Jingle Bells

Merry Christmas!

 “Jingle bells, jingle bells , jingle all the way , Santa Claus in coming to time riding on a slay”…  The countdown has started. Only five days to Christmas!!!

I remember my first present from Santa was a stationary set, wrapped in a beautiful pink paper. Every year, on Christmas Eve, my mother and I walk to a nearby cake shop and buy ourselves a deluxe fruit cake. Decorating Christmas tree is something which I love doing! And then we have a small get together at our place on Christmas Eve. It’s hard to get sleep on the night of Christmas Eve with excitements soaring high!  Christmas Carols, visiting churches, and certainly the presents make it all so special!

Christmas carols remind me of my nursery classes where we used to merrily sing along to the tunes of “Rode off the Red-nosed reindeer”; “Santa Claus is coming to town” during the Christmas week. On the 24^th of December, our music teacher used to dress up as Santa Claus, clad in a red robe with white beard and moustache, ringing the bell he carried in one hand. And when presents were distributed, we could hardly wait to unwrap them!  I know I’m getting too nostalgic, but these are a few happy moments which are always going to be memorable for me. It’s not that I’m not excited about this Christmas, but sometimes old days are just too good to be relived again!

I hope Santa fulfills all the pointers on your wishlist this time! A Merry Christmas to all the fun lovers across the globe! 

Durga Puja~The Quintessence of Bengali Festivals

Pandal -hopping

Hey everyone, how’s it going?  Back to blogging after a long time as my exams were on. Now that they’re over, I’m in a happy mood! And one more reason for my “happy mood” is Durga Puja, which is only about two weeks from now. The five days of Durga Puja are real "fundays" for the people of Bengal. There is so much life and color in the city during these days.

There are bumper sales and discounts on outfits in every store and people literally get mad while haggling over their prices! In busy market places like New Market and Gariahat, you can hardly find a place to walk on the pavement.

Streets are already being decorated with lamps and everywhere you get to see “pandals” under construction. And if you’re a true Bengali, then these small things are sure to bring that special feeling of joy and excitement in your heart. Durga Puja is one of my favorite festivals like all other Bengalis. 

Shiuli

But, probably my reason for liking it is a bit different from others. I love autumn, so maybe that’s a reason. And there’s a special aromatic flower than blooms only during autumn. I recently discovered that its local name is “shiuli” which stands for coral jasmine. 

The air is filled with the fragrance of these flowers after twilight. And when you go out for pandal hopping, the beautiful fragrance of the flowers is a real delight!

So, here I am, wishing all Bengalis across the globe a wonderful Durga Puja!  Go shopping, feast and celebrate ~ that’s the true joy of the festival! 

Durga Puja - A Moment For The Bengalis

The countdown has already started. 

Hardly 40 days in hand.

The scent is in the breeze 

and the warmth is in our hearts.
My heart feels like floating along the cotton like clouds in the autumn sky.

I can hear the drum beats or rather "dhak" vibrating all around me.

After all, Maa Durga is on her way to Bengal. The Puja sensation is all around!

Crowded streets with vibrant, clamorous groups of people, enjoying their puja shoppings to the fullest.

The different aspects of nature seem to echo the joy and excitement which is present among us all.

We are proud to be Bengalis. So, this time lets celebrate Durga Puja in togetherness and make it really special and memorable in our own ways.

No Easter Without Easter Eggs

Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated as Easter Day. There is a lot about the religious side of Easter and it’s meanings, but there are also many amusing fun facts about Easter. Easter reminds us of the brightly painted, delicious Easter eggs. But do you know how Easter eggs first came into being?

  

• Easter is all about the renewal and rebirth .The well-known Easter eggs are an ancient symbol of new life  .So what else could be so appropriate for a spring time holiday like Easter?

• Easter eggs are often hidden, supposedly by the Easter Bunny, for children to find on Easter morning. Otherwise, they are generally put in a basket filled with real or artificial straw in resemblance of a bird's nest.

• The largest Easter egg ever made was produced in Vergeville, AB. It weighed 5,000 pounds, and was 25.7 feet long.

• The first chocolate eggs were made in Europe in the early 1800s and still retain their popularity as the best treats associated with Easter.

• 90 million chocolate Easter eggs are being made for Easter every year.

• 16 billion jelly beans are made especially which is enough to fill a plastic egg the size of a nine story building.

• After Halloween, Easter is the biggest candy consuming holiday.

So gear up for the coming Easter and enjoy some delectable Easter eggs from bakeries around you. Happy Easter to all of you .

Chinese Celebration of New Year

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Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year is one of the most dynamic, stimulating and colorful festivals celebrated by the Chinese. Celebration of Chinese New Year varies widely all over China. People spend huge amounts of money to buy presents, decoration materials, food and clothing. As the day nears, excitement mounts and spirits soar high.

It is the tradition of every family to clean their houses to sweep away any ill-fortune with hopes for good incoming luck. Windows and doors are decorated with red colored paper cuts and couplets with popular themes of “happiness”, “wealth” and “longevity”. In the evening, the streets burst at the seams with colorful fanfare and festivity. People perform cultural dances while brightly-lit floats gliding on the water adding magic to the night.

On Chinese New Year Eve, families gather for a sumptuous reunion dinner. For 15 days, home visits to families and friends are sweetened with traditional New Year goodies like love letters (crispy egg rolls), pineapple tarts and barbecued pork. Gifts of mandarin oranges are exchanged for blessings while children receive “hong baos” (red envelopes filled with money) for good luck. “Yu Sheng” a tantalizing raw fish salad which symbolizes prosperity adds specialty to the evening.