Festivals of Bihar

                                          Festivals of Bihar

Bihar is a place with very good history, land of Buddha, where freedom movement was started, which has given birth to lot of intellectuals whose knowledge, is spread worldwide. Bihar is a place which has rich culture heritage and follows even till today.Traditional festivals are celebrated with happiness. Some important festivals celebrates are Chatth Puja, Sama-Chakeva, Ram Navami, Makar-Sankranti, Bihula, Madhushravani, Teej, Pitrapaksha Mela at Gaya, Sonepur Fair.

         Chatt Puja:

This pooja is celebrated twice a year. Once in Chaitra and the next in the month of Kartik. People worship sun during the sunset time. This is a festival for cleanliness. Even though it is festival celebrated for 4 days people maintain purity for even a month. Women do fasting during this pooja time for family well being.      

       

Sama-Chakeva:

 This festival is celebrated during the time of year when birds migrate from Himalayas to Mithila. This usually happens during the winter season. The specialty of the festival is that girls make idols of birds with and decorate them. This festival also marks relationship between brothers and sisters. This festival starts when birds migrate to Mithila and ends when they go back. This is basically to welcome them and wishing them to return next time. 

  

                    

Ram Navami:

People celebrate the day when Lord Ram was born with fasting and prayers.Makar-Sankranti: celebrated as the beginning of summer season, also known as Tila Sankranti. People offer to poor on this day, fast and pray.

             

Bihula:

 

People pray Goddess Manasa for the wellness of the family. Celebrated mostly by the people in Bhagalpur district.      

     

Madhushravani:

 

This is the festival celebrated with great joy in the reajoin of Mithilanchal remainding people to follow tradition and region in day to day life.

Teej:

 

 It is the festival celebrated by women. This festival is dedicated to Goddess Parvathi and Lord Shiva. 

Pitrapaksha Mela:

 

It is a festival that takes place at Gaya where Pindaadan is performed by the relatives of the people who are dead.

Sonepur Fair

It is the animal fair which takes place every year, Asia’s biggest fair which takes for a period for 15 days. Millions People from so many places visit here every year.

Shraavana Mela

Shravana mela is of Sultanganj is of great importance. Shraavana Mela is organized every year in July-August. Bihula-Bishari Puja of Anga region also is a great festival of Bihar.Apart from Chhath, all major festivals of India are celebrated in Bihar, such as Makar Sankranti, Sarasawati Puja, Holi, Id-ud-Fitra, Id-ud-Joha (Bakrid), Muharram, Ram Nawami, Rath yatra, Rakhi, Mahashivaratri, Durga Puja, Diwali, Laxmi Puja, Christmas, Mahavir Jayanti, Buddha Purnima, and several other local festivals as well.           

Cuisine of Bihar

                                                     Bihari cuisine

The historically rich land of Bihar is equally famous for the plethora of delicacies that feature in its cuisine. The scrumptious and exotic Bihari dishes are highly capable of tingling the taste bud of every food connoisseur.We bring to you some of the must-try Bihari food dishes, dishes which are beyond the staple Sattu or Parval ki Mithai, which will surely leave you craving for more!

Litti Chokha

The lip-smacking taste of Litti Chokha, savoured by one and all, needs no introduction. It is your grand welcome to the food of Bihar, in all its ghee-dripping glory. It consists of wheat and sattu with spices, kneaded into round spicy balls, dipped in ghee. The texture of Litti along with the crunchy crust makes it a foodie’s delight. Chokha is prepared by mashing boiled vegetables (most common being potatoes, brinjal, tomatoes), adding spices and chopped onion, garlic etc and served with Litti as a complimentary delicacy.

 Naivedyam

The famous Hanuman Mandir near Patna Railway Station is equally famous for its Prasad, “Naivedyam”. Original roots of Naivedyam can be traced back to Tirupati Balaji Temple of Andhra Pradesh. It contains besan or gram flour, sugar, cashew, raisin, Green cardamoms, Kashmiri-saffron and other flavorings, cooked in ghee and molded into a ball shape.  It is a unique Prasad, exclusive to Hanuman Mandir. The divine delicacy melts in your mouth leaving you ecstatically content.

. Chandrakala/ Pedakiya

Very similar to Gujia, Chandrakala is another heavenly dessert for those with a sweet tooth. Stuffed with sweetened khoya, coconut, cardamom powder and dry fruits in a crispy covering and dipped in sugar-syrup, Chandrakala is a fdish from the traditional food of Bihar that is enough to sweeten your senses!

Dal Peetha

Dal Peetha is the Bihari way to cook dumplings or momos. This quintessential food of Bihar is covered with rice flour and stuffed with lentil paste, along with spices and pickle. The dumpling is then steamed or fried and makes for a very healthy breakfast. Another variant of this is when the lentil paste is mixed with spices and rolled into chappatis and is called Dal-Puri.

Mutton Kebab

Bihar is equally famous for its luscious non-vegetarian delights. Patna’s famous Mutton Kebabs have an equally rich and historical origin. The aroma from a small shop in Kadamkua attracts you like a magnet and introduces you to Mahgu; His Great Grandfather was a chef in the British court. Mahgu’s Mutton Kebab’s are a delightful miracle to your taste buds.

 Khajuria/Thekua

Khajuria is the most commonly prepared snack of Bihari food. The mixture of wheat flour and jaggery is deep fried and lo! This lip-smacking snack is ready to fulfill those hunger attacks! One can also use rice flour instead of wheat flour and suger instead of jaggery to make different varieties.

Kadhi Badi

This all-time favourite yummilicious (if such a word exists) dish is another staple delicacy of Bihari food. The gravy (Kadhi) as well as the badi are prepared from besan (gram flour). The gravy also consists of yoghurt. It is usually complimented with rice and/or puris.

Kala Jamun

Kala jamun, famous in Bihar. The sweet is deep fried and is an addition to the food of Bihar through Bengal! Made from mawa, sugar and milk, Pantuas are elongated and have a little harder crust, but are an equally fantastic option to end your perfect Bihari meal!

Balushahi

A sweet, porous flour cup, enclosing a litany of flavours in the Khoya inside – that’s the Bihari food dish, the Balushahi for you. Every time you bite into one, you don’t just taste a sweet. You taste the love of the wonder, that is the food of Bihar. The sweet is filled with mildly sweetened khoya and spices like cardamom and cinnamon, sometimes even flavoured with the opulent saffron for added taste and fragrance. The flour bowl is then closed and deep fried until perfection.