Friday, October 26, 2012

Hot and sour...chillies and lemon




via Trekearth



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

35 comments:

  1. 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. 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. 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. Smashing painting with fab composition.Happy PPF, Annette x

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

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  8. 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. great colorful piece and it looks gorgeous framed!

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

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

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  13. 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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  14. Lovely colours - Such a beautiful painting x

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

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

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  17. 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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  18. 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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  19. Love all the bright color and detail you have in this, it's gorgeous.

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  20. 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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  21. 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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  22. 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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  23. what a beautiful doorway. i love it framed in red!

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

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  26. 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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  27. 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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  28. 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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  29. 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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  30. Wonderful photos and art...how versatile chillies can be:)
    x

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  31. 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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  32. 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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  33. I how fun! Love your doorway - and your pair.

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