Holi hai…..! :-)

Bura na maano HOLI hai 😉

Holi haiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii 🙂

So…It’s HOLI 🙂 One of the most colourful and joyful of Hindu festivals 🙂 Holi is celebrated every year to say a Hello to Spring by playing with lots of colours!!! 😀

Happy Holi to all my lovely lovely friends 🙂 May god gift you all the colors of life, colors of joy, colors of happiness, colors of friendship, colors of love and all other colors you want to paint in your life. 🙂

I like this festival, full of colours and happiness 😀 but I don’t play holi much 🙂 So I am just enjoying with my hot hot Jalebi 😀

Jalebi…..eating right now 😀

Wish you a very very Happy Holi 🙂 Play safe and be good….Hope you guys have a great time !

Happy Lohri Everyone :-)

Hey Friends 🙂 It’s celebration time here 😀 Today is 13th January and it’s Lohri (the Punjabi festival) today. 13th Jan is a very special day for me (actually tomorrow 14th Jan is also a very special day but I can’t tell you why 😛 because it’s a little secret!) Anyways, The weather is so beautiful here….too cool and too happy 😀 The cold weather and the chilly winds can not stop any Punjabi from celebrating Lohri!! 😀

You can read here more about Lohri. Lohri is celebrated to mark the end of winter’s and to pray for a good harvest. It’s a Punjabi festival where bonfire’s are lit and peanut’s, jaggery (Gurh), and sesame are offered to the fire praying for a good harvest and popcorn as well.

Over time, people have associated Lohri to the tale of Dulla Bhatti. The central character of most Lohri songs is Dulla Bhatti, who lived in Punjab during the reign of Mughal Emperor Akbar. He was regarded as a hero in Punjab. Besides robbing the rich, he rescued girls being forcibly taken to be sold in slave market of the Middle East from the Sandal Bar region. He arranged their marriages to boys of their religion with rituals and provided them with dowries. So every other Lohri song has words to express gratitude to Dulla Bhatti. He was a hero of all Punjabis and his life story is available on the internet.

And here is the Dulla Bhatti folksong…

Sundar Mundriye. Ho!
Tera kaun vicaharaa. Ho!
Dullah bhatti walla. Ho!
Dullhe di dhee vyayae. Ho!
Ser shakkar payee. Ho!
Kudi da laal pathaka. Ho!
Kudi da saalu paatta. Ho!
Salu kaun samete!
Chache choori kutti!
zamidara lutti!
Zamindaar sudhaye!
bade bhole aaye!
Ek bhola reh gaya!
Sipahee pakad ke lai gaya!
Sipahee ne mari eet!
Sanoo de de lohri te teri jeeve jodi!
Paheenve ro te phannve pit!

Well I am very excited and looking forward to this evening 😀 Just going to the Gurdwara with my family to celebrate Lohri! 🙂

Moongfalli di khushbu te gurh di mithaas, Makke di roti te sarson da saag, Mubarak hove twanu Lohri da tyohaar! 🙂

Happy Lohri to all of you guys 🙂 May this festival of Lohri bring joy & happiness to you and your family…Just Enjoyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!!! 🙂

Happy Gurpurab :-)

Today is Gurpurab (Birthday of Guru Nanak Dev Ji). Guru Nanak Dev Ji is the 1st Sikh Guru. Gurpurab is one of the big festival of Sikhs. Guru Nanak Gurpurab also known as Guru Nanak’s Prakash Utsav and Guru Nanak Jayanti.

It was 546 years ago, a saint was born. From childhood Guru Nanak showed a great interest in God and he also spoke of celestial things. He was Nanak, later he became a Guru, a dispeller of darkness, one who ushered in infinite wisdom and light, condemning the practices and beliefs of the society. Today, we celebrate his birthday with pomp, show, langars, prabhat feris, and visits to the Gurudwara, paying our respect.

Guru Nanak Dev Ji was born on this day in Rai-Bhoi-di Talwandi now known as “Nanakana Sahib”. Generally two days before the birthday, Akhand Path (a forty-eight-hour non-stop reading of the Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book ) is held in the Gurdwaras. Kar seva and langars are organized in almost all gurudwaras.

On this day, mostly Gurudwaras are well decorated. The day starts with Prabhat Pheris, which are early morning processions that begin from Gurudwaras. Before the actual Guru Nanak Jayanti, there is a procession known as the ‘Nagarkirtan’ and further led by Panj Pyaras (Five Beloved Ones). The ‘Guru Granth Sahib’ is read for 48 hours.

People carry Sikh flags known as the Nishan Sahib and organise a Palki of Guru Granth Sahib, singing devotional songs. An amazing display of swordsmanship and martial arts takes place which is a beautiful and unique sight to watch.

Guru Granth Sahib Ji

Once the procession is over, the ‘Langar’ also called Parsaada is served (a special lunch organised by the community at the Gurudwaras). People massively take part in offering food and also doing Seva of God. Langar is served with respect and love. After Langar there is a prayer session around sunset. It is said that Guru Nanak was born at 1:20 am and hence the followers gather and celebrate post midnight. Night prayer starts with starts singing Gurbani at about 1:20 am at night and The celebrations culminate at around 2 am.

Langar

On the day of Guru Nanak Jayanti, Karah Parasaad/Parsaada is prepared and served amongst everyone once the Puja is over. Karah Parasaad is a sweet dish which has the utmost blessings of the great saint.

Guru Nanak Dev Ji also gave us three very important teachings to practice:
1 • Vaṇḍ Chakkō: Sharing with others, helping those with less who are in need.
2 • Kirat Karō: Earning/making a living honestly, without exploitation or fraud.
3 • Naam Japna: Chanting the Holy Name and thus remembering God at all times.

I wish you all a very Happy Gurpurab…. May Guru ji’s Divine love & blessings be with you Always! 🙂

🙂 Guru Nanak Dev Ji De Parkash Purab Diyan Lakh Lakh Vadhaiyan! 🙂

My Diwali Experience

Diwali is definitely one of my favourite times of the year for a number of reasons, “The weather, The festivities, The amazing food, The beautiful display of lights, but mostly The time we can enjoy with our Family and Friends.” Taking place in October or November depending on the Indian calendar, the weather is just turning cool and the holiday feel is already creeping up on everyone when “the Festival of Lights” rolls around. 🙂
Almost before one month, we started our Diwali preparations. To prepare for Diwali, we clean our entire house and paint it before diwali so that it shine. Shopping is my favourite thing for diwali. During festive season I only think about shopping, shopping and shopping 😀 this year I brought so many things, Sarees, Suits, So many Makeup items, Lights, Diyas, Some other Decorating items for my home, Soooo many Snacks and Sweets & etc, And ofcourse my jaan 😛 my yummy yummyyy Chocolates 😀 lol 😛 🙂

Here you can see my Henna (mehndi) in this pic 🙂 (Sorry the pic is not so clear 😦 )

My Henna (Mehndi) 🙂

On diwali day, we would start our morning by washing our doorstep and using Kumkum (a red powder) to draw Swastikas (along with having a religious significance, the Swastikas are thought to be auspicious and are drawn on the doorstep to bring luck and prosperity to your home.) Then We wear new clothes, put mehndi, visit temple during the early hours in the morning…Then we prepare some sweets and some other yummy snacks. Then in the evening we exchange gifts and cards. We light oil diyas and lamps, candles and put rangolis. Rangoli is a tradition in which colored powders and rice are used to make different designs on the ground. I love decorating my house with so many lights…I light up my house with so many diyas and candles. 🙂 Then later in the evening we start our Lakshmi aur Ganesh Pooja 🙂 and pray to god. & Then after pooja, finally we burst crackers. 😀

My Chocolates!!!!!! 😀 🙂

It’s so much fun bursting crackers and looking up at the sky in the night to look at the colorful night crackers….I live it very much! I wish time would tick slowly. But really this year my Diwali was wonderful. I really enjoyed it! 😀 I put Dias and candles , made rangoli , had sweets….All in all the day was very good, filed with happiness..! 🙂

My RANGOLI 🙂 Made by me !!!

Made by me 🙂

But but but………..celebration isn’t ended 😉 Still People are bursting the crackers…Really this festival warms every one’s heart and makes us remember this day throughout the year. I am very glad to share my happiness with all of you friends. 🙂

Yummy ” Gulab Jamun ” 🙂 ..Made by my Mum 🙂

Thanks for reading & Let me know how was your diwali??? 🙂 Please share your comments!! 🙂

Happy Diwali :-)

Finally DIWALI is here 😀 ..Yes! its Diwali today! 🙂 I am soo happy and super excited. I will post my mehndi and rangoli pics soon 🙂 So keep visiting! 😉

I just want to say Happy Diwali to all of you!!! May you have a prosperous year. Avoid bursting and burning crackers, they harm the environment and scare the pets and birds in the vicinity. It is the festival of lights and not noise.
Enjoy this beautiful festival of Diwali with your friends, family and lots of sweets 😀 Have a safe Diwali!

Subh Deepavali 🙂

Happy Dhanteras :-)

Hey! 🙂 Today is Dhnateras. The word Dhanteras is derived from the Sanskrit word “Dhantrayodashi” – consisting of two words “Dhan” which is wealth and “teras” or “Trayodashi” means 13th Lunar day of Krishna Paksha as per Hindu Kartik calendar. Dhanteras is the first day of five days of Diwali celebrations.

The word ‘Dhan’ is related to Goddess Lakshmi. On this auspicious day, Goddess Lakshmi is worshipped and since she symbolizes wealth, it is supposed to shower wealth to her worshipers.

Dhanteras has a special impact in the business world. On this auspicious occasion, businesses organise pujas in their offices and decorate it. People buy gold ware, silverware and steel utensils as it’s also considered auspicious.

So let’s start celebrating this beautiful festival of lights from today! 🙂

Happy Dhanteras to all of you 🙂 May this Dhanteras bring prosperity to you and your family!!!!

Recipe:- Rice Kheer (Rice Pudding)

OMG! I can’t believe my most most mosttttttttt favourite festival DIWALI is just around the corner… Yippie! 😀 I am soooooo happy and really I am very excited I cannot believe how time goes so fast and here’s another Diwali again. 🙂 Diwali is probably my favourite time of the year and It is very important & biggest festival for me….I just love love loveeeeeee Diwali season 🙂 Diwali also called Deepavali or the “Festival of Lights” is one of the most popular Hindu festival. It is celebrated by Hindus all round the world. Diwali is the festival of light, crackers, sweets and celebration & no celebration or festival is complete without “SWEETS” right, no? 😉 ….And the one dish that is very special for everyone is ‘Rice Kheer’ (Chaval ki Kheer or Rice Pudding).
Rice Kheer is very easy to cook and tasty Indian dessert made up of rice, milk and various kinds of dry fruits. It is one of the most popular Indian desserts.
Today in my post I am going to share with you my simple and easy Rice Kheer Recipe. As Diwali is just few days away, so On this Diwali I am sharing with you a lovey sweet dish and my favourite also 😀 which you can enjoy with your family and friends. I am very happy to share my first post on recipes…really trust me, Its a very tasty, simple to make & lovely dessert. 🙂

Rice kheer is also known as “Rice Pudding”. Rice Kheer is a traditional and very popular sweet dish of India (especially of North India) Made with milk, rice and sugar it is a complete meal in itself. I love kheer, it is one of my favourite sweet dishes. When I was little I was fond of kheer, My mom used to make it quite often. Now here I am going to share my mom’s Kheer Recipe. 🙂

Made by me 🙂

Ingredients :-
• 1 litre milk.
• ¼ cup rice.
• 5 to 6 tbsp sugar or as required.
• 3 green cardamoms/hari elaichi powdered.
• 15-20 chopped almonds/badam.
• 12-15 chopped cashews/kaju.
• 1 tbsp raisins/kishmish.
• 10-12 Chironji.

Recipe:-

• Rinse & soak rice for 30 mins.
• Heat milk in a wide pan and let it come to a boil.
• Now drain the rice and add it to the simmering milk.

• Now keep stirring the milk for few minutes and make sure it does not burn at the bottom.

• Cook till it is of desired thickness and add the cardamom powder and stir.
• Once it reaches the desired thickness, add in the Sugar and the Dry fruits (almonds, chopped cashews, raisins, chironji) .
• When the rice has cooked completely and the kheer has thickened to the desired consistency, switch off the fire.
• Now pour the rice kheer in a serving bowl.

• The Rice Kheer is ready! you can serve the rice kheer, hot or warm or chilled. If you want to serve it cold, keep it in fridge for 2-3 hours. I personally like cold kheer. 🙂

Note:
• If kheer is served chilled, keep it a little sweeter because cold kheer tastes less sweet than hot kheer.

Enjoy 🙂

Wishing all my readers and friends a happy, prosperous and safe Diwali…May this Deepavali bring joy, health, happiness, prosperity and peace to your lives..Be happy, Be safe….Happy Diwali to you all!!! 🙂

Happy Navratri :)

Happy Navratri everyone! This Navratri may you be blessed by Durga Maa with good fortune, joys, happiness, wealth and prosperity. 🙂

Yay! Finally festive season is here *Big Smile* I love Navratri since my childhood 😀 It finally starts the festivals in India. For all those who are new to this concept, Navaratri or the nine nights in translation, is a very important time in Hindu tradition. The Mother Goddess comes and blesses everyone, and even shares Her shakti (power) with one. During Navratri the mother goddess is said to appear in 9 forms, and each one is worshipped for a day. These nine forms signify various traits that the goddess influences. The 10th day is commonly referred to as “Vijayadashami” or “Dussehra” It is one of the most important Hindu festivals and is celebrated which means the victory of good over evil..

The word Navratri literally means nine nights in Sanskrit, “Nava” meaning nine and “Ratri” meaning nights. Hence ‘Navratri’ is celebrating the nine nights and worshipping the deity Maa Durga. In these beautiful evenings boys and girls performed a religious dance (Garba/ Dandiya) that are widely performed to worship Goddess Durga Maa.

Today is the 2nd night of this beautiful & my favourite festival. Really I am so happy and very excited!!! 🙂

Be happy friends & Enjoy…May Maa Durga bless you with happiness all the year through…. Subh Navratri !!! 🙂

♥ JAI MATA DI ♥