Traditions on the table

There’s a certain charm that surrounds a festive season. With Easter around the corner, Bengalureans are decorating their homes and getting ready for a lavish meal to mark the day.

Christians around the City are gearing up for an early Sunday mass and are looking forward to family gatherings. But the main motive is to remember the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Jeromi George, a Psychology student, has returned from Chennai for Easter vacation to be with her family. She says, “I’m very excited to be back home as it’s a time when the entire family comes together and has a lot of fun. Our day usually begins with us attending the Sunday service. We then come back home and enjoy delicious ‘appam and stew’ which has become a tradition now. While we wait for our mother’s special ‘biryani’, all of our cousins, aunts and uncles come over. The ‘biryani’ is one of the best I’ve ever had and it’s something that I look forward to every year.”

Then there’s Edwin Dylan Creado, a student, who is looking forward to the various fish preparations that his mom makes. He says, “Most of my family members are from Mumbai, so growing up we followed different traditions as one. My grandfather would give up drinking for Lent and finally on Sunday, he would break that 50-day Lent. And my grandmother would be busy in the kitchen making mouthwatering ‘Pomfret fish curry’ and other meat dishes.” But since he’s in the City, it will just be him and his mom.

“Mom usually makes ‘Pork vindaloo’, ‘Beef stew’, ‘Homemade fried chicken legs’, ‘Ghee rice’ and a flavourful salad for Easter. Even though I eat these dishes at restaurants, it somehow becomes special when made at home — maybe because it’s been prepared after so long! Also, the masala we use is homemade.”

There are a few who celebrate the festival a bit differently from the others. Pilith Pericho, an operations analyst, and his family pack special Easter food and distribute it to people who cannot afford to spend on a meal. He says, “We go to different areas of the City and distribute these packets.

We love seeing the smile on everyone’s face and we’re glad that we could do our bit on this special day.” However, apart from the social work, they also have a grand feast at home with ‘Chilli pork’, ‘Pork vindaloo’, ‘Beef fry’, ‘Mutton masala’, ‘Fish fry’ and what he looks forward to the most — ‘Ammachi’s (grandmother) biryani’ with either chicken or mutton.

Ellen Buckler Jose, a homemaker, on the other hand, loves spending the day with her family and in-laws and dyeing eggs with her 2-year-old son. She says, “Every year, we have a tradition of making colourful eggs and my special ‘deviled eggs’. Last year, when my friends came to visit me from the US, I made a massive feast with steak, mashed potatoes, asparagus in garlic and butter and glazed carrots in honey, salt and pepper. My best friend also helped and made ‘beer bread’ which everyone loved.”

This year, she’s letting her husband make his special ‘pork rack’ as he loves his pork and “really wants to have it this year”.

Whether it’s festival season or not, having home food with friends and family is one of the best feelings, and this ‘Easter’, many are looking forward to a happy belly.