Sunderban Delta Publication

  An ancient ritual of eating fourteen leafy vegetables( the chodda Sag ) on the day of Chaturdashi in the month of Kartika exist among the people of Bengal, residing in the eastern region of South Asia. The day falls ahead of the Amabashya night - when Ma Kali is worshipped The chouda Sag  whose  cooking and serving as a main item in day time main meal has been practised since ages. The name of these vegetables is Helencha ba hinche sak, ooal pata ba sak,mankochu pata, kulekhara ba kule sak, beto sag, sorshe sak, guloncho sag, jayanti sak, ghetu sag ba vhat pata, keu sak, sushni sak,sanji ba santi sag ( another name borma sag) , kalmegh and neem pata. The sags are consumed not for warding off unholy spirits from the home but for improving immunity from various diseases with the arrival of the winter season. The health benefits of these leaves can make you take note of the insight of our ancestors in discovering the benefits of eating certain plants. 1. Blood purifier and mental s

History and evolution of mankind often throw interesting facts that time has the tenacity to add various ritual of different times and all the practices gets into the multiple narratives of the same pagan festivity. On the day preceding the Amabashya night  falls the  Chaturdashi  (14th day) of the  Krishna Paksha  in the  Vikram Samvat Hindu calendar  month of  Kartika and this festivity is celebrated all through the eastern provinces of South Asia - the Hindu families pay obeisance to their ancestors and  Bengali Hindus observe the day as Bhut Chaturdashi.  When we were kids, we heard from the elders that ghosts become active on this night  - the night preceding the day of Amavasya ( preceding day of the no-moon night). So all homes have to light ritualistic fourteen lamps and place it on the key passages of our home, the doors, the windows,  especially the main entrance door.  And the ancillary ritual of mandatory cooking together of the prescribed fourteen types of fresh vegetable