What is Sharad Poornima

Biggest full moon of the year is called Sharad Poornima.

This day is celebrated in hindu communities.

Origins of this festival is beginning of harvest festival.  It falls in the hindu month of Ashwin. Usually mid of October.

Traditionally on this day, people pray God Vishnu and goddess Laxmi.

The moon is closest to the earth and it is believed that moon rays has certain healing properties on this day. It is also believed that moon rays drip nectar. People keep kheer/rice pudding outside in the open space where moon rays can fall on it directly, and it is eaten in the morning.

Many people fast and do Pooja in the evening.

This Pooja is done for the health, wealth and prosperity of the family.

Some people take commitment of doing Poornima pooja year round.

How to perform Poornima Pooja:

1. Banana leaves, Banana and Tulsi leaves have very special significance in this Pooja.
2. Set up Pooja by putting picture of Satyanarayan Bhagwan/deity.
3.  You will need Flowers, fruits, mango leaves, tulsi leaves, charanamrath, and panjeeri and also Poornima Pooja book.
4. Place picture on a nice clean table/chowki, lit the lamp which should be of ghee, and oil, Put incense stick, read the Pooja book that has five chapters and then do aarti, offer charanamrath and panjeeri.

What Prasad(food offered to God) to make

1. Charanamrit. 

Ingredients:

1 cup milk

½ cup yogurt

¼ cup honey

1/8 cup sugar

1/16 cup ghee

dry roasted Makhane

Tulsi leaves.

Direction

Mix all the ingredients in the same sequence.

 2. Panjeeri

Ingredients:

I ¼ cup wheat flour

1 ¼ cup Ghee

1 ¼ cup sugar

Grated coconut

Sliced almonds

Cardamom powder

Direction

Add ghee to the not stick pan and heat till it melts (keep heat low)

Add wheat flour and now roast till it is light brown,

Add sugar and sliced almonds. And cardamom powder.

Mix it properly and switch the heat off

Garnish with grated coconut.

Add Tulsi leaves before Pooja (must for full moon Pooja),

3. Sooji Halwa(sheera)

Ingredients

1 ¼ cup sooji

1 ¼ cup ghee

1 ¼ cup sugar

1 cup dry fruits, nuts (sliced almonds, Raisins, cashews, chiroli)

Grated coconut

10 cups water

Direction

Take 10 cups of water in a pan and add sugar to it bring it to boil

Add dry fruits (nuts)

In a separate pan roast sooji with ghee till its brown

Add roasted sooji to the boiled sugar water cover it and cook it for 10 mins on very low heat.

Garnish with grated coconut and add tulsi leaves before Pooja.

4. Kheer:

Ingredients

¼ gallon milk

¼ cup sugar

1/8 cup rice (soak in water for few hours)

¼ cup dry fruits (sliced almonds, raisins, cashews, chiroli)

Cardamom powder.

Direction

Take milk in a nonstick pan bring it to boil on medium heat

Add soaked rice to boil milk

And keep cooking till rice is cooked and started to thickens.

Add sugar and dry fruits

add cardamom powder.

Food you eat after all day of fasting and is usually with no onion, garlic, it’s easy to make and very tasty

5. Potato curry:

Ingredients

4 boiled potatoes (chop 2 in square and crush 2)

2 medium size tomatoes(chopped)

½ spoon chili powder

1 spoon cilantro powder

½ spoon turmeric powder

1 ½ spoon salt

½ spoon Cumin seed

1 spoon oil or ghee

½ spoon fennel seed powder

Cilantro to garnish

Direction

Heat oil in a pan

Add chili powder. Cilantro powder, Turmeric powder, fennel seed powder and salt

Add chopped tomatoes cover and cook for 5 to 7 mins on medium heat

Add chopped and crushed potatoes mix well add 3 cups of warm water and boil it 30mins on slow heat

Till curry thickens.

Garnish with chopped cilantro

6. Poorie

Ingredients

1 cup Wheat flour

Salt

Ajowan

Milk

Direction

Kneed the flour with milk little hard

Make them in small circles.

Deep fry them.

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Hope you have a wonderful Sharad poornima celebration.

I will be interested to know how you celebrate poornima. Please leave comment and let me know.