The kite festival is one of the biggest festivals in Gujarat. Also known as Makar Sakranti, Uttarayan is celebrated with great enthusiasm and pomp. You can hear the music systems blasting with peppy hits, people cheering and shouting “LAPET!!” in a teasing way ( *dheel de de re de de re bhaiya iss patang ko dheel de playing in the background*). The sky becomes a battlefield and every kite-flyer a warrior. It is also the time when the terrace also becomes a fashion show for those who love dressing up. Be ready for your social media timeline to be filled with “OOTD” (outfit of the day).
Uttarayan is also a great time for socializing as the gossip-mongers meet and share a slice of their hot piece of information meanwhile being on the lookout for (mostly) the youngsters exchanging shy glimpses of their crushes across the terraces (read tanki too).
Sunscreen products sales reach a peak during this time over the concern of getting tanned.
But the most amazing part of Uttarayan is the food without a doubt. So here are some Uttarayan traditional snacks which you can make or buy and enjoy during the festival.
- Undhiyu
Undhiyu is a heavy spicy mixture of numerous winter special veggies prepared in sesame oil and cooked in an earthen pot. It is generally served with puris but is also a stand-alone dish. Enjoy it for your breakfast, lunch or dinner, or all.
2. Jalebi
Undhiyu and Jalebi are also a hot-favorite pair. Jalebi is generally served hot, soaked in lots of sugar syrup, and they are an excellent source of energy during the long and tiring hours of kite flying battle.
3. Chikki
To keep up with the sun, the terrace fights, kite wars, one needs to be properly fueled, and what better snack than munching on that yummiliciously awesome chikkis which is full of nutrients.
4. Bor
Bor is a kind of berry that is available during the winters here. It’s packed with several nutrients and is an ideal snack to nibble on for small hunger pangs. Bor is a very popular dish during Uttarayan.
5. Lilva ni kachori
Who does not love kachoris??? Lilva ni Kachori is a mouth-watering and delicious variant of kachori. The kachoris are generally served with a sweet and sour tamarind chutney, which adds-on to the flavor.
6. Pheni is also served in some (Rajasthani) households with some sweet and warm milk that is topped with dry fruits. Ghevar is also a sweet dish served to the guest.
7. Few households also make gulachi poli or jaggery rotis and murmura chikkis (made of puffed rice). Along with these, people also prepare Puran poli, a flatbread filled with jaggery and gram flour and with pure ghee.
8. In Bengali households Patishapta is made. It is a crepe or a pancake made of rice and stuffed with a mixture of khoa, coconut, and jaggery. Apart from this, puli pitha is also a sweet dish that involves dunking a sweet dumpling into spice-infused milk and topped with dried fruits and nuts.
It is believed that all these food items help in keeping the body warm during the winters.
So this Uttarayan, follow the government guidelines and munch on these amazing snacks and go crazy with the blowhorn.
