Confused about why people are burning crackers today even though Diwali was celebrated sometime back? Some of you might think that cricket fanatics are celebrating India’s victory over Australia in Border Gavaskar Test series as India is a country where Cricket is a religion! Well, the actual reason is here. In Karnataka as well as in rest of the India, today is celebrated as Tulsi Habba (festival) while others call it Tulsi Vivah (wedding). There is a story behind this Tulsi Vivah as per Indian Mythology and more on that story can be found here.
The image you see here in this pic is of the Tulsi plant at my home :). Tulsi festival is celebrated on the twelth day after Deepavali, Karteeka Shukla Dwadashi to be precise. On this day, Tulsi `katte’ or vrindavan is decorated like a bride. Sugarcane, branches of tamarind and Amla plant stems are placed along with the tulsi plant. Various dishes are offered to Lord Vishnu. The tulsi plant is held sacred by the Hindus as it is regarded as an incarnation of Mahalaxmi who was born as Vrinda. Even the Tulsi plant itself, known as the embodiment of Lord Vishnu–The Preserver, represents conscious and holistic sustainability.
Keeping aside the festive news, the fact that really makes me think again and again is the medicinal values of Amla and Tulsi. Because of this, Tulsi is one of the predominant ingredient in most of the ayurvedic medicine practice method. I have included wikipedia links for your reference to learn more about these two plants and how useful they are for humans. Feel free to celebrate such traditional festivals which enhance our immune system. At the same time avoid polluting our environment with crackers smoke!
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