Yomari Puhni योमरी पुन्ही
When is Yomari Puhni celebrated
It is observed in full moon day of December. This year it falls on
December 17, 2013 (Poush 2, 2070). Under Hindu Lunar Calendar it falls
on Marga Sukla Purnima every year. This day is also the birthday of Guru
Dattatraya.
Yomari Song
(Kids in group sing this song while asking yamari going neighborhood)
त्यछिं त्य वकछीं त्य लातापाता कुलेचाँ जुछिंत्य ।
योमरी च्वामु उकी दुने हाकु ब्युसा माकु मब्युसा ।।
फाकु ब्युसाल्यासे मब्युस बुढी कुटी ।
Yomari Punhi
is observed during very cold days. It is said eating of yamari takes
away cold. It is believed so long the tail of yamari as short the winter
will be.
Yomari
is made by steaming a confection of rice-flour (from the new harvest)
dough shaped like fig and filled with brown cane sugar (chaku) and
sesame seeds. Yamari is the main item on the menu during the
post-harvest celebration of Yomari Purnima.
How do we celebrate Yamari Purnima
In Yomari purnima people also worship Goddess Annapurna. Annapurna
is the goddess of grains and food. It is the time when farmers finish
harvesting and taking rest after long day’s work. Kids gathered in
groups go neighborhood to ask for yomari in the evening. Sacred masked
dances are performed in the villages of Hari Siddhi and Thecho at the
southern end of the Kathmandu valley to mark the festival.
People believe celebration of yamari punhi brings them wealth,
health and prosperity. People give different shapes to yomaris. Mostly
yamaris are prepared in the form of gods and goddesses like Kumar,
Ganesh, Laxmi and Kuber. Parents and elders bless children and give kids
yomaris to eat. The children on the other hand perform the customary
song and dance and ask for food and other gifts from the elders during
the festival.
The festival is believed started from panchal nagar (Panauti). It
is said Suchandra and Krita, a married couple, first experimented with
fresh yield of rice from their field. They came out with shape of
yomari. The new food was distributed among the villagers. The food was
liked by all, the bread was named yomari, which literally means 'tasty
bread'. The couple offered yamari to Kuber (god of weath) who was
disguised and passing by. Kuber was happy and disclosing himself blessed
the couple with wealth. He also declared that whosoever prepare Yomari
in the form of gods and goddesses on the full moon day of Marga Sukla
Purnima every year and observe four days of devotion to god, will gain
wealth and prosperity.
The festival is celebrated for four days. All the four days people
pray and worship. A big celebration is observed at night in Dhaneshwar
Mahadev temple in Banepa. There is tradition of doing Deepavali at home.
People worship god Kuber, Ganesh and goddess Subhadra in these 4 days.
On the second day Yomari is prepared in the shape of gods and goddesses
and stored inside the rice silo (bhakari) and worshiped. On the fourth
day Yomari is eaten as Prasad and believed that those gods in the form
of yamari enter to human body those worship and take yamari Prasad.
People distribute yomari and rice to yomari asking kids home to
home. In this day goddess durga is worshiped as Dhanyalaxmi or Annapurna
mata.
Yamori is compared with the earth. Two sides of Yamari are assumed
as North and South Pole. The stuffing of brown cane sugar (chaku) and
sesame seeds is regarded as Mahamaya (almighty God). Sometimes, meat is
also stuffed in yamari, that yamari is assumed as lord Ganesh. The
yomari with black lentil is regarded as God Kumar. On the fourth and the
final day the people eat the sweet yomari bread as Prasad and this
marks the end of the festival
There is a tradition of making garland of yomari and putting to 2,
4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 years old kids on their birthday by their mother.
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How to make Yomari Dumplings
Yomari sometimes written as Yamari, is
eaten in the month of Poush especially in Purnima (Full-moon day). The
day is celebrated as
Yomari Punhi. Yomari is regarded as
hot food item and it kills cold. It is believed that longer the tail of
Yomari shorter the winter of Poush (December/January). Yomari is famous
in Newari Community in Nepal. Some believe, the triangular shape of
yamori is derived from one half of "Shadkond" and is the symbol of
Goddess Saraswati and wisdom.
The name Yamari comes from two Newari
words, "ya" meaning "to like" and "mari" meaning "delicacy". Yomari is a
delicacy which is very popular.
To make it simple, Yomari is a rice flour dumpling stuffed with Molasses. It is a sweet Newari desert steamed and served hot.
Utensils
Steamer
Big bowl
Soft piece of cloth
Pan
Spatula
Ingredients to make 15 yomari
Rice flour- 500 grams
Chakku (Molasses)-100 grams
Sesame seed Powder – 50 gram
Coconut powder/ grated coconut-20 grams
Cardamom powder- 5 grams
Vegetable oil- 10 gram
Method
Heat a cup of water and chaku in pan at a medium heat
When chaku melts, add sesame powder, coconut powder and cardamom powder and stir it gently.
Add about a spoon full of rice flour and stir it gently
When the paste is good (not too thick or too thin) pour it into a bowl
Make the dough for yomari using rice flour and Luke warm water
Make a soft dough (dough should be soft because if the dough is hard the yomari will break)
When the dough is ready cover it with soft piece of cloth and leave it for about half an hour.
After half an hour
Grease your palm with cooking oil so that the dough will not stick to your hand
Take a small piece of dough and make it first into round then into long yomari shape
Make as thin as you can because more thin your wrap is more tasty yomari becomes
Add two teaspoon of chhaku into the wrap and slowly close the yomori top.
You should keep on roiling the yomari while closing the top.
Heat the water in the steamer.
When water boils, put yomari in steamer and let it steam for about 10 minutes.
Yomari is ready to Serve.
Source : http://www.weallnepali.com/home
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