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Home , Bohag Bihu, Mela, Mesha Sankranti, Pachadi, Pulihora, Rangoli

Celebrating Festival of Harvest Activity pack Saturday 17 April 2021 Pohela boishakh

• People of Bengali heritage, irrespective of their religious faith, celebrate Bangla Noboborsho. • The traditional greeting is “Shubho Noboborsho” • Hindu mark the day by taking a dip in rivers and then praying to Goddess Lakshami and Lord Ganesh • The festival is celebrated with processions , and family time. • Notable events of West include the early morning cultural processions called Prabhat Pheri. • These processions see dance troupes and children dressed up with floats, displaying their performance arts to songs of Rabindra Tagore. • Shop keepers start their new accounting year marking the first page with holy symbol of Swatic

• It’s a day of worshipping Lord . • This is an interesting harvest festival celebrated on the first day of Malayalee . • Women of the house prepare Vishukkani – varieties of traditional cuisine to offer to Gods, with , golden lemon, golden cucumber, jackfruit, yellow konna flowers and betel leaves. • People visit temple in the early hours of the day, to seek . • At home, a grand worship of Lord or Lord Krishna, elaborate family lunch, evening prayers, and fireworks sum up the complete picture of the Vishu festival. • On the day money is given to younger ones as a from the family. • Ugadi is a regional New Year celebration for the people of ; and . • This harvest festival is considered auspicious to start new work and ventures. On the day, local people take an oil bath, wear traditional clothes, decorate homes with earthen lamps and rangoli, and perform Ugadi at home. • The Ugadi delicacies like Ugadi , , and Bobbatlu are prepared with raw , , neem, and . • Pachadi – is an interesting/healthy concoction of six ingredients. Each ingredient symbolizes an emotion and is to be consumed by the family members. These ingredients and emotions are neem buds/flowers (sadness), jaggery (happiness), green chilli (anger), salt (fear), tamarind (disgust) and ripened mango (surprise). Vaisakhi

• Historically Vaisakhi is the most significant festival for Sikh • In 1699 on this day the Gobind Singh ji, 10th Guru of Sikhs created the Khalsa panth – SIKHISM • Hugh procession called Nagar take place on the day. Panj Pyare, the five individuals who were baptized as the first Khalsa lead the procession. • A beautifully decorated palki carrying ‘Guru Granth Sabhib ji’ is behind the Panj Pyare in the procession. • Devotees flock to the palki to seek blessings and prasad. • Gurdwaras are decorated, all day are held and there is constant flow of devotes to seek blessings. • The color of Vaisakhi is yellow and orange, representing the spirit of ‘rebirth and sacrifice’ • Bhangara and Gidda is performed on the day, it’s the traditional folk dance of , very vibrant and energetic • It is traditional to cook ‘kari chawal or makki with ’ on the day. bohag or rangali bihu

• It is celebrated by the Northeastern Indian state of and indigenous ethnic groups. • or Rangali Bihu marks the beginning of the Assamese New Year on 13 April. It is celebrated for seven days Vishuva () of the month of Vaisakh or locally 'Bohag' (Bhaskar ). • It signifies the time of Harvest • The three primary types of Bihu are Bohag Bihu or Rongali Bihu, Kati Bihu or Kongali Bihu, and or Bhogali Bihu. Each festival historically recognizes a different agricultural cycle of the paddy crops. • During Rangali Bihu there are 7 pinnacle phases: 'Sot', 'Raati', 'Goru', 'Manuh', 'Kutum', 'Mela' and 'Sera • On the day certain food items like green leafy vegetables (xak) are cooked to celebrate the successful harvest and the abundance of crops. Other food items that assume significance during the festival include , jiggery, rice, sesame, and milk products. Fun way to test your knowledge 1. What is the main fruit required for UGADI pachadi . A Banana B Coconut C Mango

2. How do you greet each other on the day in ? A Ram Ram ji B Shubho Nababarsho C Parnam

3. UGADI is celebrated as: A Harvest festival B New Year C Summer Festival

4, Guru Gobind Singh ji laid the foundation of Sikhism in which year? A 1649 B 1749 C 1699

5. Which state celebrates the festival Vishu? A B C Rajashthan

6. What is the name of the traditional dance that men of Punjab do on Vaisakhi? A Squat dance B Morris dance C Bhangra

7. What leaf is used to make toranam (tie to doorway)? A Banana B Neem C Mango

8. Ugadi pachadi is made for how many ingredients? A 5 B 6 C 7 9. Who started Poila Boisakh concept? A Sher Shah Suri B Maharaja Ranjeet Singh C Akbar, the Mughal Emperor

10. Ugadi pachadi is made for how many ingredients? A 5 B 6 C 7

11. What do we listen to on the day? A Devotional songs B Panchagam C Ramayanam

12. The Vishu is celebrated by giving money to younger ones. What is it called? A Shagun B Vishukai Neetam C Daswydaniya

13. Which flower do they use for decoration of the Vishu Kani? A Jasmin flower B Kani Konna (yellow flower) C Lotus flower

14. The procession taken out on the streets lead by Panj Pyare during Vaisakhi is called: A Nagar Kirtan B Gidda C Holy Week procession

15. What is the special meal prepared by Malayalee's on the day of Vishu called? A Vishu B Chawal C Mishti Doi

16. What is the other name given to Baisakh in West Bengal? A Ram Ram ji B Poila Baisakh C Parnam Colouring in fun for the kids and the grownups!

Fun recipes to try! Ugadi Pachadi

• 2 raw mango • 25 gm grated coconut • 60 gm jaggery • salt as required • 240ml tamarind juice • 2 teaspoon green chilli • Water as required • 3 gm edible flowers

• Wash raw mango and green chillies under running water. Then peel the and chop along with green chilies into small pieces • Take a large bowl add the dry ingredients which includes chopped raw mangoes, chilies, grated coconut, neem flowers and then mix it together. • Now add tamarind juice, salt, jaggery into the dry mixture. Mix them all together and gradually add water according to the your liking • Finally, your Ugadi Pachadi is now to ready to serve. ONION BHAJIS / CORINDER & CHILLE

Ingredients Ingredients For the bhajis For the chutney 2 red onions, thinly sliced •large handful fresh coriander (approx. 4tbsp chopped fresh coriander leaves 50g/1¾oz) ½ tsp chilli powder •3 fresh green chillies ½ tsp ground •3 tbsp lemon juice 1 tsp gram masala •1 tsp olive oil 1 tsp ground coriander •½ tsp salt 1 tsp ground cumin •1 tsp caster sugar 10gm / 3 ½ oz gram (chickpea) flour 2 garlice cloves (crushed) 15gm root ginger (peeled and finely grated) Vegetable oil for frying Bhajis: • Add the vegetable oil to a deep-fat fryer and preheat to 180C. To test the oil is hot enough, carefully drop a little of the batter into the oil – it will sizzle once hot enough and start to brown. (CAUTION: hot oil can be dangerous. Do not leave unattended.) • Place the red onion in a large bowl and add the chopped coriander, chilli powder, turmeric, garam masala, ground coriander and cumin. Add the gram flour, garlic, ginger and a generous sprinkle of salt. Pour in approximately 75ml/2½fl oz cold water to bind. Mix well again to combine – the mixture should hold together once squeezed but it may be a little sticky. Add a touch more water if the mixture feels too stiff. • Using wet hands, roll the mixture into 12 small balls that are roughly the size of golf balls. • Deep-fry the bhajis in the hot oil in two batches for 3–4 minutes, until golden brown and crisp. Carefully remove using a slotted spoon and transfer to kitchen paper to drain. Sprinkle with a little salt and serve warm. Chutney: • Put all of the ingredients into a food processor and blend into a smooth paste. Serve with the bhajis