1/20 Saraswati Puja

It was Saraswati Puja today - the holiday that celebrates the goddess of learning, music and the arts and the fifth day of spring.  To top it off it was also warm!! It felt decadent and luxurious to get dressed up and wear my hair down, or open as they say here.  A really nice change from being constantly wrapped in sweaters and pashminas (oh and two pairs of gloves).  Siddarth lead the puja, or prayer, in the temple.  It was a soft beautiful chant like prayer.  Afterward, the children and villagers were given prasad, or sacred food offerings, that the students had prepared in the morning.   Coconut, guava, apples, amla, oranges, and lovely little golden syrupy sweet balls were served in very sustainable tiny leaf bowls.  Needless to say Dani, Tak and I went back for more after the crowd died down;).  Before lunch, the girls and I helped to make what seemed to a hundred puris, or flaky flat fried bread.  I can now confidently say that I roll a mean puri.  Dinner was made with a mysterious tasty root that I had seen laying on the kitchen floor since my arrival.  Even though the cold returned at dusk, I didn't really notice or even mind for that matter.