Shana Tova (Happy New Year in Hebrew)

Writer Yonah Bookstein described Rosh Hashanah as “the anniversary of humanity experiencing the world.”

Rosh Hashanah marks the start of the Jewish Year. An ancient holiday observed on the first two days of the Hebrew month of Tishrei, it is the new year for people, animals and legal contracts. Its more like a day of decisions than just a calendar for festivals and holidays. Celebrated in fall, marking the period of planting, this New Year is so special for Jews because planting period for them is the start of the year. Just like in India, Jews are connected to their soil, and pray religiously that the crop would be superior and more healthy than the last year and that the rain gods will be kind on them.

Photography by Kavyanjali at http://www.flickr.com/photos/kavyanjalik/

Main dishes always have to include apples and honey, to bring in a sweet new year. Jewish people don't stick to their daily routine for these two days and spend them celebrating and resting at home. Both the days see fervent celebration, special holiday meals and prayers. Interestingly, people make sure that on the second night of the holiday, they eat a new fruit, one which hasn't been eaten this season.

Shana Tova everyone!

Psst.. did you know?

• Rosh Hashanah is the Day of Judgement, where in God inscribes the fate of every person for the coming year.
• A very important part of the celebrations is to make amends for the previous year and seek forgiveness for any wrong that you did.
• On this day, Jews follow a custom called Tashlich, which mean they will go to a naturally flowing body of water, recite prayers, reflect over their sins over the past year and then cast them off into the water and throw them away by throwing pieces of bread in the water body.

Gift your jewish friends something special for their new year

Trotting About

The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.  ~St. Augustine

Nowadays, everyone is a traveller. You see millions of albums on facebook everyday announcing trips to here, trips to there, road trips, euro trip, my holiday in Spain, A date with Uncle Sam.. so on and so forth. It all means the same. Our curiosity has gotten the better of us and our education and awareness have made us hungry for knowledge about other cultures, geographies, and traditions. Not to mention the dirt cheap prices of flights these days.

Photography by Kavyanjali at http://www.flickr.com/photos/kavyanjalik/

Whatever our motivation is, we travel. To explore, to grow, to record, to learn, to laze or simply, to marvel at how different the parts of the world are from each other.

And hence, we celebrate World Tourism Day every year on 27th September, i.e., today. 


So, why do you travel? How do you travel? Do you travel internationally, or are you one of those who believe that covering India alone would take a life time? Do you take pictures? Do you have a travel blog? Comment on this post. Tell us about your adventures.


If you are one of the travel bugs, and love to record your memories through a blog, but are stumped as to how to write it, then you should definitely check out these famous travel blogs:

• http://www.wanderingearl.com/
• http://www.manonthelam.com/
• http://fullcoursetravel.com/
• http://snapsandblabs.com/blog/
• http://logansvoyage.blogspot.com/?zx=c6ccd65b96707e7c

Psst... did you know?

• Every year, more than 3 million travellers visit Agra.
• France was the most visited country in 2010 with 76.80 million travellers. India stood at number 38 in that list.
• The United Nations started World Tourism Day in 1980, and every year they have a different theme.
• Theme for 2011's World Tourism Day is how different cultures get linked due to tourism.

Find a gift for your traveller friend

Pumping Blood

Lub-Dub-Lub-Dub-Lub-Dub-Lub-Dub-Lub-Dub-Lub-Dub-Lub-Dub-Lub-Dub-Lub-Dub-Lub-Dub

Heart -- the epicentre of your blood vessels and of emotions like love and hate. But how often do we take care of it? How often do we stop and listen to its rhythm and make sure that one of the most important organs in our body is healthy and happy?


Not often. We smoke, we drink, we eat junk, we don't exercise, we pull up insane shifts and night shifts, we sleep irregularly and there is no concept of eating fresh fruits and vegetables anymore. Result? Cardiac arrests, heart failure, cholesterol, diabetes, high blood pressure, and the list is endless.

Photography by Kavyanjali at http://www.flickr.com/photos/kavyanjalik/

We don't mean to scare you, but we also don't want you to live in a fantasy world where heart failures only happen to someone you know, or someone you know who knows someone else. It can happen to you.


That's why the world celebrates World Heart Day on 29th September every year to create awareness among people about heart diseases, which are the world's leading causes of death, claiming 17.1 million lives each year, according to World Heart Federation.
The message of the World Heart Day is 'One World, One Home, One Heart'.


It doesn't even take much. Just 15 minutes of exercise everyday. Just a little conscious effort to put less salt in your food and less sugar in your coffee. Just a little effort.


The heart is kind to you, make sure you are too.


Psst.. did you know:

• The average adult heart beats 72 times a minute; 100,000 times a day; 3,600,000 times a year; and 2.5 billion times during a lifetime.
• Early Egyptians believed that the heart and other major organs had wills of their own and would move around inside the body.
• Some heavy snorers may have a condition called obtrusive sleep apnea (OSA), which can negatively affect the heart.
• On December 3, 1967, Dr. Christiaan Barnard (1922-2001) of South Africa transplanted a human heart into the body of Louis Washansky. Although the recipient lived only 18 days, it is considered the first successful heart transplant.
• A woman’s heart typically beats faster than a man’s. The heart of an average man beats approximately 70 times a minute, whereas the average woman has a heart rate of 78 per minute.

Own a heart-shaped pillow here at craftila.com

Daughters - Why They Matter (Celebrating Daughter's Day on 25th September)

There's something like a line of gold thread running through a man's words when he talks to his daughter, and gradually over the years it gets to be long enough for you to pick up in your hands and weave into a cloth that feels like love itself.  ~ John Gregory Brown

Photography by Kavyanjali at http://www.flickr.com/photos/kavyanjalik/

Mr. Brown spoke with love, warmth and passion about daughters. And why shouldn't he. In a society increasingly turning towards gender bias and a greedy need for sons, daughters are constantly proving not only to themselves but more importantly to their parents that having a daughter is being in the presence of true love and care. Where a son would abandon his parents, the daughters hold their withering hands and show them that what they did for their kids was the biggest act of love.


At Craftila, we realise the importance of celebrating daughter's day. We know the need to appreciate the kindness and warmth she brings into your life. Surprise her with something special on 25th September.

Psssst.... did you know:

• That Daughter's Day is celebrated every 4th Sunday of September.
• That India's sex ratio was way better during the time of independence and has steadily declined since after. It currently stands at 940 females per 1000 males.
• That upto 12 million girls have been aborted in 30 years in India.
• That India's Sonia Gandhi was named 7th most powerful woman in the world this year by Forbes.

Gift your daughter something special with craftila.com

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