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THE MUCH awaited Indian festival of Holi is just around the corner and the preparations are in full swing. Holi, also known as the ‘Festival of Colours’ is celebrated across the country with great enthusiasm and joy. This festival signifies the triumph of good over evil and celebrates the ultimate love of Lord Krishna and Radha. It is celebrated across the country on the full-moon day of Phalguna month of the Hindu calendar. This year, Holi will be celebrated on March 08 in the country.

From playing with colours and flowers to celebrating the win of good over evil, the celebrations of Holi take place at grand levels. People dress up in white to celebrate the festival and put colours on each other as a way to show their love and affection towards each other. On this day, a special dessert named Gujiya is prepared in every house and relished during celebrations. Different parts of the country celebrate Holi in their unique ways, such as the Holi celebrations of Mathura, Nandgaon, and Vrindavan are popular for their lathmar and rangon ki holi celebrations. One special attraction of the Holi celebrations includes consuming bhang and dancing to the drum beats. Bhang is an edible mixture made from the buds, leaves, and flowers of the female cannabis, or marijuana, plant. It has been consumed for ages and is considered an important part of Holi celebrations. Apart from being delicious, bhang has numerous medicinal benefits also. It is shown to reduce anxiety and bring about a sense of euphoria in people. Interestingly, it also reduces pain in the body by numbing down the pain receptors of the brain.

Also known as Thandai, bhang is consumed by people on Holi because of ancient beliefs. As per Hindu beliefs and traditions, the plant cannabis is associated with Lord Shiva. It is said that once Lord Shiva ran into the fields after having an altercation with his family. As he was tired and frustrated, he slept under the tree. When he woke up, his curiosity led him to chew the leaves of the plant. After consuming those leaves, he felt instantly rejuvenated and this made the plant Lord Shiva’s favourite food. Therefore, Bhang is consumed during the Holi festival to rejuvenate and elevate the spirit of people for celebrations.

Ways Of Consuming Bhang:

Bhang Lassi/ Thandai: Cannabis milkshake is one of the most popular ways to consume bhang. It is made with a mixture of milk, curd, sugar and dry fruits.

Bhang Gujiyas: Gujiya is the popular dessert sweet of the Holi festival. You can consume bhang by adding some bhang ki goli into the mixture of gujiya and relish the celebrations.

Bhang Ke Pakore: Pakora is an Indian delicacy that is relished on almost every occasion. To prepare bhang ke pakore, you can add bhang ki goli into pakora batter.

Easy Recipes Of Bhang

Recipe 1: Bhang Thandai

To prepare bhang at your home, soak the seeds of almonds, aniseeds, almonds, watermelon seeds, bhang and rose petals in 2 cups of water and grind to make a smooth paste. To make it creamier, keep some almonds aside and make a separate paste. Add it later as per your taste preference. After this, boil the milk and keep it aside. Pour some water into the paste and strain using a piece of muslin cloth. In the strained liquid, add sugar, peppercorns, powdered cardamom and saffron and mix well. Add milk to the mixture. Now, garnish it with some roasted and sliced almonds and pistachios. Serve chilled and indulge in the heavenly taste of your homemade bhang thandai.

Recipe 2: Bhang Lassi

For this drink, grind some pistachios finely. Blend pistachios and bhang paste for two minutes. Add the yoghurt mixture and blend it for another two minutes. Serve it with lots of ice cubes.

Recipe 3: Bhang Masala Chai

Chai is a favourite beverage of almost all of us. But have you ever tried bhang masala chai, which exactly tastes like your regular tea with a simple twist? Put some bhang leaves powder, water, milk, sugar, cinnamon stick, cloves, green cardamom pods, black peppercorns, ginger and oil in a pan and let it boil. Lower the flame and let it boil for around 15 minutes. Let it cool and strain the mixture in a jar and tighten the lid. Pour 1/4 cup of half n half cream and 3/4 cup of strained tea into a cup. Warm it in the microwave and serve.