Indians love food. And even more than that, Indians love feeding food to their loved ones. Festivals are opportunities for Indian families to express their love through food. Massive spreads of dishes are made to feed many relatives. This incident is a similar situation. In this instance, a family from Eluru, Andhra Pradesh, pampered their son-in-law with a whopping 379 dishes on the occasion of Pedda Panduga or Makar Sankranti.
379 Dishes Fed To Andhra Man By In-Laws On Makar Sankranti
Buddha Muralidhar from Anakapalli, Visakhapatnam, is an architect. This lucky son-in-law, who married into a family from Eluru, was in for a pleasant surprise this Makar Sankranti. His in-laws had a massive feast prepared for him this Makar Sankranti, or as the festival is called in Andhra Pradesh, Pedda Panduga.
The family made a whopping 379 dishes for their son-in-law. This practice of pampering sons-in-law is a common one in many districts of Andhra Pradesh. Families make huge feasts the prep for which starts days prior to the main function. Koruballi Kusuma’s family, who are Muralidhar’s in-laws, started prepping for the feast a week prior to the Sankranti.
Last year, another family in Narsapuram in West Godavari, Andhra Pradesh, served a total of 365 dishes for their future son-in-law, which was the highest, at the time.
Also Read: This Is Why Maharashtrians Share Til Gul On Makar Sankranti
Pedda Panduga In Andhra Pradesh
This festival has many names in different parts of the country. It is known as Lohri in North India, Pongal in certain parts of South India, Uttarayana in Gujarat, and Makar Sankranti in the Western parts of the country. In Andhra Pradesh, the festival is celebrated as Pedda Panduga.
Pedda in Telugu means big, huge, or giant. Panduga, on the other hand, simply means festival. Hence, Pedda Panduga literally means ‘Big Festival’ in Telugu. A common practice in many parts of South India, Andhra, too, traditionally serves food on a banana leaf. A meal served in this traditional way is called Aritaaku Bhojanam. It is safe to say that Buddha Muralidhar and his family had a Pedda celebration and feast this Pedda Panduga!
Also Read: This Is How Different Parts Of The Country Celebrate Makar Sankranti
Have you ever had a traditional Aritaaku Bhojanam? Let us know in the comments!
Cover Image Credits: Wikimedia Commons