Purattasi Month is very important for me, as our family (in-laws) deity is Lord Venkatachalapathy / Lord Vishnu and this month is very special to him. My in-laws undergo fasting for the whole month (they don’t consume non-veg and strictly on Saturdays they have lunch with vada/fritters and payasam/kheer), my hubby also proceeds the same thing. But I undergo fasting only on Saturday’s ;), since I find hard without non-veg. I never knew anything behind Tamil cultures, but now on wards when I found there is always something scientifically good behind the culture and rituals and started following the culture and rituals whole heartedly. Tamil culture rituals are based on the fact “living harmony with nature”.

Maa Vilakku

Puratasi Month:

Purattasi Month falls from the middle of September till the middle of October. I love our (TAMIL) cultures, since it’s related with the healthiness of human beings. It is believed that Lord Venkatachalapathy is born on his month and special prayers made on all the Venkatachalapathy Temples. Worshipping Sani Bhagavan on this day is also an important one because during this time it is believed that Sani Bhagavan (Saturn) losses its malefic powers, and therefore we fetch more benefits.

Puratasi viratham at home:

In the month of puratasi, all the Saturday’s Tamilians (hindus) do prayers at home by gathering their friends and family to worship Lord Vishnu. The forehead of the males are placed with “naamum” and the females with a red straight line on their forehead. The offerings include steamed rice, curried vegetables, milk, fruit, coconut, betel nut, betel leaf, incense, camphor, flowers, kozhukattai (steamed rice cakes), vadhai (fritters), payasam, sundal etc. Tulsi leaves are the must for offerings as they are the favorite of Lord Vishnu.

This fast is an abstinence of eating meat, smoking, consuming alchohol, clean pots were used for cooking where no meat is cooked, and many of them have only one meal on the day.

Puratasi Maavilakku:

Maavilakku on puratasi Saturdays are more important. The reason is people travel to Tirupathi or to Lord Vishnu’s temple and lit him deepam made of rice flour and cow’s ghee and do prayers, everyone is not able to travel a long distance and so people prepare deepam made of riceflour and jaggery and lit this with ghee (Maavilakku) and worship Lord from home by chanting the name “Govinda”.

Maa Vilakku

Mahalaya Amavasay:

Every Tamil month has one amavasa, it is believed that in this month amavasa our ancestors come to earth and stay here for 15 days before new moon and is auspicious for giving oblations for our ancestors. By performing this rituals we are blessed by our ancestors.

Purattasi Navarathiri:

Nava means “Nine” and Rathiri means “night”. Puratasi Navarathir is called as Durga navarathiri and most important hindu festival. Some people fast during these nine days. “Navarathiri Golu” is the most important festival, which everyone loves to perform. Golu means deploying dolls of deities, saints and human being is some order or based on some theme. The tenth day of this festival is called as “Ayudha Pooja or Saraswathi Pooja”.

Scientifically it is said that, Autumnal equinox occurs on this month. An important celestial occurrence is that the sun crosses the celestial equator and moves southward in north hemisphere. So fasting on these days helps us to equip the body to the changing climate. The fasting during this period helps in purification of body, mind and soul which helps in removing waste and toxins from the body and helps to revitalize the body in its capacity to function well.

Collected from Tamilspider.com

Do check out my recipes: Meals – 1, Meals – 2, Meals – 3, Meals – 4, Payasam/Kheer recipes, Kozhukattai recipes. Stay tuned for Maavilakku / Rice flour Lamp and perfect puratasi meals recipes …

Puratasi Sani Meals – 1

Puratasi Sani Meals – 2

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