Karthigai Festival in my Home and how Karthigai Thirunal is celebrated in Tamilnadu
In this article i would like to share my experience on Karthigai Thirunal which is one of my favorite festival right from my childhood. Karthigai festival which is going to fall on December 9 2011. I'm writing this article filled with my sweet memories of deepam festival.
How Karthigai Thirunal is celebrated in Tamilnadu
Karthigai Thirunal other wise called deepa thirunaal, the day on which no street lights are needed and our whole tamilnadu would like to be in heaven. Yes, I remember, right from my childhood, my mother ask us get up early in the morning and make us to take hair wash. Then we use to go to temple in the early morning. Really, it was an excellent experience even still i cant forget the early morning sizzling.
My mother use to buy new deepams made of sand. Actually, deepam festival is a enlightenment for potters. They use to make sand deepams attractively colored and designed.The festival starts at the evening. In the evening my mother make us to dressed up traditionally with lots of flowers and silk skirts. Then we all in our family pray God with all deepams lightened.
In all tamil families, on this karthigai thirunaal, they use to lit various deepams such yaanai deepam, malayala deepam, valaipoo deepam, manvilakku deepam (called kiliyanchatti), adukku deepam around the beautiful kolam in their houses. An important thing is, sand deepam should be placed in two places especially in the rice pot and salt pot in our kitchen. because, Godess Lakshmi resides in these two places and so she will bless us with all wealth is our hope.
After Deepam lighting, the most important and interesting thing that is karthigai sweet the famous tamilnadu festival recipe will be distributed to us. Really it would be so excellent and yummy. Actually my mom use to make this with Puffed rice,jaggery, dried ginger and elachi. Its taste will be mouth watering and good for health.
I am happy to share my karthigai deepam festival memories with you. But now things has changed, karthigai thirunaal is celebrated full fledged only in the towns not in metro cities. Nowadays candles had replaced the various deepams used traditionally and stickers had replaced the beautiful kolams in our home. Please we should try at least hereafter to keep our traditional values that our mom taught to us.
Hi Suganya,
Your article is really very nice. I am also worried about the chages made like candles instead of deepams and stickers instead of kolams. Nowadays many young women does not know how to put kolam and really it is going to vanish when this continues.