ATLA TADDHE

ATLA TADDHE

Atla taddhe is a traditional festival celebrated by married women of Andhra Pradesh for the health and long life of their husbands. It occurs on Aswiyuja bahula tadhiya .
It is equivalent of Karva Chauth, which is celebrated by north Indian women the following day. In Rome, there is a similar festival named St. Agnes Eve celebrated on 21st January of Every Year.
Telugu woman mark Atla Tadde by keeping a day-long fast without food or water, which is also called nirjala . In the evening women perform pooja, and after looking at the moon, they break the fast by having china atlu
Following are customs :
This festival is celebrated by women and children.
On eve of this day, they apply Gorintaku (Mehndi) on their palms. The more red colour they get, the more they will be loved by their husbands
\Women and Children wake up in the early morning before the sunrise, and have suddi (chaddannam(rice cooked day before night) with perugu (curd) and Gongura pachadi
People swing in the uyyala .
In the evening U prepare sambar(with 11 varieties of vegetables) ,Paltalikelu(sweet made with Biyyapindi,bellam,paalu) , mudda pappu(plain dal), perugu , Gongura pachadi ,kudumulu (5 for gauri devi)(for yourself and other muttayuduvu 5 each and on 4 kudumulu you place one on top of the 4 and make it as deepam and eat the same after your pooja when the deepam is still lighting) , 11 small atlu(for each) , Chinthapandu(Tamarind) pulihora
 Toranam for hand(with 11 nots for atla tadde and 5 nots toranam for Undralla tadde)
On this day, Some have a custom of preparing atlu and keep those as offering to goddess gowri, and after they will be distributed to relatives, neighbors as vaayanam. For each muttayduvu (these ladies/relatives fast along with the one who is having this pooja perform). Th ceremony includes 11 ladies who already took this vayanam and if your menatta (aunt of your mothers side) took this vayanam the rituals continues. To all these 11 ladies you give each 11 atlu with deepam (made of rice flour+ghee and lit in front of goddess gowri) you offer each lady the vayanam by holding with your sarees pallu... you utter these words
...istinamma vanayam ( i gave her the vayanam) ...puchukunna amma vayanam(lady says: i took the vayanam)...mummatiki ichindamma vayanam (or)andinchinamma vayanam(i gave her the vayanam) ...mummatiki muttindamma vayanam(or) andindamma vayanam(lady says: i received the vayanam) ...vayanam puchukunna vanita evaro(you ask/pose a question saying who took the vayanam) ...ne ne namma gowri parvati(lady says: she says its me GowriParvathi)''''
and they then break the fast along with you by having all the dishes made and some also make sweet palatalikalu and they also eat the deepam and take home those atlu and eat later with family members

Pooja details in brief : Prepare kalisam on biyyam,coins(inside kalasam water + kumkum +pasupu+coin+puvvulu with 5 mamidi aakulu or just water) .Make pasupu ganapathi ,Gauri ashtotram ,Lalitha harathi/gauri harathi and finally katha.
People sing folk songs like atla taddi aaratloi, mudda pappu mudatloi,....

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Prabhakara Sastry Dasaka
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