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The
Beginning of the Lunar New Year is celebrated in Kashmir as Navreh.
This festival falls on the first day of the Chaitra Navratras (auspicious
nine days of Spring) and start of a new year according to the Sapath
Rishi Sambat.
The Kashmiris celebrate
this day with great enthusiasm. The Kashmiri pandits, visit the
sacred spring of Vichar Nag to take the holy dip on this auspicious
day. They also make new a new almanac and a scroll called 'Kreel
pach' on this day.
They observe a custom which is almost
similar to the vishukani ritual of
the Malayalees. That evening, the
housewife prepares a big Thali (a
huge plate)filled with rice or paddy.
She arranges the new almanac, the
kreel pach, a herb known as Wye, dry
and fresh flowers, sprouted grass,
curds, walnuts, pen, inkpot, a little
salt, wheatcake, a small bread, some
cooked rice and gold and silver coins
on the mound of rice. This thali is
then covered by another plate until
the next morning when the son or the
daughter of the family takes the lid
off. He/She takes the thali to the
head of the family who looks upon
it, then the thali is shown to every
member of the family. The objects
in the thali signify the prayer for
food, knowledge and wealth in the
coming year.
The family
then celebrates this day by preparing traditional dishes and other delicacies,
donning new clothes and entertaining their friends and family.
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Navreh Cards
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