Almsgiving Preparations on Tuesday

Almsgiving Schedule

This is the schedule I made for myself, years ago, when I was working and would hold the almsgiving on a Sunday.  There's a list of things to do such as set the date, invite the monks and participants, decide on the donations I'll be giving, make the menu, check supplies, make a grocery list, etc.

Then, on Friday evening, after work, I'd take out the dishes I use only for the almsgiving, clean and arrange the house, make sure all the necessary things are set out and kept ready.  On Saturday, I'd continue with the house cleaning, do the grocery shopping, and cook.  On Sunday morning, I'd warm up the curries, cook the pots of rice, cut up fruits and vegetables, etc.  

I still follow this schedule, even though I've moved the actual day of the almsgiving to a week day.  It's the schedule which keeps me organized so that the actual event flows smoothly.  The monks always remark that my almsgivings are always very smooth without any last minute rushing around to set things up.

So, on New Year's Day, my daughter helped me to take down the plates and bowls and various other items and I put in an order for groceries.  On Tuesday, I picked up the groceries, put on the table covers and chair covers, and my daughter and I cooked the various curries we had undertaken to cook.  I cooked sauteed curried Napa cabbage and a kale mallung (shredded kale sauteed with grated coconut, onions, and turmeric) and I fried some pappadum (lentil wafers).  My daughter cooked a dhal (lentil) curry with red lentils and sauteed curried green beans.  She also peeled the hard boiled eggs I will use in a salad.  

Then, I did a load of dishes (some in the dishwasher, the rest by hand) and took out the cashew curry and garbanzo beans I had cooked and frozen earlier, and kept them in the fridge to thaw overnight.  

On Wednesday morning, I will make the salad, cut up the fruit and arrange them and the assortment of sweets in individual dishes, and cook the rice.

2024 Almsgiving Menu:

Red rice and white rice
Cashew curry
Sauteed curried garbanzo beans
Dhal
Sauteed curried green beans
Kale mallung
Sauteed curried cabbage
Salad (cucumber slices, tomato slices, red onion slices, halved hardboiled eggs)
Pappadum

Desserts: 
An assortment of sweets (chocolates, Sri Lankan sweets, cookies, zucchini bread, etc.)
An assortment of fresh fruit (grapes, slices of pears, slices of mango, slices of apples, tangerines, strawberries)
Watalappan (a Sri Lankan pudding made with jaggery and coconut milk)
Yogurt and palm treacle

Water and juice, tea if the monks would like some

Everything must be ready by 10:45 a.m.; the monks will arrive between 11:00 a.m. and 11:15 a.m.; they will chant blessings and we will offer the food and serve the meal to them.  The almsgiving meal must be consumed by them before 12 noon as the monks take a vow of abstinence from consuming solid food after noon.  Afterwards, there will be a sermon and more chanting of blessings; water will be poured from a pot (I use a teapot gifted to me by a friend many years ago) into a cup until the cup overflows (the cup will be placed in a bigger bowl to catch the overflow of water) in order to symbolically transfer the merits to our departed loved ones.  The empty cup represents the departed loved ones and the water represents the merit that we pour into them to fill them until it brims over.

I need to wake up early, which means I should go to sleep soon!

On Tuesday, I was grateful for:

- The groceries I ordered were all available
- Curbside grocery pick up
- Daughter's help with the almsgiving preparations
- My hands cramped only once all evening during the meal prep
- Being able to hold an almsgiving this year

My joyful activity was preparing for the almsgiving.

How was your Tuesday?  What are your plans for Wednesday?