Friday 8 November 2013

Abhyang Snan.

Phew..we are officially done with Diwali this year..but the spirit of Diwali simply refuses to die off.
I had such a happy and hectic Diwali...and I am glad with the way it turned out.
Lots of puja, lots of food, lots of dressing up and hosting of lots of friends and relatives.
I haven't had a single dull moment and this is exactly why I have been off the social media for the past few days. I did try catching up with a number of Diwali posts by my fav bloggers...but that was it.
So now that the festivities have finally settled down I decided to pen this post. No points for guessing that it is about Diwali.
I have decided to write about the little rituals associated with the festival of lights.
You already know, what I did on Dhanteras. So moving forward, lets discuss about Pahili Aanghol/Abhyang Snan or the First Ceremonial Bath of Diwali.
It is this ritual which gives you a feeling that the king of festivals has finally arrived and you have to make the most of it.
Like I always say, the rituals that I write about on So-Saree are in accordance to how my mom does them and I follow suit. There might be many other ways of doing the same ritual thanks to India's muti-cultural nature.


As a kid Pahili Aanghol attached special significance to us and I have special memories attached to it.
On the morning of Diwali, we woke up to the sound of fire crackers..!
Garlands of fresh flowers and artistic rangolis adorned the entrance of our house. Mom looked splendid in her traditional saree complemented with a nath. Immediately after we brushed our teeth, Mom made us sit on a low wooden seating also called as Paat which had a Rangoli drawn around it. We sat on it one by one, all excited waiting for Mom to begin the Pahili Aanghol ritual.
After seating us, Mom used to apply fragrant utana/ubtan which is a powdered herbal extract and includes sandalwood, fenugreek, turmeric.etc mixed with coconut milk.
After the ubtan was applied, she did a small aarti around us and we were sent to take a bath. Everything that we used in the bath that day would be new and special. Right from our clothes, towels, soap and shampoo.
Now that I am all grown up and married (yes..I need to keep reminding myself about it), I try to follow all these rituals as much as I can because I feel, that is the best way we can keep our traditions alive. The only alteration that I do here is that I mix the ubtan mix with coconut oil instead of coconut milk. Yeah..I know I m a bit lazy..but that's fine..!
Hope you enjoyed reading about this ritual as much as I enjoyed writing about it.
The next post will be on a ritual that immediately follows the Pahili Aanghol and I bet you will love it equally. Till then ..keep reading and stay in touch.

17 comments:

  1. Diwali season is always so fun! And back in India, I'm sure it's even more festive! Glad you enjoyed Diwali - the traditions we keep going are so important and make Diwali that much more enjoyable. :)

    Richa
    www.urbanmantra.blogspot.com

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  2. thats an interesting ritual!! great post!! i knew u were busy :) i too had a hectic but great diwali :) back to mundane life :)
    http://docdivatraveller.blogspot.in/

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  3. Your post reminded me of the good old days when Mum used to do everything and we just had to go along and cooperate with her! But all these small rituals give one a new energy and that's why I wait for festive season!

    Look forward to your next post. Have a great day!

    ~ Seepz

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  4. Its lovely to watch Moms do all the rituals , though since My mom passed away, its a lil tough for me to perform with the same passion as hers, but i still do a good job !
    New Post on my blog !
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  5. really nice post


    http://theminimalistchic.blogspot.fr/

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  6. Wow! I wish my mom would have done it. Sounds amazing. Diwali is all about home.

    Jenny’s Bicycle-Indian Fashion Blog!!

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  7. Such a nice ritual. We do not have such a ritual though :( Wish we did!

    http://everythingthatclicks.blogspot.com

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  8. Hi Aditi,

    Interesting blog. Any information or experience about 9 yards saree for our traditional festivals or rituals? I'd be interested to read.

    Thank you.
    Vidya

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