When the new moon coincides with a Monday, the small Indian town of Jejuri in western Maharashtra state sparkles with gold.
During the Bhandara Festival, or the Festival of Turmeric, which falls on Feb. 4, June 3 and Oct. 28 this year, devotees worship Lord Khandoba and celebrate his victory over the demons Mani and Malla.
There are more than 600 Khandoba temples across the states of Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and northern and central Karnataka. However, as many as 600,000 devotees come especially to Jejuri to cover the town — and each other — in golden swirls of turmeric, a mild, earthy spice that in its powdered form is a vital component of Indian cuisine.
Photo: EPA
照片:歐新社
There are several explanations for the choice of this spice to celebrate Khandoba. The most common is the belief that Khandoba is a descendant of the sun god Surya and is often depicted with four arms holding bowls of turmeric that symbolize sunlight. In other interpretations, turmeric represents the gold that worshippers pray to Khandoba to receive.
During the festival, people show their devotion with ritual songs to Khandoba and make wishes. Then men take the statue of Khandoba from the temple and carry it to the river for a traditional bath as crowds try to touch the idol for a blessing.
(AP)
Photo: AP
照片:美聯社
每當新月出現在星期一,印度馬哈拉什特拉邦西部的小鎮傑久里,滿城盡是一片金黃。
今年的班達拉節落在二月四日、六月三日,以及十月二十八日。信徒在班達拉節敬拜勘都巴神,慶祝祂戰勝了兩個惡魔馬尼和馬拉。
印度馬哈拉什特拉邦、泰倫加納特邦、安得拉邦,以及卡納塔克邦北部及中部,共有六百多座勘都巴寺廟。然而,多達六十萬的信徒卻特別來到傑久里,用大量金黃色的薑黃粉灑遍全鎮──也互相丟灑。薑黃是一種溫和、有草根味的香料,薑黃粉是印度料理中不可或缺的重要成分。
Photo: AP
照片:美聯社
之所以選擇薑黃這香料來敬拜勘都巴神,有好幾種解釋。最常見的說法是認為,勘都巴神是太陽神蘇利耶的後代,常被描繪成有四隻手臂,各持著碗,碗裡裝有象徵陽光的薑黃。其他說法則是認為,薑黃代表信徒祈求勘都巴神能夠賜予的黃金。
班達拉節期間,眾人唱敬拜歌並許願,表達對堪都巴神的虔敬。之後男子們將堪都巴神像由寺廟中迎出,抬到河邊進行沐浴的傳統儀式,途中群眾爭相觸摸神像,以祈求好運。
(台北時報林俐凱譯)
The strongest earthquake to hit Taiwan in 25 years killed at least 16 people and damaged dozens of buildings, but the destruction was largely contained thanks to decades of preparedness work. Taiwan sits on the “Ring of Fire,” an arc of intense seismic activity along the Pacific Rim, and — much like neighboring Japan — has a long history of catastrophic quakes. How does April 3 compare with other recent quakes? The April 3 earthquake, which measured 7.4 on the moment magnitude scale, was felt across Taiwan. It was the most severe since a 7.6 magnitude quake in 1999 killed
Around the time of the Dragon Boat Festival in June, the streets of Taiwan are filled with the delightful aroma of zongzi, a traditional snack made of sticky rice wrapped in leaves. The leaves are folded into a cone and then filled with sticky rice and other ingredients such as braised pork belly, peanuts and salted duck egg yolks. The filled leaves are then tightly tied with kitchen twine and ready for cooking. 每到六月端午時節,街頭巷尾就會飄出粽子的香氣。粽子是將糯米包進粽葉的傳統美食,先將粽葉折成圓錐狀塞入糯米,以及紅燒肉、花生、鹹鴨蛋黃等配料,用棉線綁緊後即可烹煮。 Dragon Boat Festival (n. phr.) 端午節 aroma
Everyone has seen a piece of fruit turn brown after being cut. Have you ever wondered why that happens? It is a common phenomenon that occurs due to a chemical reaction called enzymatic browning. The appearance, flavor and nutritional value of the fruit are all affected by this reaction. Some fruits, such as apples, pears, bananas, avocados and peaches, are more prone to enzymatic browning than others. These fruits contain high levels of an enzyme called polyphenol oxidase, or PPO for short. __1__ This causes a chain of chemical reactions that ultimately transforms the phenolic compounds into
There are several methods to prevent or slow down enzymatic browning in fruit. __3__ This lowers the pH level of the fruit tissue, causing the PPO to be far less active. Another method is to store the fruit in an airtight container or to wrap it tightly with plastic wrap. Doing this will reduce its exposure to oxygen. __4__ Although fruit that has undergone enzymatic browning may look less appealing, it is still safe to eat. However, by using one of these simple methods, you can enjoy fresh-looking fruit for a longer period. 有一些方法能避免或減緩水果的酶促褐變。其中一個有效的方式就是在切片水果的表面塗上酸性物質,像是檸檬汁或醋。這樣做能降低水果組織的酸鹼值,讓 PPO 更不為活躍。另一個方式是將水果存放在密封的容器內,或用保鮮膜將其緊緊包住。這樣做會減少水果與氧氣的接觸。快速蒸一下切片水果或將其短暫浸泡在滾水中也能使PPO失去活性,並終止 PPO 與空氣的作用。 雖然經歷酶促褐變的水果可能看起來較不吸引人,但仍然可以安全食用。然而,藉由採用這些簡單方法中的其中一個,你就能在更長的一段時間享用看起來新鮮的水果。 What Did You