India's Holiday

India's Holiday: Holi

Holi or Phagwah is a popular, Hindu spring festival, observed in India, also called the Festival of Colours. In West Bengal, it is known as Dolyatra or Boshonto Utshob ("spring festival").

On the first day, bonfires are lit at night to signify burning Holika.




On the second day, known as Dhulandi, people spend the day throwing colored powder and water at each other. The spring season, during which the weather changes, is believed to cause viral fever and cold. Thus, the playful throwing of the coloured powders has a medicinal significance: the colours are traditionally made of Neem, Kumkum, Haldi, Bilva, and other medicinal herbs prescribed by Āyurvedic doctors. A special drink called thandai is prepared, sometimes containing bhang (Cannabis sativa). People invite each other to their houses for feasts and celebrations later in the evening.



Rangapanchami occurs a few days later on a Panchami (fifth day of the full moon), marking the end of festivities involving colours.

Although a Hindu celebration, other religions in India celebrate it as well. In fact, some of the best Holi celebrations are said to happen in Punjab, where Hindus and Sikhs celebrate together. This celebration in Punjab typically involves Dholi's and other musical instruments as kids and adults celebrate.

Holi takes place over two days in the later part of February or early March. As per the Hindu calendar, it falls on the Phalgun Purnima (or Pooranmashi, Full Moon). (In 2007, Holi was celebrated on 3 March, the burning of Holika was on 4 March and the Dhulendi on 5 March.)

poem

India:
India a place of culture a place to be.
Where you can find a lot of history.
Where fruits grow luious and green.
The water is clear and the air is clean.
The animal there rare and exquisit.
They sometimes have exhits.
You should go and see for yourself.

Recipe for Modak!

Ingredients:

For the filling —

* 2 cup shredded fresh coconut
* 1 cup jaggery
* 1 teaspoon roasted poppy seeds
* 1 teaspoon rice flour
* 3-4 cardamoms

For the outer cover —

* 1 cup rice flour
* 1 cup water
* 1 teaspoon ghee
* ½ teaspoon oil
* A pinch of salt
Filling:

Mix the coconut and jaggery together, and cook it on medium heat. Stir continuously until they are mixed properly. Do not overcook.

How to know if you are close to overcooking? Check the consistency of the mixture. It should not appear totally black, but brownish in color. Also, another test experts do is with their hands (you may scald yourself doing this, so don't try), to hold the mixture between thumb and index finger, to see its not running liquid neither it is so thick that all of it sticks to finger or thumb alone. Don't worry, if you practice (cooking, not holding) enough, you will get it right. Its not as hard as it sounds.

Add cardamom, roasted poppy seeds and 1 teaspoon rice flour to the mix. Cook for some time.

Remove from the heat and allow it to cool.

Outer Cover:

1. Boil 1 cup of water. When bubbles rise on top, add ghee, salt and oil and immediately add rice flour. Stir well. Cover for some time. Remove the lid and stir and cover again for a minute.
2. Remove from heat. Take all the mixture in a flat plate. Knead it properly while hot (You can use a flat bowl for kneading to keep the hands from burning). Make a soft pliable dough. (Do it very carefully. The dough should be neither too sticky nor too dry.)

Method:

1. Divide this dough into small balls, or 'C-Rag' as it is more commonly referred to as. Roll each ball into 1.5 inch diameter circle. Hold it in a hand and make a small bowl of it. Put some coconut filling into this bowl shaped dough. Dip thumb and index finger in the oil and make 5-6 small pinches side by side on the edges of the bowl. Bring them together, join to form a peak. It should look like a whole garlic. Prepare all other modaks like this.
2. Spread a damp cloth onto a flat round sifter and arrange all the modaks onto it. Place the sifter in a steamer and cover. Steam for about 15 minutes. (Use a big size saucepan or pressure cooker if you don't have a steamer. Do not put the whistle if you use the pressure cooker.)
3. Serve warm with the clarified butter, also called ghee.

India's Flag

Flags History

HE NATIONAL FLAG OF INDIA is in tricolour ( TIRANGA) of deep saffron (Kesari) at the top, white in the middle and dark green at the bottom in equal propotions.

The Indian flag is a horizontal tricolour in equal proportion of deep saffron on the top, white in the middle and dark green at the bottom. The ratio of the width to the length of the flag is two is to three. In the centre of the white band, there is a wheel in navy blue to indicate the Dharma Chakra, the wheel of law in the Sarnath Lion Capital. This center symbol or the 'CHAKRA', is a Buddhist symbol dating back to 200th century BC.

Its diameter approximates the width of the white band and it has 24 spokes, which intends to show that there is life in movement and death in stagnation. The saffron stands for courage, sacrifice and the spirit of renunciation; the white, for purity and truth; the green for faith and fertility.

The design of the National Flag of India was adopted by India's constituent assembly on 22nd july, 1947. It's use and display are regulated by a code.

The flag symbolizes freedom. The late Prime Minister Pandit Nehru called it a flag not only of freedom for ourselves, but a symbol of freedom for all people.