The Significance and Traditions of Karthigai Deepam Festival in South India
Karthiagi Deepam is one of the most cherished festival of India, particularly in the southern part India like Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh. This festival of lights somewhat resembles Diwali but differs in that Karthigai Deepam is practiced on a different date and time of the year and attained its own special meaning and tradition.
Karthigai Deepam festival falls under the Tamil month of Karthigai, which is usually falls in November and December and particularly on the full moon day. When it comes to Hindu mythology, this day is chosen because it is believed to be that Lord Shiva took the form of a huge flame to bless his devotees and this incident marked as the divine event. To symbolize the victory of knowledge over ignorance people light thousands of oil lamps (called "deepams").
For the southern part of India, particularly in Tamil Nadu Karthigai Deepam is considered as the grand occasion.
Karthigai Deepam is particularly famous in South India. In Tamil Nadu, it is a grand occasion. People decorate their homes with deepams and create beautiful displays of lights. In some places, large oil lamps are lit in temples, and a special ceremony is held at the famous Arunachaleswarar Temple in Thiruvannamalai, where a huge fire is lit on top of the mountain, which is believed to represent Lord Shiva’s form of light.
In North India Karthigai Deepam is not as widely celebrated as Diwali, it is known in some regions, especially among Tamil and South Indian communities. However, its cultural importance is primarily seen in the southern parts of India. During the sacred occasion of the Karthigai Deepam celebration, people perform quite elaborate rituals, temple processions, and family gatherings. The most important element of this festival is the lighting of Kuthuvilakku (oil lamps) in every home and temple. This practice is followed because the light is considered auspicious, purifying, and symbolizes the invocation of divine light into one's life. It is traditional to light a lamp in front of the entrance, pooja space, and also the mud lamps are placed all around the house to have a spiritual vibrance, which creates a glowing and peaceful ambiance. Lighting the lamps is believed to be an offering to Lord Murugan in seeking his blessings for health, prosperity, and well-being.
History and Myth of Karthigai Deepam
This festival known as Karthigai Deepam is very richly defined in history and mythology while being a celebration that is implanted directly into the earth of South India. Although importance of the festival coincide together with the divine birth of Lord Murugan, son of Lord Shiva; one of the popular myths states that Murugan was born out of the divine fire emanating from Lord Shiva's third eye. This fire split into six divine sparks and was given to the six Karthikai stars, Pleiades, where each spark formed a head of Murugan. This six-headed god, Arumugan, was born to destroy the demon, Tarakasura who had terrorized the heavens and earth.
Thus, the entire myths of Karthigai Deepam is based on the connection between Murugan and light. This marks the knowledge over ignorance. When Murugan was born through the divine flame, it has been a victory of divine energy over evil powers, and when lamps are lit during the festival, it symbolizes the calling of divine light into one's life.
Thiruvanamalai Karthigai Deepam
Tiruvannamalai Karthigai Deepam is the most grand and reverend celebration related to the festival of Karthigai Deepam, which is annually conducted in the town of Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu. Tiruvannamalai has the sacredness of Arunachaleswarar Temple, where Lord Shiva is worshipped, and the hill of Arunachala, considered one of the five sacred elements in Hinduism. There is much spiritual pomp and grandeur attached to it because of its international significance and lighting ceremony, which symbolizes the divine presence of Shiva in the form of fire.
According to legend, he discovered himself in the form of a gigantic pillar of fire to prove his supremacy over Lord Vishnu and Lord Brahma, who were arguing over who had created the universe. It is said that the question of who was the greatest had been addressed by Murugan his son, and it is the echo of that question that Shiva appears as the infinite column of fire atop Arunachala. The form manifests is said to have appeared on the occasion of a Karthigai full moon, and it is this event that the Tiruvannamalai Karthigai Deepam commemorates.
The festivity's most spectacular scenario is the lighting of an enormous flame on the top of Arunachala Hill, which will be visible from miles and miles; a large number of devotees gather to see this enchanting light spectacle, and the temple as well as the town remain drenched in the radiance of thousands of lamps. To earn spiritual merit and, in some traditions, to fulfill wishes, devotees perform a ritual called Girivalam-a real circumambulation of the sacred hill, Arunachala. This atmosphere of devotion is literally replete with devotional hymns, chants, and temple processions that only add to the spiritual fervor.
The Tiruvannamalai Karthigai Deepam is more than just an event in the sense of religion; it is also an expression of light, divinity, and victory of good over bad, which stirs the hearts of all those participants.
Traditional foods on auspicious day
Traditional food items are central to Karthigai Deepam celebrations, gussying up the festivals with its own spiritual worth. In Tamil Nadu and other parts of South India, families prepare various dishes that are considered a form of offerings to Lord Murugan and other deities. Some other wonderful sweets are made with much attention, such as kozhukattai - steamed rice flour dumplings, filled sweet coconut and jaggery, signifying the sweetness and prosper of life. Similarly, sweets consist of adirasam - deep-fried donut-like sweet rice flour and jaggery-mounds. Even more frequently prepared are savory dishes like, for instance, vadai - fried lentil doughnut, and pongal-a rice and lentil dish. These foods, offered to the goddess, were not simple offerings but also the means of coming together for the family as they both prepared and consumed them in the spirit of thanksgiving and celebration. Food prepared during Karthigai Deepam is a scrumptious mix of tradition, spirituality, and community.
Pori Urunadai
This is one of the popular south Indian sweet, particularly on the time of Karthigai Deepam. This unique dish is made with puffed rice, sweet jaggery, which both gives a combination of sweetness and crunch. To make this sweet pori urundai, puffed rice is mixed with melt grated jaggery along with a tablespoon of ghee and optional cardamom powder to the syrup for extra flavour. Then the mixture is made into small tight balls (urundais) and the balls need to be cool completely before serving. This is a simple treat which can be enjoyed by families on the time of festive occasions, which symbolizes sweetness and togetherness.
Nei Appam
This dish is particularly made during the festivals like Karthigai Deepam. To make this unique dish Nei Appam, soak a cup of rice and 1/4 split black gram (urad dal) for atleast 2-3 hours. As the next step, grind the soaked items into smooth batter and water can be added as its need. Now, add the ingredients of 1/2 cup of grated jaggery, 1/2 cardamom powder, and some required amount of salt. Melt some small amount of ghee in a heated pan, and pour spoonful of prepared batter into it. Cook the batter until it gets golden brown on both sides and to get a rich crunchy feel, drizzle some ghee over the appams while cooking. This Nei Appam gives you a delicious combination of sweetness and richness and these sweet appams are better to be enjoyed while it is warm.
Maavilaku
This is the most unique traditional offering made during Karthigai Deepam, Maavilaku. This particular dish symbolizes devotion and abundance. This dish can be prepared by mixing 1 cup of rice flour with1/2 of jaggery, we can also add 1/4 teaspoon of cardamom powder and a pinch of turmeric. Now making it to like a dough-like consistency, shape it into small round balls. This Maavilaku is traditionally offered to the devotees as a prasadam, which symbolizes the goddess of wealth, Lakshmi. This particular dish is considered as the sweet and symbolic food, representing purity and spiritual fulfillment.
Milagu Adai
This is a savory dish made with some unique ingredients like flour and black pepper, which is commonly prepared on the festival time of Karthigai Deepam. To make this unique dish heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan, and sauté finely chopped ginger, green chilies, and a teaspoon of black pepper. Add it along with salt to taste to the rice batter. The griddle is heated, greased lightly, and the batter is poured to make thick pancake-like pieces, each side golden and crisp. Milagu Adai is spicy but nutritious, and something that will balance the sweetness of all those other festival foods.
Karthigai Pori
This unique snack is similar to Pori Urundai, which is considered as the festive snack made with puffed rice and jaggery. This is an easy snack to make, by heating 1 cup of jaggery in a heated pan with a little bit of water to make syrup. Now add 2 cups of puffed rice once it reaches to a sticky consistency and mix well. Here, add 1 tablespoon of ghee and cardamom powder for flavor. Now its time to make the mixture into small balls when it reaches to cooling state slightly and before serving it let the balls to cool completely. Karthigai pori is a delicious sweet which symbolizes the joy and victory of light during the festival.
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