The holy Hindu festival of ‘Nori Nem’ (*some people have variations of the name and spelling), is celebrated in Gujarat, India. The fast is observed by a group of women living closely in their neighbourhood. It is celebrated by women for the health and well-being of their children. “Nori” (Norio), means ‘Mongoose’. “Nem” means ‘ninth’. The day is celebrated on the ninth day of the holy month of Shravan.
On the day of Nori Nem, after bathing women dress in nice colourful clothes, to commence the ‘Nori Nem’ Pooja. To celebrate the festival they cook a simple meal. They cook five or seven sprouted beans (the beans have been pre-soaked and sprouted a couple of days before), this is known as “vadhu” in Gujarati. This is served with a millet chapati known as “rotlo”, and milk.
