With the diversity prevalent in our country, there are a host of religions and communities and even more number of festivals. Each religion has their own set of festivals wherein they perform certain holy rituals and celebrate the day with their family and friends. From Navratre to Dussehra and Diwali, the festivities have been going on continuously in the country. Everyone has been enjoying the festive season in their own ways. One such festival that falls on 19th November this year i.e. tomorrow is Gurupurab. A religious festival of the Sikhs, this Gurupurab usually falls in the Hindu month of Kartik after 15 days of Diwali.
This Gurupurab is often referred to as Guru Nanak Jayanti and is a very important festival in Sikhism. To commemorate the birth anniversary of the first Sikh guru, Guru Nanak Dev ji, who is also the founder of Sikhism, the believers of this faith celebrate the day. He is the first of the ten Sikh gurus which are looked upon as disciples of God. The holy book, Guru Granth Sahib, is considered to be the source of light and the divine power of the universe. All Sikhs hail to the holy book and pray to the Lord.
The festivities begin during the Amrit Vela, when Prabhat Pheris (religious processions) are taken out on the streets in the morning. In the gurudwaras, katha and kirtan go on all day long with worshippers coming to the holy shrine to take the blessings of the Lord. The holy places of worship as well as houses are lit up with diyas and candles. People often indulge in guru ki seva (serving the Lord) by cleaning the gurudwara, setting up things as well as distributing langar.
Langar is an important part of the celebrations, wherein the food prepared with prayers is served to the worshippers who have come to the Gurudwara. In the langar, people sit on the floor and everyone eats together like a community. Several heavenly dishes are served as part of the langar. Here are some of them that you can relish on this day.
1. Meethe Chawal
The long-grain rice is cooked with sugar and saffron. The strong flavours of cardamom, cloves and cinnamon are relished by people along with the crunch of dry fruits like pistachios, cashews etc. Cooked in ghee, this delicious sweet dish is quite rich in taste and texture.
2. Kadha Parshad
The most significant thing to be eaten on this day is the kadha parshad. Made with wheat, sugar, ghee and nuts, the rich halwa is very intrinsic to the Gurupurab celebrations. The atta is continuously stirred on low flame along with sugar to attain a thick consistency. This is served to all the worshippers who visit the Gurudwara.
3. Langar Ki Dal
This is a special type of dal that you would find only in Gurudwaras. The urad dal and chana dal are slow-cooked together to attain a rich and creamy consistency. This heavenly dal is served as part of langar and eaten with rice and parshada (roti).
4. Aloo Gobhi
Since aloo gobhi is easy to make and a filling subzi, it is usually a part of the langar menu. The cooks at the gurudwara make this potato and cauliflower combination with mustard seeds and a host of herbs and spices. Although it may seem like a simple dish at first, it definitely has a distinct taste.