Winter is the perfect time for cozy introspection and for pampering yourself! Take inspiration from Nature and embrace a slow, quiet way of life for the next few months, practicing self-care and kindness to yourself and others.
Nourish your body and physical surroundings with good food, cozy blankets and scents, warm baths, and lots of hydration. Nourish your mind with books, crafts, and conversations with friends – phone calls, FaceTime, Zooms, and snail mail are all ways to chat with loved ones.
And, of course, nourish your soul by finding time to rest but also enjoying time by yourself and with your chosen community. It’s a great time to prioritize sleep but also remember to shake those dark weather blues by being physically active – you can still go on nature walks during this time and the cold, wet weather will uncover a whole new landscape of natural wonders! Take a look at the cute mushrooms I saw on a recent walk in the rain.
It’s important to have things to look forward to at all times of the year and especially so when things are so grey and the days are so short. Plan some celebrations and low-key get-togethers with your loved ones – game nights, potlucks, movie nights!
Remember, there is beauty in all seasons and you just need to be open to it!
The Pongal dish made by my mother this year, and served with coconut chutney, sambar, and vadas. The guest post below was written by my father.
“The greatest wealth is to live content with what we have” – Thiruvalluvar, Tamil poet and philosopher
My memories of the Pongal festival goes back to the late 1950’s, growing up in the southern Indian city of Madurai in the state of Tamilnadu (formerly Madras). Pongal is a harvest festival celebrating the abundance of crop, and to recognize everyone who contributed to the bounties.
The primary agricultural products are rice and sugar cane along with cow’s milk, coconut and clarified butter (ghee) – so these are, expectedly, the focus of the festival. Pongal is also the name of the ceremonial dish that is cooked with these products and was traditionally prepared in an earthen pot on a wood burning stove.
The word Pongal means ‘boiling over’ in my native language of Tamil and signifies ‘abundance that runneth over’. This is physically represented by the literal boiling over of the Pongal cooking in the pot.
While the main theme of Pongal is celebrating the bounty of agricultural crops, on the first day of Pongal, called Bhogi, people clean their houses and decorate the houses with flowers, Old possessions are discarded for new stuff – symbolizing the renewal of life itself. The second day is dedicated to Surya (Sun) the giver of energy and life and the end of winter reminding us the northward journey of the Sun – (uttarayana) or the winter solstice.
The third day of Pongal is dedicated to maadu (cow) and to recognize them for all their contributions to agriculture and humanity. The cows and calves are bathed and decorated with flowers and their horns are colorfully painted. They are also fed with ‘Pongal’ dish and sugar cane. I remember these acts increasing the bonds with the household livestock and in developing compassion towards other beings.
Of course, other members of the household livestock e.g. chicken were also part of the festivities. The fourth day of Pongal (KanumPongal) – kanum literally meaning ‘seeing’ in Tamil i.e. meeting with friends and family to strengthen to appreciate their respective hard work that no doubt was intended to increase the bondage and spirit of community. It was also the day we remembered the downtrodden in the society by sharing the meals.
Pongal festival reminds me of the importance of recognizing fruits of labor and hardships, respecting nature and fellow humans and above all it reminds me of the ancient Tamil poet and philosopher, Thiruvalluvar who told us that “The greatest wealth is to live content with what we have” and “ True happiness is found in giving away and not in keeping”.
http://gracerajendran.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/GraceLogo2.jpg00Gracehttp://gracerajendran.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/GraceLogo2.jpgGrace2025-01-14 11:34:582025-01-14 11:34:59Celebrating Pongal: A guest post by my father
“And now we welcome the new year full of things that have never been.” – Rilke
Happy New Year! Let us head into the coming year with wonder, hope, and possibilities – moving towards the best version of ourselves that we can dream of.
This is not a call for perfection but, rather, an invitation to kindness. We need to accept the beauty that is within us and in other people and treat ourselves, and others, with kindness, respect, and compassion. If we’re doing something that is disrespectful to others, or disrespectful to the best version of ourselves, in most cases we have the power within to stop. By choosing kindness, compassion, and respect at every step of the way, we will find our way down the path we should be on, ready to welcome a new year full of things that have never been.
Over the past few years, our new family tradition has been to gather on New Year’s Day and make pooris and potatoes, while working on a jigsaw puzzle all day. Pooris are a puffy, deep-fried Indian flat bread and they taste especially good with a spicy, tangy, potato curry. It is one of my favorite meals and my mother made it for almost all of my childhood birthdays!
My mom is such an amazing cook that I wanted to share her recipe for these potatoes with you all, in case you would also like to try making some! So, without further ado, here’s the recipe to Shakunthala’s Potato Bhaji:
POTATO BHAJI
INGREDIENTS
3 medium Russet potatoes cooked in water with skin. Remove skin after it is cooked and
coarselymash.
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1teaspoon black mustard
1 teaspoon ofurad dal
2 whole dry red chilies
2hot green chili peppers, split
5-6 curry leaves
1 inchfresh ginger finely chopped
1⁄2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Salt totaste
2-3 Tablespoonvegetable oil
2tablespoon cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped
1 cupwater
STEPS
Step 1: Heat oil in a wide pan and first add mustardand when itpops, add urad dal, dry red chilies, greenchilies, curryleaves, ginger, onion, turmeric powder, and saltcontinuing to sautéuntil the onion becomestranslucent.
Step 2: Add water and lemon juice and bring it to boil, then add potato and cilantro while mixing well until it isthick and loose. Transferto serving dish and enjoy!
And here’s what pooris look like! If you don’t feel like making pooris, you can also enjoy these potatoes with rice or stuffed into a tortilla!
