…
Sri Rama Navami
Today is Sri Rama Navami. It comes on the ninth day of the the Chaitra masam (first month according to the Telugu calendar). This festival is celebrated through out India. In south India, today we celebrate the day with marriage of Rama and Sita. It is performed in all the temples and especially in Bhadrachalam….
Ugadi – Telugu New Year
Today is the Telugu New Year. Ugadi marks the first day of the Telugu calendar – Chaitra Sudhdha Paadyami. Every year has a name. This year is called ‘Vikruta’ (Vikruta nama samvatsaram). Ugadi is also celebrated in other states with different names. Ugadi usually comes around March or April. By this time, there are no…