Friday, October 26, 2012

Hot and sour...chillies and lemon



via Your Old Man Says

via Trekearth

via squierj.freeyellow.com


Do you see anything common in these pictures?
Well well it is the  contraption of chillies and lemon.
Now why did I bring this interesting story here ?
Actually  APR  asked for a  'pair' in our drawings and I was suddenly reminded of this' hot and sour 'pair of chillies and lemon.




One can find this contraption of seven chillies and a lemon
 tied in a string and at times with a piece of coal , all over India.




This is hung on the doors of shops , business establishments , houses
 and even vehicles to shoo away evil eye and frighten evil spirits much like the 'blue-evil eye device' in Turkey and the placing of 'horseshoes' by Romans above doorways.




All inspired I sat down to paint my own doorway
and also the chillies and lemon contraption dangling there nicely :)

Does any such belief prevail in your side of the world ?


Sharing with all my beautiful friends at PPF
Posted by at

35 comments:

  1. MarjiOctober 26, 2012 at 5:33 PM

    Beautiful painting! I love that you framed it. A frame gives such a finished look. Your colors are lovely. Interesting to understand the meaning behind the chillis and lemon. Happy PPF

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  2. AnonymousOctober 26, 2012 at 6:15 PM

    hmmmm... interesting. there are indian malaysians where i live but has never seen them with that contraption on their door. it's a lovely thing to draw and you did quite well. alpha shanahan #28

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  3. Nancy McCarrollOctober 26, 2012 at 6:36 PM

    Love the lemons and chilis. They MUST go together well since lots of recipes combine them. Just add a dash of sugar?

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  4. NettyOctober 26, 2012 at 8:39 PM

    Smashing painting with fab composition.Happy PPF, Annette x

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  5. Anne MandaOctober 26, 2012 at 10:18 PM

    Sweet composition, love your colors! Very interesting history, never heard about that before... Chillies and lemon - so good for cooking, too! :) Horse shoes were used here, not much anymore. :)

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  6. Mary C. NasserOctober 26, 2012 at 10:22 PM

    Wonderful painting!
    I love the intricacy of the door in the background!
    Fabulous!!
    ♥♥♥
    Happy PPF!!
    Mary
    Mixed-Media Map Art

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  7. Linda KunsmanOctober 26, 2012 at 11:30 PM

    I didn't know of this-thank you for sharing. Lovely drawings! Happy PPF

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  8. Gloria j ZucaroOctober 26, 2012 at 11:51 PM

    How interesting! Thank you for an enlightening post, Rita. I really like your drawing, too that incorporates the good luck peppers and lemon as well as the entryway.

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  9. aimeeOctober 27, 2012 at 2:21 AM

    great colorful piece and it looks gorgeous framed!

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  10. Disha Mishra DubeyOctober 27, 2012 at 10:53 AM

    Beautiful art. Loved all your art work. I am your new follower. Off to check out all your posts :)

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  11. dentheOctober 27, 2012 at 6:12 PM

    when I saw the pictures I started wondering what it was for. thnx for explaining! Love your painted version of it!

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  12. AbelaOctober 27, 2012 at 8:40 PM

    I like those colors so vivid and lively, the compositions are very original.Saludos

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  13. Currie SilverOctober 27, 2012 at 10:10 PM

    fascinating!!!

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  14. Jennifer McLeanOctober 28, 2012 at 4:18 AM

    this is really gorgeous, the coloration is stunning and I love your unique pair, the best "thinking out of the box" this week!

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  15. UnknownOctober 28, 2012 at 1:37 PM

    Lovely colours - Such a beautiful painting x

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  16. Šolanje na domu-WaldorfOctober 28, 2012 at 2:59 PM

    Oh, thanks for clearing that up. :) I wondered what it meant. Your illustration is totally fantastic!Love the colors. :)

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  17. UnknownOctober 28, 2012 at 4:27 PM

    Thanks for explaining that I was wondering! I need one of those here on the east coast.

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  18. FayeOctober 28, 2012 at 4:42 PM

    You have done a fabulous job on this painting, Ritu. I love the bright colors and the intricate grillwork on the door.

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  19. VictoriaOctober 28, 2012 at 5:43 PM

    Wow..what a gorgeous post..your art is absolutely stunning..colorful and full of such life as always..very meaningful and visually beautiful! and gorgeous photos! yes..i love the tradition you described..here we hang cinnamon sticks in a bundle with ribbon over the front doorway for protection..same idea! Yay..we are kindreds..
    Victoria

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  20. carlareyOctober 28, 2012 at 5:48 PM

    Love all the bright color and detail you have in this, it's gorgeous.

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  21. AnonymousOctober 28, 2012 at 6:00 PM

    It's so interesting to learn about different beliefs and superstitions in different parts of the world. I'd heard of the blue eye in Turkey before but not of the chilli peppers and lemon! Your painting is wonderful - so full of colour and vibrancy

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  22. bohemiannie! artOctober 28, 2012 at 7:05 PM

    I live in Colombia and don't know of any such beliefs here...but I aim to find out. Your pictures and painting are wonderful and beautiful.

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  23. RitaOctober 28, 2012 at 7:49 PM

    Beautiful pictures and lovely art! I had never heard of this before but it looks pretty even just as decoration. In Hungary chilis are hung on strings to dry and I love them as decoration....

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  24. MollyOctober 28, 2012 at 8:53 PM

    what a beautiful doorway. i love it framed in red!

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  25. AM ZafaranOctober 28, 2012 at 9:21 PM

    Ritu, I really loved this presentation! Elders in my family sometimes used mustard and red chillies to ward off evil eyes. Nowadays, Turkish eyes have become all too present, right? Lovely art here!

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  26. Carolyn DubeOctober 28, 2012 at 9:33 PM

    I had no idea about these- how cool! Your vibrant colors and design is fabulous!

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  27. GinnyOctober 28, 2012 at 10:05 PM

    I do not know of any traditions like this but I bet if I research it, I could find something. I love your painting and was fascinated by your explanation. It is so good to know about the traditions of others. Thank you for sharing.

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  28. lorikOctober 29, 2012 at 2:52 AM

    Great post - i liked seeing the photos down to the finished painting. I do love that first photo with the orange and yellow against the stark blue background. Beautiful!

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  29. VonnyKOctober 29, 2012 at 3:44 AM

    Beautiful picture and photos. The colours are beautiful and the frame really made the picture. Thanks for sharing the interesting tale of the chillies and lemon. I didn't know about that, the horseshoe one my mum used to do back in England, but we haven't anything here in Australa.
    Von

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  30. GlorV1October 29, 2012 at 7:08 AM

    What a great post. We learn something new every day. Sometimes I add lemons to salt to preserve them. Love the idea of chili and lemon. Thank you.

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  31. ZueOctober 29, 2012 at 1:02 PM

    Wonderful photos and art...how versatile chillies can be:)
    x

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  32. Paula - Buenos AiresOctober 29, 2012 at 6:53 PM

    How interesting! Both your art and the culture represented.
    I´ve had a look at your other pieces, lovely work, elegant and subtle with deep meaning behind it.

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  33. Lisabella RussoOctober 30, 2012 at 5:21 AM

    Intriguing! Your photographs are gorgeous and I love your art piece. I'm not sure if we have anything similar. Yours looks so beautiful!

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  34. minnemieNovember 1, 2012 at 9:33 PM

    I how fun! Love your doorway - and your pair.

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  35. joshi danielNovember 5, 2012 at 10:23 AM

    nice and cool :)

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