Bhogi is the last day of Dhanur maasa. Bhogi and Shankarathi are harvest festivals and also winter draws to an end the sun changes course and the summer months start.
In most Indian homes, before Bhogi, the house is cleaned and the front door way is decorated with mango leaves. On the morning of Bhogi the front yard is cleaned water sprinkled and a big rangoli is and filled with colours, sometimes decorated with yellow pumpkin flowers on cow dung. This is done in rural areas of Tamil Nadu.
Many take oil bath and the man or a purohith is called to perform saligrama puja.
The ladies too perform gowri puja and give pan/supari, flowers and coconut with dakshina to savashnis.
Festival food is that a dish called Pitla is made with plenty of vegitables minimum is nine.In most TMG and Madwa houses Chapathi is made instead of the original BHAKRI. The other dishes Kosambari,Ambode,Kheer, Poli etc is made according to comveiniece. Pitla can reploaced with Avail
and Kheer is a must. THE TREND NOW IS TO PERFORM A SMALL PUJA AT HOME AND GO EAT AT A HOTEL. Please avoid doing this. Our customs are full of meaning and do make it a point to gather all the family and celebrate these festivals .This Pitla made for Bhogi is call GHODH BHAJI. It is said if this bhaji/pita is made on Bhogi day will have plenty of good relatives.
It is also a custom of some to give away to a needy family all the provisions, including vegetables, milk, curd, ghee and oil.the provisions must be enough for at least for 4 members to eat comfortably. this one dhana, can be done easily.These things are to be given, the day prior to Bhogi the enable the family to cook the festival food for Bhogi.
On the day of Bhogi a red pumpkin is kept on a handfull of rice kept in front of god, and worshipped with haldhi and kum kum and ginen as dhana to a bramin to ward off dhrishti.
As we all live in small families and a big pumpkin will be too much, it can be given at a place where lots of people are fed like a mhat.
Shankaranthi is celebrated in North India too.
In Bengal it is called Poush Shankaranth. This marks the end of the month of Poush. They make a sweet called Pathisaptha and Til Laddus.
Pilgrims from all over the country gather at Ganga Sagar to have a dip at the place where river Ganga meets the Bay of Bengal , to wash away all their earthly sins.
In Punjab,Haryana and parts of Himachal it celebrated as Lohri. On the morning of Lohri children go house to house demanding eatables in the form of Til seeds, peanuts, jaggery or sweets. They sing in praise of A Dulha Bhatti, a punjabi avatar of robin hood, who is to rob the rich to feed the poor.
In the night they make huge bonfires in front of their yards and throw puffed rice, and other munchies shouting ' Aadar aye dilather jaye' (May honour come and poverty vanish).
In Gujarath it Utharayan. People of all ages celebrate the festival with people of all ages flying the kite and traditional delicacy of Undhiyo, jelebi, til laddus and chikki is made and distributed.
In Tamil Nadu it a Harvest festival. With the newly harvested rice and mungdal and jaggery a sweet called Sakra pongal is made, in a new decorated mud pot in front of the house. Milk is first boiled till it flows over the pot before adding the other ingredients. When the pongal is done and rises and flows out of the pot, the family or group gathered go around the pot saying "pongal-o-pongal"
In Andhra and Karnataka it is called Sankaranthi. I have already written about this.
Shankranthi is also a day when Tharpana is offered to Surya/Sun and the Ancestors at the time of Utharayana Punya kala. The time of which will be different every year, so one has to consult the panchaga every year.
After bhath wearing clean clothes all the youngsters should take Til Ghul from parents, grand parents and all elders. both saying TIL GUL GYA GOD GOD BHOLA.After doing Namaskar to them.
For shankaranthi with the usual festival food Shara Pongal/ Sweet rice is made. Bhogi and Shankrathi are Harvest festivals when all the vegetables will be available in plenty and New Jaggery will have been made. Sweet rice is made with the new jaggery and the harvested rice.
Women will distribute Til Ghul ie a mixture of Til. Pieces of Jagery, Dry coconut, Ground nuts .The Til and Ground nuts are roasted ( the husk ground nuts must be removed) is mixed with the Jagery and cocnut pieces, if possible sugar moulds, a peices of Sugar cane , Two bananas with Vidach Pan Supari (9 nos) Dakshina , with Haladhu Kunku is given to at least 5 Savashnis.
In most Indian homes, before Bhogi, the house is cleaned and the front door way is decorated with mango leaves. On the morning of Bhogi the front yard is cleaned water sprinkled and a big rangoli is and filled with colours, sometimes decorated with yellow pumpkin flowers on cow dung. This is done in rural areas of Tamil Nadu.
Many take oil bath and the man or a purohith is called to perform saligrama puja.
The ladies too perform gowri puja and give pan/supari, flowers and coconut with dakshina to savashnis.
Festival food is that a dish called Pitla is made with plenty of vegitables minimum is nine.In most TMG and Madwa houses Chapathi is made instead of the original BHAKRI. The other dishes Kosambari,Ambode,Kheer, Poli etc is made according to comveiniece. Pitla can reploaced with Avail
and Kheer is a must. THE TREND NOW IS TO PERFORM A SMALL PUJA AT HOME AND GO EAT AT A HOTEL. Please avoid doing this. Our customs are full of meaning and do make it a point to gather all the family and celebrate these festivals .This Pitla made for Bhogi is call GHODH BHAJI. It is said if this bhaji/pita is made on Bhogi day will have plenty of good relatives.
It is also a custom of some to give away to a needy family all the provisions, including vegetables, milk, curd, ghee and oil.the provisions must be enough for at least for 4 members to eat comfortably. this one dhana, can be done easily.These things are to be given, the day prior to Bhogi the enable the family to cook the festival food for Bhogi.
On the day of Bhogi a red pumpkin is kept on a handfull of rice kept in front of god, and worshipped with haldhi and kum kum and ginen as dhana to a bramin to ward off dhrishti.
As we all live in small families and a big pumpkin will be too much, it can be given at a place where lots of people are fed like a mhat.
Shankaranthi is celebrated in North India too.
In Bengal it is called Poush Shankaranth. This marks the end of the month of Poush. They make a sweet called Pathisaptha and Til Laddus.
Pilgrims from all over the country gather at Ganga Sagar to have a dip at the place where river Ganga meets the Bay of Bengal , to wash away all their earthly sins.
In Punjab,Haryana and parts of Himachal it celebrated as Lohri. On the morning of Lohri children go house to house demanding eatables in the form of Til seeds, peanuts, jaggery or sweets. They sing in praise of A Dulha Bhatti, a punjabi avatar of robin hood, who is to rob the rich to feed the poor.
In the night they make huge bonfires in front of their yards and throw puffed rice, and other munchies shouting ' Aadar aye dilather jaye' (May honour come and poverty vanish).
In Gujarath it Utharayan. People of all ages celebrate the festival with people of all ages flying the kite and traditional delicacy of Undhiyo, jelebi, til laddus and chikki is made and distributed.
In Tamil Nadu it a Harvest festival. With the newly harvested rice and mungdal and jaggery a sweet called Sakra pongal is made, in a new decorated mud pot in front of the house. Milk is first boiled till it flows over the pot before adding the other ingredients. When the pongal is done and rises and flows out of the pot, the family or group gathered go around the pot saying "pongal-o-pongal"
In Andhra and Karnataka it is called Sankaranthi. I have already written about this.
Shankranthi is also a day when Tharpana is offered to Surya/Sun and the Ancestors at the time of Utharayana Punya kala. The time of which will be different every year, so one has to consult the panchaga every year.
After bhath wearing clean clothes all the youngsters should take Til Ghul from parents, grand parents and all elders. both saying TIL GUL GYA GOD GOD BHOLA.After doing Namaskar to them.
For shankaranthi with the usual festival food Shara Pongal/ Sweet rice is made. Bhogi and Shankrathi are Harvest festivals when all the vegetables will be available in plenty and New Jaggery will have been made. Sweet rice is made with the new jaggery and the harvested rice.
Women will distribute Til Ghul ie a mixture of Til. Pieces of Jagery, Dry coconut, Ground nuts .The Til and Ground nuts are roasted ( the husk ground nuts must be removed) is mixed with the Jagery and cocnut pieces, if possible sugar moulds, a peices of Sugar cane , Two bananas with Vidach Pan Supari (9 nos) Dakshina , with Haladhu Kunku is given to at least 5 Savashnis.
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