If one has to state an important aspect of any Indian festival, it would definitely be food. It is not just a meal, but a celebration of the seasonal harvest, and thus, it is first offered to the Almighty, seeking blessings.
In Goa, there are various festivals revolving around this aspect – Touxanchem Fest (Cucumber Feast), where devotees offer cucumbers to St Anne; Konsachem Fest or the Harvest Festival, celebrated in the month of August, where new rice grains (konxeo) are offered.
FESTIVE OFFERINGS
Apart from that, offerings are of various kinds. During the Babreshwar Zatra, which is held in February, at Calangute (and commonly known as Kelyanchi Zatra), devotees offer a full bunch of bananas.
And, when it comes to one of Goa’s biggest festivals – Ganesh Chaturthi, which is on September 7 this year, the offering of food is of utmost importance. It is known as naivaidya. It is the ritual of offering food to Lord Ganesha, and consists of a variety of sweets such as modak, neoreo and a special meal made on the day of Chaturthi.
The eve of Chaturthi, is known as Tai or Hartalika Puja where Goddess Parvati or Gauri is worshipped.
On this day, a special type of patoli is made, its special feature being that it does not contain any stuffing or salt. It is locally known as moni patoli, and it is believed that when the goddess was pregnant with Lord Ganesha, she craved food without salt.
On the day of Chaturthi, it is customary to offer 21 modaks to Lord Ganesha, since modaks are his favourite food along with neoreo —crescent-shaped, deep-fried item which is stuffed with desiccated coconut, semolina, dry fruits etc.
Panch khajya is another offering on this day. It consists of five items, which are deep fried and bearing five different shapes. This is like a wheat flour pastry, stuffed with chickpea flour and a jaggery-based paste. It usually has the shape of neoreos, modak, star, toffee, etc.
This is then followed by the offering of a full meal. For this, five thalis or meals are served on a banana leaf and placed in front of the deity.
This pure vegetarian meal consists of traditional dishes like Gaathi (a curry made from moong beans), Vatanyache Tonak (a curry made using white peas), Khatkhate (a stew containing a variety of local vegetables, tubers, etc), a green vegetable usually made of colocasia leaves, etc.
The essential vegetable dish is the one which is made from five different leafy greens. All these greens have to be seasonal and local. This dish includes leaves of taikilo (Cassia tora), leaves of alsane (black-eyed beans), red and white amaranth, and leaves of the drumstick.
There’s no hard and fast rule that these are the only leaves to be used. It mainly depends on the vegetables grown in one’s kitchen garden or backyard. Local seasonal veggies such as the leaves of elephant foot yam (cultivated variety), pumpkin, mustard, etc can also be used.
All these dishes are served with steamed rice and Varan as well as puris or vade. There are also accompaniments such as papad, bhajiyas, pickle, fried breadfruit fritters, etc. However, no thali is complete without sweet dishes, and so, the festive meal also features sweet dishes like Sakhar Bhaat, Kheer, Mangane, etc.
There are several varieties of Kheer — either made of milk or traditionally from coconut milk and the addition of vermicelli, etc.
All these dishes are served on a banana leaf and first offered to the deities. These are then eaten by devotees. Along with these five plates, some families also offer a small to the mouse — the vahan of Lord Ganesh.
There’s no hard and fast rule that these are the only leaves to be used. It mainly depends on the vegetables grown in one’s kitchen garden or backyard. Local seasonal veggies such as the leaves of elephant foot yam (cultivated variety), pumpkin, mustard, etc can also be used.
On the second day, which is known as Pancham, there is a tradition of offering the first harvest of paddy, known as nave or new.
All these traditions related to food. The naivaidya reflects the strong tradition of farming in Goa. It also conveys a message about the value of eating local and seasonal foods, and celebrating dishes that are both flavourful and nourishing.
On that note, wishing everyone a Happy Ganesh Chaturthi!