Ghevar, karondas, and hari choodiyaan: Commemorating saawan through cuisine, celebrations, traditional art, and customs.

As the mango season ends, saawan showers rejuvenate the dry earth, signaling the arrival of new fruits like black jamuns, pears, and apples. Vendors transition from Langda mangoes to monsoon produce, including karondas, green bhuttas, junglee karelas, and nimbolis that grow post-rain.

The season inspires rich traditions and festivities, transforming fields and markets into vibrant displays of green, adorned with pink oleander and sacred lotuses for prayers. Street life buzzes with bangle stalls, mehendi artists, and halwais preparing traditional sweets like ghiya barfi and ghevar.

This time also marks Hariyali Teej, with shops showcasing green suits, red dupattas, and solah shringaar adornments. Rakhis, chocolate treats, and hampers of besan laddoos are prepared for festivities, with worship centered on deities like Shiva, Parvati, and Krishna, with offerings of bel leaves and dhatura. The enchanting scents of mogra and blooms of various flowers fill the atmosphere as vibrant pomegranate flowers and kaner blossoms attract bees. The monsoon’s essence is mirrored in nature as women and children ride swings tied to lush Neem trees, a focal point during Jhulan Purnima dedicated to Radha and Krishna’s bond.

Art captures this spirit through various forms, such as Madhubani and Pichwai paintings, depicting the festive joy associated with the monsoon and Radha Krishna. The emotional landscape of saawan is echoed in music, with compositions like Shubha Mudgal’s and classical Raag Miya Malhaar celebrating the rains. Bollywood songs from different eras forge connections with the season, evoking themes of love, longing, and nature.

Culinary traditions also flourish during saawan, with specialty sweets like ghevar, lauki ki barfi, and malpua emerging as beloved seasonal treats. Saawan’s rich tapestry is a celebration of nature’s bounty, interwoven with art, music, and cultural practices that honor the rhythm of the rains.