Category Archives: Nepali Festivals

Celebrating Tihar

Like every year, we celebrated Tihar this year as well. For the details of the festival, please click here. I am sharing some of the photos from the festival.

Kaag / Kag (crow) Puja

Kaag puja (2)Kaag puja (1)

Kukur (dog) Puja

kukur puja (2) kukur puja (1)

Laxmi Puja and Gai (cow) Puja

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Mha Puja and Nepal Sambat

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Bhai Tika

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This year, I have one more person to put tika on and that is my little nephew. It was so much fun and amazingly he even managed to sit still on his father’s lap in front of the mandap for the whole puja.

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Hope all of you had great time celebrating the festival.

tihar

P.S: Do not forget to nominate  your favorite blog .

Nominations open for NEPALIAUSTRALIAN’s Blog Award 2013

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Dashain Celebration

Am I allowed to say that I am tired of Dashain celebration? Unlike in Nepal I didn’t have 15 days holiday to celebrate the festival so juggling work and celebration was bit a tough.

As usual this year too we started our celebration on Asthami. My brother invited everyone for dinner so that was the official start of Dashain for us. Luckily it was Saturday so everyone could relax till late.

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We played cards and enjoyed the yummy food and partied till late.

The next day was Nawami. That day as per the ritual, in the morning we did our car puja.

nawaminawami (5)Nawami (3) Nawami (2) Nawami (1)

This year we got lucky and we had a priest who did all the rituals for us.

Nawami (4)

Then that evening was our turn to invite everyone. We had done most of the shopping the day before but we still had to run around doing last minute shopping.

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I can’t believe I single handily made a feast for 25+ people; of course AS helped me by doing the cutting but I amazed even myself :).

nawami (8)

The menu was Chiura, aloo tama, rajma, chicken curry, goat curry, mula ko achar, chicken wings, salad, chips chill and some cheese and crackers.

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I am glad everyone enjoyed the food and my effort as appreciated. That day I was busy making sure everyone was enjoying and eating well. It was a fun evening and by the time everyone went home it was close to midnight.

My Jamara in Tika day

On Monday, it was Vijaya Dashami and biggest day of the all. I took a day off from work to celebrate but AS had to go to work. 😦

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I performed puja at home with our home grown jamara in the morning and in the afternoon I went to put tika at one of my friend’s place. His parents are here so it was my start of tika getting blessing from elders and eating bhoj.

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Then in the evening all of us were gathered again at my cousin’s house. We had heaps of fun putting tika on younger ones and getting blessing from the elders. As usual there was a big feast prepared and after that day I had had enough of the yummy food.

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On Tuesday, we were invited to one of my friend’s place for tika and again we ate lots of food. As coming Saturday is purnima, I still have 3 more places to go for tika and more feast.

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While talking to our parents on the Skype, they were even telling us that we are having a lot of celebration like in Nepal. I am glad we could do that but at the same time I am already so tired of eating I am sure I put on quite some weight. My work out to be fit and fine for summer went down the drain in the last few days.

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Nevertheless I had a great time with my friends and family celebrating Dashain.

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Hope all of you had a great Dashain too.

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*Asthami : Dashain *Dashain Tika update *Dashain ko Nakhatey

My long weekend in picture

Last weekend, we had a long weekend as it was Labour Day on Monday. There is so much happening in Sydney right now that we had busy weekend. I am so tired now but glad I managed to do so much. Here are some of the photos from the weekend.

On Saturday, it was the start of Dashain, our biggest festival (for details click here). So in the morning I had to plant my Jamara to start the festival. To learn how to plant your own Jamara, please click here.

Jamara

Around 10am, we headed to Wattamolla Beach to enjoy picnic with family and friends. Wattamolla Beach is located within the Royal National Park and have nice beach perfect to go with family. It was awesome sunny day and we had heaps of fun in water.

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On Sunday, we went to Helensburgh temple (details here) as it is Dashain now and it seemed like a great idea.. We went there with some of our friends and his family. As always, we had breakfast there, yummy vegetarian South Indian dishes.

temple

From there we drove for over an hour and was in Parramatta, enjoying Parramasala (details here). Like every year, it was fun with lots of food and music.

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On Monday, we went and saw the war ship at International Fleet Review. The review is a celebration marking 100 years since the Royal Australian Navy fleet first entered Sydney Harbour. It was worth the visit as we got to see so many navy ship from many different countries.

International Fleet Review (1) International Fleet Review (20) International Fleet Review (18) International Fleet Review (17) International Fleet Review (16) International Fleet Review (14) International Fleet Review (13)

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*Sculpture by the sea *Easter Long weekend trip *Snowy Mountains: Australia

Sharwan Sankranti

Shrawan is the fourth month in the Nepali Hindu calendar. The word Sankranti means transmigration of the Sun from one Rashi (zodiac in Nepali astrology) to another and is also the beginning of the Nepali months. The day when the sun begins to move southwards is called Shrawan Sankranti.

My Facebook wall is painted with my friends’ photos with mehendi (henna ) and green and yellow chura (bangles) on their hands from the 1st of the Sharwan (17 July).

Shrawan month is considered as the holiest month of the year for Hindus and each Somvar (Monday) of this month known as Shrawan Somvar is a special day in Shiva temples. For women this month is all about Mehendi (henna tattoos) and green/yellow chura.

According to a legend, Sanat Kumar asked lord Shiva why Shravan Monday is his favourite day. So lord Shiva Mahadev told him that Sati devi did Sankalpa that to get Mahadev as husband in every birth before her spirit left her body in her father’s house with the power of Yoga. In another of her births, Sati devi took birth in Himachal as Parvathi as the daughter of Queen Menka. Parvati fasted the whole month of Shravan and pleased Mahadev and so was married to him. Due to these reasons it is regarded as the main month for worshiping Lord Mahadev.

During this month Hindu women wear red attire with green and yellow bangles, pray for the long and prosperous life for their husbands. For married women, along with green/yellow glass bangles on their wrists, they also wear strings of green pote (glass beads) around their necks. It is believed that green glass bangles are worn for fulfilling one’s desires and wishing a happy and prosperous life to families.

On the other hand, unmarried girls of marriageable age also wear bangles in hopes of getting a handsome guy, and for those who already have boyfriends, making them husbands.

In addition, women perform rituals for Lord Shiva, the god of destruction, at the Pashupati temple and other Shiva temples like in Makhan, Hanuman Dhoka in Kathmandu, capital of Nepal.

Another important facet of Sharwan month is “Bol Bam” pilgrimage. Thousands of devotees visit the Bol Bam Dham, a pilgrimage to offer their worship to Lord Shiva. The pilgrims shout ‘Bol Bam’ or ‘Bol Bam’ meaning ‘Say Shiva’ during the pilgrimage. The devotees run or walk barefooted for kilometers to reach the Pashupatinath Temple for their good health, wealth and happiness.

It looks like everyone is excited to follow the tradition, both young and old, who paint their hands and wear green/yellow chura. I am so glad that everyone is excited on this month and is helping save the tradition and culture.

Happy Sharwan Sankranti !!!

Take care everyone!

XOXO

M from nepaliaustralian

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*Bhai Tika : Tihar *Vijaya Dashami : Dashain *Indra Jatra

Apungo and halwa

Last week I had puja at home so I needed to learn how to make apungo and halwa for puja. I had never tried to make it before but I had no choice but to learn this time around. So here I am sharing the recipe. It turned out really well and I was surprised how easy it was.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup ghee (clarified butter)
  • 3 cups plain flour
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup water

Steps

  1. Take a thick pan and pour ¾ cup ghee in the pan.
  2. halwa (2)When ghee starts to melt, add plain flour and fry  it stirring continuously. Make sure, the flour doesn’t turn brown.
  3. halwa (3)After a while when the flour is cooked, it should smell really good.
  4. halwa (4)Once it is cooked, take out half of the fried flour and set it aside on a plate.
  5. halwa (5)Add 2 table spoons of sugar to the plate and mix well.
  6. Apungo is now ready.
  7. With the remaining flour, fry it some more until it is light brown in colour.
  8. halwa (6)Add the rest of the sugar and then add the water and keep stirring.
  9. halwa (7)When the water and flour is mixed well and ghee starts showing on the top, add the rest of the ghee and Halwa is now ready too.
  10. halwa (8) halwa (9)If you are making halwa only skip step 5, 6, and 7.

halwa (11)

 Enjoy!!!

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