bengali new year

sadhuji · Apr 13th, 2005, 14:45

The 15th day of April heralds in the Bengali New year. It is better-known as pahela Baishakh or the first day of the month of Baishakh. On this occasion, Bengalis the world over try to relive their glorious pasts; they attempt to recreate an atmosphere that is gradually fading into oblivion. If possible, they coax the elderly ladies of the family to prepare those exotic, long forgotten dishes that conjure up memories of an era gone by – chholar daal with a sprinkling of fried coconut cubes and topped with a spoon of pure ghee for starters accompanied by begun bhaja, followed by dhokar dalna, chingri malai curry, paka pona machher kalia and alu bakhrar chutney. Then comes the sweet dishes – gobindo bhoger payas, rasogolla or, in lieu, rabri.

Likely bad effects of increase in cholesterol levels or sugar levels are temporarily forgotten as they first let the flavor knock them out and then surrender in totality to those delightful, unforgettable tastes.

Those who are unable to lay their hands on domestic facilities prefer to go to restaurants and taste real Bengali dishes in typical Bengali surroundings. Taking advantage of this not unnatural mindset of Bengalis, most large hotels in Kolkata offer special dishes so that they can get a taste of dishes that remain just names for the remaining 364 days of the year. Even the older generation joins in because, the hands that once upon a time created magical dishes are faint memories today. It is said that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. That used to be how the ladies of yore would cast magic spells on their men folk. As a result, the men never encouraged thoughts of parting ways, no matter how explosive the situation.

When the table is laid and, dishes keep making their appearances, it is extremely difficult for any man to turn a blind eye to their creator. She just cannot be ignored. She knows it, her man knows it. The real secret of marital bliss lies in such a close knit setup.

A different genre of read –
http://www.iwannareadmore.com/catalo...2.htm#image_1/

edwardseco · Apr 15th, 2005, 04:19

You post this and don't give directions to a Bengali restaurant in Los Angeles? Should be a law against it. I have to wait till Durgapuja..

ladyrunner · Apr 15th, 2005, 04:26

Shubho noboborsho everyone (Happy New Year in bengali)

Guess that tells you what other languages I know

Edwardseco - dunno where exactly it was in LA, but when we were visiting a coupla years ago we stayed close to the Staples Center and one of the guys there pointed us to authentic bengali restaurant. But for the life of me I couldn't tell you the name of the street, but it was close to Staples Center/downtown LA. Hope this helps.

sadhuji · Apr 15th, 2005, 07:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by edwardseco

You post this and don't give directions to a Bengali restaurant in Los Angeles? Should be a law against it. I have to wait till Durgapuja..

i have yet to visit la but, a search on yagoohoogle.com ( a search engine!) reveals 163 in google and 9 in yahoo.

edwardseco · Apr 15th, 2005, 09:10

Uh, I don't mean Indian or pseudo Bengali like the Nepalese owned place I went to in Boston (Royal Bengal?)..

edwardseco · Apr 15th, 2005, 09:29

I got one but know it falls in the category of pseudo. My mother in law used to say Bengalis can't run businesses so they imported Marwaris. On another site they discussed a Bengali restaurant in the Bay area and posed 2 issues. One was the same as above with some charity due to the wholesalers not being able to provide decent Bengali food. The other was that Bengalis are too picky. Then they noted that the restaurant went out of business..

ladyrunner · Apr 15th, 2005, 10:00

Nah the place I went to was typical bengali...ofcourse that means a lot of fish dishes...and as bengali cuisine is famous for fish with bones. Yes it's different than typical fare 'Indian restaurants' that would generally have either north or south indian cuisine or combination of those two.

Bengalis are picky because they love to have a good dicussion about everything...they only agree to disagree

edwardseco · Apr 15th, 2005, 12:08

So true Lady. I did find rumor of a Bangladeshi restaurant in Burbank called Salome..

mahmud · Apr 18th, 2005, 16:22

Pahela Baishakh (1 st day of Bengali New Year) is one of the main fetival in Bangladesh also in which all religion people enjoy.

chathuri · Apr 19th, 2005, 09:01

April 14th is the Year in Sri Lanka too!
This time is the the post harvest period each year, where farmers celebrate good harvest. New year is celebrated by cooking milk rice, oil cakes and traditional sweets. Families living in cities goes back to their home towns and villages to reunite with there parents and beloved ones.
Any other countries celebrating new year in April?

SHIMLA · Apr 19th, 2005, 09:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by chathuri

Any other countries celebrating new year in April?

Yes ! Myanmar celebrated its New Year on April 17, after four days of the exhilarating Water Festival. The festival is called "Thingyan" in local language.
It is believed here that water cleanses one of all sins and evils committed during the previous year and prepares one for the new year.

The popular belief is that during Thingyan, King Thagyamin-king of the celestial-descends to earth for his annual visit. He carries with him two books - one made of gold wherein he notes the names of humans who do good and the other made of dog's skin wherein he jots down the names of all "wicked" people!!

On New Year's day, the traditional "fish-releasing" ritual is followed. Young ladies carry earthen pots filled with fish and release them into streams, lakes and rivers. Others visit pagodas and release birds held in captivity.

Apr 13th, 2005, 14:45	#1
sadhuji Maha Guru Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: nasik, maharastra Posts: 1,261	bengali new year The 15th day of April heralds in the Bengali New year. It is better-known as pahela Baishakh or the first day of the month of Baishakh. On this occasion, Bengalis the world over try to relive their glorious pasts; they attempt to recreate an atmosphere that is gradually fading into oblivion. If possible, they coax the elderly ladies of the family to prepare those exotic, long forgotten dishes that conjure up memories of an era gone by – chholar daal with a sprinkling of fried coconut cubes and topped with a spoon of pure ghee for starters accompanied by begun bhaja, followed by dhokar dalna, chingri malai curry, paka pona machher kalia and alu bakhrar chutney. Then comes the sweet dishes – gobindo bhoger payas, rasogolla or, in lieu, rabri. Likely bad effects of increase in cholesterol levels or sugar levels are temporarily forgotten as they first let the flavor knock them out and then surrender in totality to those delightful, unforgettable tastes. Those who are unable to lay their hands on domestic facilities prefer to go to restaurants and taste real Bengali dishes in typical Bengali surroundings. Taking advantage of this not unnatural mindset of Bengalis, most large hotels in Kolkata offer special dishes so that they can get a taste of dishes that remain just names for the remaining 364 days of the year. Even the older generation joins in because, the hands that once upon a time created magical dishes are faint memories today. It is said that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. That used to be how the ladies of yore would cast magic spells on their men folk. As a result, the men never encouraged thoughts of parting ways, no matter how explosive the situation. When the table is laid and, dishes keep making their appearances, it is extremely difficult for any man to turn a blind eye to their creator. She just cannot be ignored. She knows it, her man knows it. The real secret of marital bliss lies in such a close knit setup. A different genre of read – http://www.iwannareadmore.com/catalo...2.htm#image_1/ Last edited by sadhuji : Apr 14th, 2005 at 08:31.

Apr 19th, 2005, 09:01	#10
chathuri Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Sri Lanka Posts: 72	New Year in Sri Lanka April 14th is the Year in Sri Lanka too! This time is the the post harvest period each year, where farmers celebrate good harvest. New year is celebrated by cooking milk rice, oil cakes and traditional sweets. Families living in cities goes back to their home towns and villages to reunite with there parents and beloved ones. Any other countries celebrating new year in April?

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Apr 15th, 2005, 04:19	#2
edwardseco Maha Guru Member Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Land that shakes and bakes. Posts: 3,784	You post this and don't give directions to a Bengali restaurant in Los Angeles? Should be a law against it. I have to wait till Durgapuja..

Apr 15th, 2005, 04:26	#3
ladyrunner Bangalore baby Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: now in Bangalore, India (fromerly GA, USA) Posts: 49	Shubho noboborsho everyone (Happy New Year in bengali) Guess that tells you what other languages I know Edwardseco - dunno where exactly it was in LA, but when we were visiting a coupla years ago we stayed close to the Staples Center and one of the guys there pointed us to authentic bengali restaurant. But for the life of me I couldn't tell you the name of the street, but it was close to Staples Center/downtown LA. Hope this helps.

Apr 15th, 2005, 09:10	#5
edwardseco Maha Guru Member Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Land that shakes and bakes. Posts: 3,784	Uh, I don't mean Indian or pseudo Bengali like the Nepalese owned place I went to in Boston (Royal Bengal?)..

Apr 15th, 2005, 09:29	#6
edwardseco Maha Guru Member Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Land that shakes and bakes. Posts: 3,784	I got one but know it falls in the category of pseudo. My mother in law used to say Bengalis can't run businesses so they imported Marwaris. On another site they discussed a Bengali restaurant in the Bay area and posed 2 issues. One was the same as above with some charity due to the wholesalers not being able to provide decent Bengali food. The other was that Bengalis are too picky. Then they noted that the restaurant went out of business..

Apr 15th, 2005, 10:00	#7
ladyrunner Bangalore baby Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: now in Bangalore, India (fromerly GA, USA) Posts: 49	Nah the place I went to was typical bengali...ofcourse that means a lot of fish dishes...and as bengali cuisine is famous for fish with bones. Yes it's different than typical fare 'Indian restaurants' that would generally have either north or south indian cuisine or combination of those two. Bengalis are picky because they love to have a good dicussion about everything...they only agree to disagree

Apr 15th, 2005, 12:08	#8
edwardseco Maha Guru Member Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Land that shakes and bakes. Posts: 3,784	So true Lady. I did find rumor of a Bangladeshi restaurant in Burbank called Salome..

Apr 18th, 2005, 16:22	#9
mahmud Account Closed Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Dhaka, Bangladesh Posts: 445	Pahela Baishakh (1 st day of Bengali New Year) is one of the main fetival in Bangladesh also in which all religion people enjoy.

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