THIRUKARTHIGAI DEEPAM 2020

Thirukarthigai Deepam falls on the full moon day in the Tamil month Karthigai. It's believed that Lord Shiva appeared as infinite beam of light on this day. People decorate their house with clay lamps. This is also called as festival of  lights  celebrated to eliminate darkness from the life.

      

        Lets move on to the preparation which I followed on the Thirukarthigai Deepam day.

Rice Flour Preparation

       Soaked raw rice for 2hrs and drained and spread rice on the clean cloth inside home for drying. After half an hour, rice dried with little moisture. Then ground the rice in mixie into fine powder. Then sieve the rice flour to remove coarse rice particles.

Maavizhakku Preparation

        1 Cup of rice flour was mixed with 1/2 Cup of jaggery fine powder, cardamom powder and ghee to make a stiff dough and made a dent in the middle and decorated with turmeric and kumkum . Poured ghee over the dent and immersed the cotton wick in the ghee and applied ghee in the wick in the front (Followed instructions from Raks kitchen). Beautiful maavizhakku is ready to light.

Cleaned and decorated the brass lamp and clay lamp with turmeric and kumkum. (At least add 2 new clay lamp every year). Initially placed brass lamp over a plate at the centre of the kolam.

Then arranged clay lamp around it. Then decorated front and back side with clay lamp and then few lamps in pooja room, kitchen and other rooms. 

Palm Jaggery Kolukattai

         Traditional we made this Kolukattai using palm leaves. Because of unavailability of palm leaves, I tried without the palm leaves.

         Dry roast Mong dal and shredded coconut , then add to the rice flour. Made thick palm Jaggery syrup and filtered to remove impurities and pour little by little to the flour to make a stiff dough. 

Then made circular and cylinderical shape (to imitate palm leaves Kolukattai) out of the dough .

        Then steam cook for 10- 15 minutes or until it form shinny outer layer.

         Then made pooja with puffed rice, jaggery, Kolukattai, fruits, betal leaves and betal nuts.

 

Wishing all the bright life as the flame of lamp .