Saune 15: Kheer Khane Din (Ganesh and Rice Pudding story)

On the 15th of Shrawan in Nepal, people celebrate by eating rice pudding. The delicious food is prepared by cooing rice in milk and with the addition of various dry fruits, sugar and other delicious additions.

There is an ancient story of Rice pudding and why people set aside a little bit of pudding before serving to the people. The story is about Ganesh and his test of people in earth.

One day, a young boy in rags walked into a village and asked in loud voice, “Can somebody cook me rice pudding? I have a fistful of rice and about a spoon full of milk.”

People laughed at him and nobody helped him cook the rice pudding.

Some say, “Are you mad?”

Others explained, “Nothing can be cooked with so little rice and milk?”

He went all over the village and another village with the same result until an old lady felt pity about the little boy. She asked the boy to come to her house and she promised to cook rice pudding for him.

As the boy had very little rice and milk, the old lady offered to add her own rice and milk to cook the pudding. But, when the little boy told the lady to bring her milk container and rice basket, they all got full and he still had little rice and a spoonful of milk with him.

To know what happened next, listen to the story (in Nepali):

The Shrawan 15 in 2021 was on July 30th. If you miss Saune 15 to eat kheer, you can eat it any day in the next 15 days of the month. It is a tradition to eat sweet dish and enjoy the festival with the family. It is a tradition to celebrate the first month of the start of festival season. Best wishes for the Kheer Khane Din and with you have a very delicious Kheer this year.

Nepali Words of the day:

श्रावण (Shrawan – 4th month of Nepali calendar)

पन्ध्र (१५ or Pandhra) – Fifteen (15)

खीर (Kheer) – Rice Pudding

दुध (Dudh) – Milk

चामल (Chamal) – Rice