One of the festivals very dear to my heart is the Karthigai Deepam, which is celebrated all over Tamil Nadu in the tamil month of Karthigai (Nov-Dec).
Just as the North Indians light diyas during Diwali, we, tamilians do it during Karthigai.
Karthigai is essentially a festival of lamps. The lighted lamp is considered an auspicious symbol. It is believed to ward off evil forces and usher in prosperity and joy. While the lighted lamp is important for all Hindu rituals and festivals, it is indispensable for Karthigai
One of the earliest references to the festival is found in the Ahananuru, a book of poems, which dates back to the Sangam Age (200 B.C. to 300 A.D.). The Ahananuru clearly states that Karthigai is celebrated on the full moon day (pournami) of the Tamil month of Karthigai. It was one of the most important festivals (peruvizha) of the ancient Tamils. Avaiyyar, the renowned poetess of those times, refers to the festival in her songs.
ROWS OF agal vilakkus (diyas) in front of every house… this is the image that at once comes to mind when we think of Karthigai Deepam – the festival of lights that is celebrated throughout Tamil Nadu during the month of Karthigai (November-December). Not many of us are aware that it is one of the oldest festivals celebrated in the State, perhaps even before people began celebrating Deepavali and Navarathri. Also, unlike many other Hindu festivals, Karthigai is basically a Tamil festival and is virtually unknown in most other parts of the country.
Vella Appam – Rice / Wheat flour with jaggery
Pori urundai – Puffed rice with jaggery
Kadalai Urundai – Peanuts with jaggery
The foodies also rejoice during this festival as it is a gastronomical treat on this day. Since this festival is during the end of monsoons and the so-called winter in Tamil Nadu, all these food preparations are made with jaggery. It’s very gud to eat jaggery during these chilly months. Puffed rice and jaggery is an excellent combination – it keeps us warm from inside.
LEGEND
There is an interesting story explaining the link between Karthigai and lamps. Legend has it that Lord Vishnu and Lord Brahma began to quarrel as to who was the more powerful of the two. While they were fighting, Lord Shiva appeared before them in the form of a huge pillar of fire. Lord Vishnu and Lord Brahma gave up quarrelling and decided to find the top and the bottom of the pillar.
Accordingly, Brahma assumed the form of a swan and moved upwards. Vishnu transformed himself into a boar and started digging deep into the earth. But even after searching for several years, neither of the two was able to find the ends the pillar. Finally, they realised that the pillar was none other than Lord Shiva.
Soon afterwards, Lord Shiva appeared as a hill (Arunachala Hill) at Tiruvannamalai in Tamil Nadu. Indeed, the very names `Tiruvannamalai’ and `Arunachala’ translate as `holy fire hill.’ The Shivalinga in the temple here is the agni linga. The tiny lamps lit during the Karthigai festival (Karthigai Deepam) are believed to be the miniature replicas of the fire linga. Every year thousands of devotees from Chennai and elsewhere flock to Tiruvannamalai to see the spectacular Karthigai Deepam there.
Source : Wikipedia.
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Kartika is celebrated in Kerala too.
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Hey !!! Didnt knew abt that…
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In Kerala, people boil tubers like sweet potato, tapioca etc. on Kartika and in the evening they go to fields with a fire torch and say ‘Har Haro Hara’. It was mainly celebrated by agriculturists. Now people just light diyas.
Your diyas and rangoli are so beautiful and food…yum. I am coming to India in June. Can we have a blog meet in Chennai?
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hey lots of bloggers in Chennai, so well organizing a meet shouldn’t be a probs 🙂
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Sure, Chennai blog meet in June. That will surely be done.
I love the boiled sweet potato, tapioca !!!! Just dip it in jaggery sauce – its the next best thing to heaven. 🙂
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Oh I too didnt know about a festival like this in kerala….but curiously Har haro hara chant is familiar
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Well I like sweets a lot 😛
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Me like sweets made with jaggery, more !!!! 🙂
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The kollam pix are beautiful!!!!
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Thanks, Indy !!!
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and did you make any of those sweets???
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All you can think of is – whether I made those sweets, eh ???? FYI, yes, I did the vella appam.
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Wow! The diyas look beautiful 🙂
I love Tiruvannamalai … radiates divinity .. the white peacocks dancing there .. everything abt it is so gud na! Did nt know that story Ums .. thanks for sharing 😉
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Thanks Swaram…. 🙂
I listened to the story on TV and wanted to share it with you all… 🙂
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Glad to see the story. And the sweets look yum. I remember the pori undai that my mom makes. And brothers give money to sisters on karthigai, and since I did not have a brother I kind of was not very fond of karthigai growing up 😉
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Yummy sweets filled up the tummy !!!! 😆
Yeah, Karthigai and Sankaranthi are very special where the bonding between siblings increase – its just like Rakshabandhan.
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Vishnu actually claimed to have not been able to find shiva and brahma had an identity crisis after a conversation with thazhambu flower. shiva apaprently cursed brahma that he will never have a dedicated temple for worship. patti sonna kadhai. all in all everyone is more bothered about bhakshanam than any ritualistic adherence.
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Yes, the bhakshanams are what we look forward to in every festival. 🙂
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Lovely kolam and diya arrangement. Appam looks really yummy.
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TanQ so much !!!!
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The pictures look beautiful and the legend was interesting!!!
And the tiny snow flakes drifting across the page is sweet 😀
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Thanks Nancy !!!
The snow flakes is a Christmas special setting from WordPress. I just love it…
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The kolam with diya pics are really superb… 🙂
Don’t show these sweets and tempt me… I was stuck in office on that day 😐 😐
the legend is interesting… our puranas have such wonderful stories.. 😀 😀
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Oh !! Such bad luck to have been in office on a festival day…..
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wow! The lamps lok beautiful 🙂
We celebrate it too, but, differently. Not too sure how though!
thanks for sharing the story! 🙂
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Thanks for the compliments.
What ???? Not sure how ???? ROFL 😆
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i nominated this lovely post for Avant grade Awards
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Hey !!!! Thank you, Shraddha !!! Thats so sweet, like the vella appam !!! 🙂
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I am missing the goodies. Come back, woman!!
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