An otherwise verdant valley has been transformed into a snowy paradise. The winter season has arrived, and it is impossible to resist taking in the breath-taking scenery that the wand—literally, “winter”—has brought with it. Be it the snow-covered meadows of Gulmarg (literally, ‘gul’: flower, ‘marg’: meadow), Kashmir’s own winter wonderland – Pahalgam (literally, ‘Puheyl’: shepherd, ‘gam’: village) or the winter attraction site of Sonamarg (literally, ‘Sona’: gold, ‘Marg’: meadow), people tend to rush to see the wonders winter has brought with itself. Apart from this, there are people who tend to stay at home in their comfort zones. They really need to have some necessary things that help them stay cosy and warm enough to enjoy the ethereal beauty of winter. To mention all the winter essentials, let’s dive into an imaginary narrative.
It’s the 21st of December and Chillai Kalan (Persian ‘chihil’: forty) has already made its way into the valley. A period of 40 days of intense and harsh winter, it is the coldest part of the winter season. Aydin is busy skiing in the plains of Gulmarg when suddenly he hears his father calling him. He wakes up, too hesitant to get out of his cosy and warm blanket. He picks up his cap and is all set with his new pheran (a traditional, long, loose-fitting robe type of garment made from heavy fabrics) adorned with beautiful patterns and traditional motifs. His mouj (‘mother’ in Kashmiri) is calling him continuously to light the wood sticks in the hamam. Hamam is a room with a hollow, sub-floor room or space comprising a wood-fired furnace which generates heat through the floor and warms the space. As he sits in the hamam, his noon-chai (traditional salt-tea) spills over his pheran. Mentally, he was still in Gulmarg enjoying time with his sister Aykiz, making snowman and indulging in snow-fighting. As he is busy imagining these beautiful moments, his mother brings the kangri (a hot-fire pot) and puts it inside his pheran. Now he is not feeling the cold waves of Gulmarg. He feels at home now. Meanwhile, his father brings the meat, which would be used to prepare the harissa, a traditional meat-minced dish (often confused with Haleem due to similarity in colour and texture) eaten for breakfast, often after the morning prayers. It is often garnished with mutton kebabs and usually eaten with the Kashmiri bread called girda. As both the siblings dip their girda in the harissa, a hazy atmosphere surrounds them. They struggled to stand up because of the layers of clothes they were dressed with, but as soon as they managed to do so, they ran as fast as they could and stood outside. They found snow falling over from the sky gently kissing their cold, red faces. As both of them get lost in this magical sight, they could not get their eyes off each and every snow flake that was falling to address them. Aykiz got so lost that she could feel as if she was moving towards these snowflakes and not otherwise. Both of them get inside and wait till the snow would have covered the ground enough for them to make a snow man and the igloo too. Soon, their cousins join them and the mother prepares another essential drink- The Kahwa. A traditional green tea, it is made with a blend of spices, nuts and dry fruits. The Samovar (Russian, “samo”- self, “varit”- to boil) which is a kettle made of silver, brass or copper used to brew, boil and serve the kahwa or tea) was kept at the corner. The children came back and acted to touch the hot Samovar just to tease their mother who had already warned them not to do so. The day was over, the porch was covered with snow, the children went back to sleep and dreamed of the white charm again, only to wake up in the morning with their hopeful eyes and restless hearts to go outside and carve the frosty ice.
