The Indians Abroad

Overseas Living: NRIs & India abroad

Posts Tagged festival

Happy Lohri

Jan 13

Posted by admin in Culture & Society, India | No Comments

Kids of all ages gather in small groups, going from house-to-house collecting jaggery candies, peanuts, sweets and even cash…Small bonfires lit throughout the every corner of the town, creating illusions of warmth in the shivering cold January dusk…. The sound of folk music resonate in every corner…

This is yet another excuse to celebrate and party, especially for the families blessed with newborns in the last year 12 months…Farmers pray for a prosperous year ahead; kids pray for tons of candy before the night ends.

January 13 marks the Lohri festival – the winter solstice, a popular celebration in north India. As the days start to get longer and the nights shrink, the festival marks the psychological fade of winter in the coming weeks. Read the rest of this entry »

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2010 Taste of Chicago Festival

Jun 25

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Today – 25th of June, marks the start of 2010 Taste of Chicago Festival. This is by far Chicago’s biggest and most popular annual event. Starting on the Fourth of July in 1980 for the first time, the Taste of Chicago has become the largest outdoor food fest of the world. The festival is estimated to attract more than 3 million people each year.

With the kids on summer break, families drive to this Midwest attraction from all over the places. Some of the best restaurants and food vendors host their stalls around the Grant Park for 10 days. A large number of stages have artists performing live, all around. The vendors offer a variety of food along with bite size samples – you have 100s of varieties to chose from.

Taste of Chicago 2010 celebrates the 30th anniversary of the festival this year, and ends on July 4th.

For more on this festival including its location, admission, public transportation etc., some of the useful information is linked below:

Taste of Chicago 2010 map -Chicago Tribune

What’s new at Taste of Chicago 2010 – Chicago Tribune Read the rest of this entry »

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Welcome to the world of Holi festival – without colors

Mar 1

Posted by admin in Culture & Society, Entertainment, Most Popular Stories, Non-Resident Indian, NRI | 2 Comments

Today, India and Indian communities around the world are celebrating Holi – the festival of colors. However, there is a one big difference in the celebrations – the presence or absence of the colors depending upon where you live.

If you live in India, we all know, you can go crazy with the colors if you want to. Dry colors, wet colors, sticky colors, shiny colors, or just plain water if you run out of the colors – everything is a fair game. Friends, foes, families, strangers – everybody is a fair target, well, most of the time. No one minds, or to be politically correct, no one is supposed to mind, if their all dressy outdoor wear is smudged with colors. No one is supposed to hold a grudge if their best dress is messed up from the Holi colors. Why? Because it is Holi, the festival of colors – no other explanation is needed. A rainbow of colors is the expected scene everywhere.

However, in overseas, the scene is quite the opposite; or should we say, quite normal like any other day. You can celebrate the festival within the walls of your own home, or in your own backyard, or with some desi friends if you are lucky to find those who understand the Holi spirits. That’s about it. Your choices are limited. Even within Indian circles, no one bothers to celebrate Holi! At leats not like we used to in India. The Westernized Indian kids may want to enjoy it, from a distance, as long as the colors don’t touch them. Why would you want to look ridiculous in the middle of the day! Read the rest of this entry »

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Thanksgiving – More than Family, Food and a Prayer!

Nov 26

Posted by admin in Consciousness & Awareness, Culture & Society, Non-Resident Indian, NRI, Trivial Stuff | No Comments

Happy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving300x225

Today, on 4th Thursday of every November, America is celebrating Thanksgiving Day. The schools are closed for better part of this week; most of the businesses close Thursday though Sunday. Everybody is in a festive mood.

The American Thanksgiving holiday traces its origins back to 1621 when newly arrived Pilgrims from England held a harvest feast after a successful crop growing season. For more on the history of the holiday, you can take a look at Wikipedia or search online…. :)

So, it is a harvest festival. Over the years, however, it has become a ‘Turkey Day’ – every feast for every family gathering is supposed to include baked or roasted turkey. Cooking a 20 pound turkey is an adventure in itself. There are live help-lines where you can call toll-free from your kitchen for help, if cooking is not going the way you expected; the nice ladies on the other end of the phone are always full of tips and tricks to help you out. This – ‘the turkey tip line’ – is one of the businesses they cannot outsource to India or China, at least not yet! :)

Thanksgiving is the time to thank, as can tell by the name itself – duh! It is time to thank God, family and friends. It is time to thank God for all the good things and good karma bestowed on you. It is time to thank friends and family for their support, for their love, and for standing with you throughout the year. So no doubt, there is lots of feasting, lost of family gatherings and yes, some praying involved.

Regardless where you live, where you come from, or which culture you belong to, the festivals have a similar theme all around the globe. The three main components of most of the festivals are family, eating and praying – may be in varying degrees.

However, perhaps the most fun thing about Thanksgiving is shopping!!

The day after the Thanksgiving, often called Black Friday, is the busiest shopping day of the year; the start of Christmas shopping season. Some of the best deals and bargains are offered on this day, the stores open at 5AM or sooner, and if you want to find a decent parking spot, you better get their long before…..A mob scene at its best! :) Read the rest of this entry »

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