Thursday, January 20, 2011

Shankranti

Shankranti is one of my favorite festival. As a kid loved this festival, since it meant getting to visit many houses.
Mom would make sweet pongal and khara pongal. We would get up early in the morning have head bath and wear new clothees.Then eat the yellu which mom had done nivedhya to God and set out. In a plate there would be sugarcane, yellu, sakkare acchu , banana, a small mud pot with yelchi hannu, and and some small gift like a plastic container.Me sis and dad would visit all the neighbors  and  would return home for lunch, then with mom we would visit the grandparents , uncles and aunts, basically all the siblings of my parents.

And then I got married, and the Bagina  madness started. First year I gave a plastic basket and 5 bananas.Second year trays and 10 bananas. Third year  a  silver cup , to mark the birth of my Kulli and 15 bananas. Fourth  year jute bag and  20 bananas  and fifth year  1kg  plastic jar and  25  bananas. And finally this year silver krishna to mark the birth of my kulla.

At the end of the festival day this year  I  heaved a sigh of relief as I am not technically expected to give anything next year .But  I felt sad too as I will miss the 15 houses which I have been visiting on Shankranti day all these years.

3 comments:

  1. thats a nice tradition...if possible write more about it, am curious to know about it.
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  2. Hmmm.....
    I am glad i'm just done with the 25 bananas this year :)... But i now lack all that enthusiasm i had, going to 20-25 houses as a kid and giving ellu bella. No i do it just because i am expected to do :(
    May be when there is no such compulsion, i'll again start enjoying the tradition....

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  3. Hey! I cant see the Comments link on your blog till anyone else has already left a comment. Something wrong with the blog settings or with my machine??
    Could leave a comment only for this post...

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