Thursday
Guruvar in India: yellow food, turmeric, chana dal and saffron for Brihaspati and Sai Baba, and Maundy Thursday elsewhere.
In the Hindu week Thursday is Guruvar or Brihaspativar, the day of the teacher-planet Jupiter and of Vishnu, and it is strongly associated with the colour yellow. Many devotees dress in yellow, offer yellow flowers and cook foods coloured with turmeric or saffron. In Maharashtra it is also the day of Sai Baba and Dattatreya. The day is a clear example of a spice taking a role in a calendar.
Turmeric and yellow food
Haldi, turmeric, is held to be an auspicious, purifying spice in Hindu homes, and on Thursdays it appears in kesari bhath, chana dal, besan ladoo and yellow rice. Many households avoid washing hair or cutting nails on this day, as custom. Turmeric paste is also applied to the forehead in some regions as a mark.
Chana dal and besan sweets
Bengal gram (chana dal) is the lentil of Jupiter in traditional lore. Devotees offer it with jaggery, or make besan ladoo scented with cardamom as prasad. Some households fast and eat one meal of yellow rice, yellow dal and a banana.
Maundy Thursday
In Christian Europe, the Thursday before Easter was the day of washing feet and, in German-speaking countries, Gründonnerstag, when green foods, including nine herbs, are eaten. In Britain a spiced Maundy loaf and, in some places, hot cross buns with mixed spice mark the days that follow.
The spices
Written by the EveryMasala desk with AI assistance. Customs differ by community and family, and are described here as tradition, not instruction. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Turmeric: J.M.Garg, CC BY 3.0, source
- Mixed spice: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Cardamom: Didier Descouens, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Saffron: Hubertl, CC BY-SA 4.0, source