19 septembre 2009
Happy Navarathri - Les neufs nuits de la Déesse Durga
Happy Navarathri
"Navarathri" means 9 Devine Nights .
These are the most auspicious days for Hindus.
First three days we worship Goddess Durga.
( Goddess of Power)
Next three days we worship Goddess Lakshmi .
( Goddess of Wealth & Prosperity)
Last three days we worship Goddess Sarawathi .
( Goddess of Wisdom)
The tenth day is the " Vijaya Dashami" .
In Hindu mythology it's said that Goddess Durga killed the demon king "Mahishasura" on that day.
02 septembre 2009
Thiruvathirakali - Danse du Kerala
thiruvathira
envoyé par ronnieronald
Thiruvathirakali - Folk dance of Kerala.
Happy Onam
01 septembre 2009
Onam is here
Onam is the harvest festival of Kerala. It begins on Atham Day & ends on the Thiruvonam Day ( Sept 2nd). On these 10 days, flowers are decorately arranged infront of every house. These flower carpets are called "Pookalam" .Schools are closed for this festival. It's a great pleasure to collect & arrange flowers with cousins. All those wonderful memories still remains. Onam festival evokes nostalgic feeling for those who are far away from their homeland. Some of the common flowers in Kerala are Ari poovu ( lantana), chemparathi (hibiscus) , Colambi Poovu ( Alamanda) , thechi (Ixora), Mandaram (Bauhinia acuminata), Kanakambaram etc
07 juin 2009
"Wish Granting Tree" in my Mom's Garden.
Parijatha Tree / Nycatanthes arbortristis
Parijat are highly fragrant white flowers with six/eight petals arranged above a deep orange tube. These flowers open at dusk spreading their fragrance & fell down when the dawn breaks. Botanical name is Nycatanthes Arbortristis - Nycatanthes means "night flowering" & arbortristis means "sad". It's called Night Jasmine/ Coral Jasmine in English, Parijat in Sanskrit , Parijatham in Malayalam , Pavizhamalli in Tamil , Harsinghar in Hindi & Shefali in Bengali.
Yves Rocher's perfume "Shafali" is made out of this flower.
This sacred tree is very important in Hindu mythology. In ancient scriptures it's written that Lord Vishnu churned the cosmic ocean to obtain this tree and was planted in Nandavanam (Garden of Gods).This garden is in "Swarkaloka" - the celestial dwelling of Lord Indra (King of Gods). In Bhagavat Purana it's said that it's one among the five sacred trees (Panchavriksha) . Others are Mandara, Santana, Kalpa-Vriksha and Hari -Chandana.
There are so many tales based on this divine flower.
Once Narad Muni (Sage) visited this garden & collected these flowers for Rukmini (favourite wife of Lord Krishna). Sathyabhama (another wife of Lord Krishna) was extremely jealous & wanted this divine tree. To satisfy her , he entered into deep meditation. In the state to pluck the sapling Lord Indra spotted him. So Krishna fought a battle with Indra and brought this divine plant to earth . To please both his wives he planted the sapling in Sathyabhama's garden in such a way that when flowered , the flowers fell in Rukmini's courtyard.
Once a Princess fell in love wih Sun God (Surya Dev). When he deserted her she committed suicide & this tree arosed from her cremated ashes. These highly fragrant flowers bloom at night & when the dawn breaks it sheds one by one like tear drops forming a white carpet. In the morning the tree appears sad. Based on this story the tree was given the species name arbor tristis, which means Tree of Sorrow / Sad Tree.
Hindus worship Lord Krishna with these flowers. Early in the morning they collect these delicate flowers with divine fragrance and place in the pooja room. This tree is also said to yield all objects of desire & hence called "Wish Granting Tree" .
Mother's Day Rhyme
(To the tune of " Frère Jacques")
I Love Mommy, I Love Mommy,
Yes, I do, yes, I do.
Mommies are for hugging (Hug self)
Mommies are for kissing (Blow a kiss)
I love you, yes I do.(point to mother)
Courtesy to "The Hindu" , "Wiki" & "Bolo kids"
26 mai 2009
South -West Monsoon hits Kerala.
13 mai 2009
Mouthwatering Plantain treats from Kerala
Plantain treats of Kerala
Banana Chips & Sharkara Upperi ( fried banana coated with jagerry ) are the famous tea time snacks of Kerala, but Upperi (quartered banana chips) are served along with rice.
Plantain farms of Kerala 
Plantain Market (Tirur - Kerala)
14 avril 2009
Happy Vishu
08 décembre 2008
Oppana - Bridal dance of the Muslims in Kerala
27 octobre 2008
Diwali - Fête de la lumière.
Deepavali - the festival of lights is celebrated all over India.
Deepavali is derived from two sanskrit words Deepa (light) & Avali (row).
There are so many stories behind "Deepavali".
Lord Indra told Sree Krishna the evils of the demon King Narakasura.ie He kidnapped beautiful girls to serve him. So Lord Krishna & his wife Sathyabhama decided to kill Narakasura. To celebrate their King's victory the people of Dwaraka (Kingdom)prepared several sweets. Freed young girls lit lamps to celebrate their liberty.
Lord Rama's return to Ayodya (Kingdom) with his wife Sita & brother Lakshmana, after his 14 years of exile.People greeted their King by litting lamps and bursting crackers.
