Kolam by Sudha Balaji

Ananta Vratha festival Ananta Vrata is celebrated on the fourteenth day before the full moon day in the month of Bhadrapada (usually falls between 15th of August and 15th of September).   While Jeevthi Pooja is celebrated by a mother for the welfare of her children, Ananta Vrata is celebrated for the welfare of the couple for fourteen years from the year of the marriage. It performed using a khalasa as we do for Varalakshmi Vratham.  A vessel is filled with water and a red cloth tied around it.  In some families a snake like shape is made from darba grass and placed inside the vessel.  Two red strings with fourteen knots are placed in pooja.    After the Pooja the strings are tied to the the right shoulder.  This ananta as it is called is preserved till the Puja for the next year.   This ritual is continued for fourteen years after which it is completed for that particular couple.   This 15 by 15 dot rangoli is Anant Vrat spec...

Mangala Gowri festival, Vrat  is performed for first five years after marriage.  The idol of Mangala Gowri is handed over to the married lady.   She performs this puja every year after marriage for five years on Sravana Tuesday (Mangala vaar) i.e on all Tuesdays of the month.   This is done for a happy married life.  Betel leaves and nuts ( eight numbers) are offered to Goddess (Gowri or Parvathi) and eaten by the husband and wife.   Offerings include wheat flour modhakam and a kheer with wheat flour ball in milk.  Sixteen wicks are made from cotton, dipped in ghee and aarti is performed with these wicks. Mangala Gowri is available at GRT Jewellers , if you want to purchase it as part of wedding gifts by the parents for the girl Mangala Gowri Pooja story It is said that a girl in whose family Mangala Gowri Pooja was performed regularly was married at an early age.  Goddess Mangala Gowri came in here dream and told her " Lady, you ha...

நாக சதுர்த்தி பூசை ( in Tamil ) The video 👉  Naga Chaturthi Pooja in Tamil   is from my YouTube channel and it gives the Puja procedure in Tamil and has English subtitles       What do we offer for Naga Deivam pepper, channa dhal, rice flour a paste made from rice flour, jaggery, ghee another ball made from white sesame and jaggery Puffed rice, milk with a drop of ghee is also offered as also water Apply turmeric only to Naga Cotton vastra decorated with turmeric is offered For flowers, jasmine is preferred First offer milk and water twice , then clean the Nagas Offer other offerings mentioned above Perform pooja Naivedyam include mangoes and coconut Perform aarthi, offer camphot After Pooja children are asked to offer milk to Naga and pray for the welfare of their brothers and sisters Elders pray for the welfare of the children. Watch the video and celebrate the festival Now a simple pambu kolam for the Pooja.  Place dots ...

Bangle garland for God | Bangle garland for Amman | Easy method Bangle garlands are offered to Mariamman for Aadi Pooram festival .  This is a very popular festival in Tamil Nadu.  Aadi is Ashada month and Pooram is Purva Phalguni start.   So in this month and on the day this star occurs this festival is celebrated.  Many offer glass bangle garlands .  Some offer just bangles in as many pairs as they can. The bangles are then distributed to the devotees. Aadi Pooram 2018 date is 13th of August.  What I have shown in the images below is one of the simplest methods of making a "kannadi valayal " malai .  What we need are bangles and a fancy lace. Tie the lace to one of the bangles Keep the bangle as shown and place the next bangle below the first one. Take the lace through the portion where the bangles intersect and draw it through the bottom as shown.  This way the first bangle is held firml The next bangl...

Some of the procedures I follow for Gudi Padwa festival 1.  Two or three days before the festival I clean the Puja room and photos of all deities 2.   I fill the haldi kumkum stand with fresh haldi and kumkum 3.  All the silver utensils meant for Puja are cleaned 4.  For cleaning silver utensils, I use coconut fibre (with detergent and dish washing powder) 5.  This ensures that the vessels stay bright for a long time, two or three weeks 6.   I tie fresh flowers for Pooja as shown in one of the photos    7.  All pictures of deities are decorated with sandal paste, haldi and kumkum                                            We can offer fruits, coconut for naivedyam Prepare a solution of geru and limestone Prepare a  gudi , after cleaning it well, apply geru and limestone alternately Limes...

In the month of Sravan (Aavani) on the eighth day (ashtami ) after full moon is celebrated Janashtami or Gokulashtami.  For some the birth star of Lord Krishna is important and so they celebrate it on the day Rohini star falls.  Both come within a few days of each other, invariably.   As I have written earlier,  the customs and traditions followed are many even for the same festival.  So I would like to share here how I celebrate this festival.   In the morning, we perform puja to the Lord Krishna idols we have.  He is in the famous crawling pose.  After performing archana, we offer five types of fruits that include jamun (Jambul in Hindi or naga pazham in Tamil ).   My father  offered Jambul leaves also for Krishnashtami puja. We also offer, milk, curd, butter and ghee.   In the evening we perform puja to the picture of Lord Krishna for more than five decades, now ( I am told).  It is a Thanjavur painting that w...