babies to sleep.....

Cradle, which is used in traditional Tamil homes to put the babies to sleep

Auspicious occasions

Niraikudam and Kuththu Vilakku are kept for auspicious occasions

Traditionally decorated crib

Traditionally decorated crib at American-Ceylon Mission Church in Kiran, Batticaloa district, Eastern Sri Lanka

Traditionally decorated crib at St. Paul and St.Peter's Church in Vanthaarumoolai, Batticaloa district, Eastern Sri Lanka

Anbendra Mazhaiyile - With Lyrics and Sri Lanka East Nativity Scenes

Friday special

Chappaththi and mixed vegetable Kuruma. Chappaththi is made out of Atta flour. It's a healthy meal which can be consumed either for breakfast or dinner

Melts in the mouth

Kozhukkattai, it's a soft sweet savoury

Vazhai Thandu

Vazhai Thandu (Banana Stem) curry

Lattu

Lattu is a sweet served for auspicious occasions by Tamils.

Murukku

Murukku is a savoury snack which is popular among the South Asians. It's made out of black lentil flour, and deep fried, which makes the snack crispy. Murukku is served for auspicious occasions by the Tamils.

Payaththam Paniyaaram

Payaththam Paniyaaram is a sweet served for auspicious occasions by the Tamils. It's made out of green gram, coconut milk and sugar, and fried in oil

Kumbam

Kumbam is set in the shrine room during the Saraswathy Pooja

Fruits are offered

Fruits are offered to the Goddess Saraswathy during Saraswathy pooja

Coconut oil lamp

Coconut oil lamp is lit in a shrine room during the Saraswathy pooja

Offerings

Offerings to the Goddess Saraswathy during Saraswathy pooja

Saraswathy Pooja

Offerings to the Goddess Saraswathy during Saraswathy pooja
Vellai Thamarai Poovil - By Subramaniya Bharathiyar, Rendered by K.J. Yesudas-pictures by Duashiyanthini Kanagasabapathipillai

Mothagam

Mothagam is offered to the Goddess Saraswathy during the Saraswathy Pooja

Saraswathy Pooja

Saraswathy pooja is being celebrated at a Hindu house in Bambalapitty
Bharathiyaar Song - Enniya Mudithal Vendum - Rendered by D.K. Pattammal

Cadjan

Nallamani Nallaraakku weaves cadjan in Dutch canal, Udappu, North West Sri Lanka

Kozhukkattai

Kozhukkattai-traditional sweet made on the first day of the Tamil month Aadi

Karunaikizhangu

Karunaikizhangu curry

Botanical name, Amorphophallus
Chenna-Malayalam, Suran-Hindi/Marathi & Karrapendalam - Telugu

Ammi

A flat grinding stone called Ammi and Kuzhavi in a house in Bamabalapitty.It is made of granite.Ammi and Kuzhavi is a common kitchen gadget of every Tamil household in Sri Lanka. It's used to grind sambols, chutneys and curry pastes.

Ammi plays an impoartant role in the rituals of a Hindu marriage, which is known as Ammi Mithiththal. The bride and bridegroom go around the sacred fire seven times known as Sapthapathi, after tying the Thaali. Then the bridegroom takes hold of the right foot of the bride and makes her take seven consecutive steps, and places the foot of the bride on the Ammi, and wears a silver ring called Minji on her second toe. The same steps are followed to wear a Minji on the left foot of the bride.It indicates she be as strong and steadfast as the stone in the face of adversity. Afterwards the couple looks at the twin star Arunthathy which represents the ideal of a married life or Thampaththya Uravu.

Boiled Manioc

Boiled Manioc (yuca), red chillie and onion sambol. It's a light meal consumed for breakfast in Sri Lanka

Kesari

Rice dumpling

Steamed rice dumpling filled with a lentils, coconut & jaggery mixture

Aadi Koozh

Aadi Koozh is prepared and served on Aadi Pirappu (the first day of the month of July, in Tamil Almanac)

Idli & Sambar

The word idli originates from the two Tamil words - "Ittu" and "Avi" (To lay and steam). Although the precise history of the modern idli is unknown, it is a very old food in southern Indian cuisine - Wikipedia

Sambar or sambhar (Tamil சாம்பார் (சாம்பாறு in Sri Lanka),Kannada: huli, Malayalam: സാംബാറ്, Telugu: సాంబారు), pronounced "saambaar", is a dish common in southern India and Sri Lanka, made of lentils (usually red gram, also called toor dal in North India, and thuvaram paruppu in Tamil Nadu, South India) - Wikipedia

Vadai

Vadai is a savoury Tamil snack shaped like a doughnut and made from black lentil / black lentil.

It is served as a popular light meal along with banana at eateries in all parts of Sri Lanka.

Mouthwatering vadai and payasam on banana leaf exquisitely sums up traditional Tamil mid day meal.

"Eat vada, it is very nice. Also have some sambar, you will love it," says Dr. Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam, President of India.

Vadai has also taken flight with the subcontinent diaspora, and its an increasing choice as finger food with restaurant goers around the globe.

Aadi Pirappu

According to the Tamil calendar, Aadi is the fourth month of the year. The first day of this month, usually falling on July 16-17, is celebrated as Aadi Pandigai or Aadi Pirappu, which is an important festival to most Tamils, especially newly-weds. The Aagamas and the Vedas ascribe no special significance to the day and so it is seen and celebrated more as a traditional festival.

Aadi is also a sacred month. The birth of Aadi itself known as Aadi Pirappu, is important and on that day special food is prepared to herald the month - the aadi kool, a porridge which is served to all who may call on that day. Together with this, Aadi Sevvaai, the Tuesdays in the month of Aadi, Aadi Puram, the Puram asterism in the month of Aadi and Aadi Amaavaasai, the Amaavaasai day in the month of Aadi, are all important days. Despite all these important days, the month of Aadi is considered an inauspicious month for occasions like weddings, housewarming ceremonies etc. [Aadi Pirappukku nallai viduthalai, Poem by Navaliyur Somasunthara Pulavar]

Vadagam

Vadagam from Jaffna, which is made of "Kohomba" (Margosa) flower. This is fried and consumed specially with rice and curry as a bite in Tamil cuisine.

Rasavalli

'Rasavalli' - "King Yam", candied/mashed, ultimate desert of Tamil cuisine

Pongal Day

on Pongal Day

On Pongal Day

Pongal

Pongal

Kumbam

Performing pooja to Kumbam; a pot filled with water and on the mouth of it is placed a coconut and in between the coconut and the mouth of the pot are placed mango leaves. The pot is placed on a bed of paddy or rice spread on banana leaf or tray.

Kumbam symbolises prosperity.

Panangkatti

Panangkatti

Palmyrah sugar (Panangkatti), packed in - handmade caddy, made with golden dried palmyrah leaves.

Panangkai Panniyaram - Palmyrah Fruit Sweets

Ingredients:

Fully ripened Palmyrah fruits- 2
Sugar-250grams
Salt-to taste
Thick coconut milk-1/2 cup
White coconut oil or vegetable oil-1 bottle to fry
Steamed wheat flour-250grams

Method:
Bake the Palmyrah fruits in a very low fire or grill.
When cool,wash the fruits and remove the skin.
Break the fruit and take the seeds,and
sprinkle in little water and squeeze out the juice.
Similarly squeeze all the seeds. Then put the juice
on a muslin cloth and squeeze. Thus the pieces
of husks are removed and clear puree/juice is obtained.
Now add the steamed wheat flour, coconut milk, sugar,
salt with the juice and mix well. The batter should be thick
enough that could fall from the fingers when dropped.
Heat the oil in a deep frying pan, when the oil is boiling,
take some batter in the fingers and drop little by little in the oil.
The dropped batter will blow and get fried. Turn them with frying
spoon now and then. When they turn to a yellowish red colour,
collect and put them on a strainer.When drained,spread them on a
piece of paper to take off the oil.

Bottled Palmyrah puree is available in most Tamil - Sri Lankan/Asian and Indian Food Stores.

BON APETIT!

Vattrapalai Kannaki Amman

Temple Pongal and Kaavadi falls on 'Vaikasi Visakam', which is the 2nd Full Moon after the Tamil New Year in April, This year on May 23, 2005.

[More Pictures]