Kaaradayaan Nombu / Saavitri Pooja

Kaaradayaan Nonmbu is a fasting observed by the Married ladies and unmarried girls. A married lady pray for the well being of her husband and an unmarried girl pray to get a good husband.

This auscpicious day falls on a time when the Tamizh month 'maasi 'ends and the new month 'Panguni' starts.

Women observe fasting, pray to the goddess by lighting a lamp, chanting slokas.

The pooja and tying the sacred thread (Charadu Kattal) should be over in Maasi month time and when we eat the adai prasadam and get up it should be the "panguni" month time. This is how timing is taken into account. But in some cases, the festival falls at midnight... elders advise that in such case the thread to be tied in an auspicious time of the massi month last day.

The story behind this fast is given here

On this day, after having headbath, light the lamp and pray to the god chanting slokas.

Sweet and Salt adais are prepared and offered to god along with butter on plaintain leaf / Banyan Leaf, tamboolam (beetel leaves, beetelnut, whole turmeric, the sacred yellow thread, flowers).

The sacred yellow thread (Nombu Charadu) should be made this way (photo below) by tying a flower in it.

After the prayers, the yellow thread is tied to the goddess and also in the neck of the lady who offers the prayers. As per traditional practice the wife seeks the blessings (after god) her husband and then the elders of the family on this day.

The offering is normally done in Banyan leaf or Banana leaf. If any of them, not available then we can offer it in Patra (photo below) or in a plate (as shown in photo above).

Then the fast is broken by eating the prashad (Adais) along with butter. [Adai (sweet as well as salt) Recipes]

Those who could not keep the vrath on time for some reasons may observe it on auspicious time of some other day in the month and seeks the blessings of the goddess.

During Mourning time :-   i.e. when someone dear to us passes away, then till the first death anniversary rituals are done (Aata Shradham), some people don't celebrate any festival as per their tradition. However for any festival days like Ganesh Chaturthi, Krishna Janmashtami, etc.. we can offer Fruits and Coconut to the God as we will not be making any Neivedhyams.  So for this nombu (nonbu) also, we need not make the adais, but we can offer betel leaves, betel nut, flower, banana during pooja. (photo shown below)

May the Saavitri maa and the goddess Kamakshi bless you all.

Jai mata di!!