A Fruit of Wisdom

The karit (कारिट) fruit (Cucumis melo var. agrestis) plays a small but significant part in the Diwali festivities. After the traditional bath at dawn on the morning of Diwali, it is customary to stamp and split open the fruit by the heel of the foot and taste a little of the bitter juice before commencing …

Easter: Celebrating Rebirth and Rejuvenation!

Easter is a festival celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ, which according to the New Testament occurred on the third day of his burial following his crucifixion. For many people the world over Easter is also a celebration of the spring season – the beginning of new life all around! In fact, the word Easter …

Hot Cross Buns!

Hot Cross Buns were baked in the medieval period as an offering to the Germanic goddess Eostre, the goddess of spring, as a celebration of Easter. A cross was marked on top of the bun symbolising the four phases of the moon and four seasons of the year. As per Christian tradition, the buns were …

Ugadi: A Celebration of Life!

Be it Gudi Padwa in Maharashtra and Goa, Yugadi in Karnataka, or Ugadi in Telangana and Andhra – all these festivals celebrate the beginning of the new year or the first day of the first month of Chaitra in the Hindu lunar calendar. Mythology has it that it was on this day that Brahma began to …

Holi re Holi, Purnachi Poli!

As is true of most festivals in India, Holi, marking the end of winter and the beginning of spring, too is celebrated in diverse ways in various states of the country. Here is my experience of celebrating Holi in a village in interior Maharashtra and a recipe for making Puran Poli - a traditional Maharashtrian …