Atla Tadde

Atla Taddi is a traditional festival celebrated by married Hindu women of Andhra region in Andhra Pradesh, India, for the health and long life of their husbands. It occurs on the 3rd night after the full moon in Aswiyuja month of Telugu calendar, and falls in either September or October in the Gregorian calendar.^[1] It is the Telugu equivalent of Karva Chauth, which is celebrated by north Indian women the following day. In Rome, there is a similar festival named St. Agnes Eve celebrated each 21 January.

The Ritual

Telugu woman mark Atla Taddi by keeping a day-long fast without food or water. In the evening, women perform pooja, and after looking at the moon, they break the fast by having tiny atlu (miniature dosas).

Following are customs in some places of Andhra Pradesh, India:

• This festival is celebrated by women and children.
• On eve of this day, they apply Gorintaku (Mehndi) on their palms.
• Women and children wake up in the early morning before the sunrise, and have suddi (rice cooked day before night) with perugu (curd) and Gongura chutney.
• Unmarried girls and children will play on the streets singing Atla Tadde Song after having suddi until sun raises.
• People swing in the uyyala (Swing (seat)).
• People watch the moon in nearby pond or lake after the sunrise welcoming the day.
• Paltalikelu (sweet made with rice flour, jaggery, and milk)
• Kudumulu (5 for gauri devi) (for yourself and other muttayuduvu 5 each and on 4 kudumulu you place one on top of the 4 and make it as deepam and eat the same after your pooja when the deepam is still lighting)
• 11 small Dosas (for each)
• Toranam for hand (with 11 nots for atla tadde n 5 nots toranam for Undralla tadde)

On this day, Some have a custom of preparing atlu and keep those as offering to goddess Gowri, and after they will be distributed to relatives, neighbors as vaayanam. For each muttayduvu (these ladies/relatives fast along with the one who is having this pooja perform). The ceremony includes 11 ladies who already took this vayanam and if your menatta (aunt of your mothers side) took this vayanam the rituals continues. To all these 11 ladies you give each 11 atlu with deepam (made of rice flour and ghee and lit in front of goddess Gowri) you offer each lady the vayanam by holding with your sarees pallu... you utter these words

...istinamma vanayam (i gave her the vayanam) ...puchukunna amma vayanam (lady says: i took the vayanam) ...mummatiki ichindamma vayanam (or) andinchinamma vayanam (i gave her the vayanam) ...mummatiki muttindamma vayanam (or) andindamma vayanam (lady says: i received the vayanam) ...vayanam puchukunna vanita evaro (you ask/pose a question saying who took the vayanam) ...ne ne namma gowri parvati (lady says: she says its me GowriParvathi)

and they then break the fast along with you by having all the dishes made and some also make sweet called palatalikalu (made with milk and rice powder) and they also eat the deepam and take home those atlu and eat later with family members.

Pooja ceremony:

• Prepare kalisam on rice, coins (inside kalasam water, kumkum, turmeric, coin, and flower with 5 mango leaves or just water)
• Make pasupu ganapathi
• Gauri ashtotram
• Lalitha harathi/gauri harathi
• Story

People sing folk songs like atla taddi aaratloi, mudda pappu mudatloi,....

References