HARMONY DIALOGUE GROUP 6TH ANNUAL FRIENDSHIP DINNER

Harmony Dialogue Group is to host 6th Annual Friendship Dinner...

Our theme will be "Family of Families" , sharing the house of Edmonton. There will be quest speakers and also a Keynote speaker whose name is to be announced soon. The participants of "2010 Trip To Turkiye" Event sponsored by Harmony Dialogue Group every year will also be attending the dinner. They will share their thoughts and impressions pertaining to this year's trip to Turkiye.

Music performances and video presentations will be some other activities you can expect at the dinner.

NOAH'S PUDDING

What is Noah's Pudding?

The story is told that during the 40 days of the great flood, food became scarce on the Ark. Noah asked everyone to bring what little food they had left. A pudding was made of the fruits, nuts, legumes and grains in a large pot and everyone shared in it. Shortly after that, the rains stopped and the flood receded. Everyone survived because they shared what they had.

Noah's Pudding (Ashura) is a day of fasting that Muslims observe on the 10th of Muharram (January 10 in 2010), the first month of the Islamic calendar. It is derived from the Jewish Day of Atonement. When Prophet Muhammad arrived in Madinah in 622 CE, he found that the Jews fasted on this day because, as they told him: “This is a blessed day. On this day, God saved Moses and the beleivers from their enemy (in Egypt).

Therefore, Prophet Moses fasted on this day in gratitude to God.” Then he also fasted and encouraged the Muslims to fast on that day and the day before in gratitude to God, just as Moses had done.

Turkish communities world-wide commemorate this event in January each year by the sharing of Noah’s Pudding with neighbours, community groups and the poor. The sharing of Noah’s Pudding reminds us that we must all help each other, regardless of differences in cultural or religious beliefs, because we are all part of one community. Noah’s Pudding is a symbol for different cultures living together in harmony while each preserves their original identities.

HDG is proud to continue this tradition among Edmonton citizens. As volunteers of HDG, we are holding Ashure days and nights at different locations to distribute Ashure and remind people of this tradition which we see as a symbol for "different cultures living together peacefully in harmony with preserving original identities."

If your organization or community group would like to share Noah’s Pudding with members of the Harmony Dialogue Group at one of your meetings this coming January and February, please contact us

Preparation of Noah's Pudding

Thousands of years old recipe!!!

Thousands of years old recipe for Noah’s Pudding - makes 30 servings for you and your neighbours.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup wheat
• 1 cup white beans
• 1 cup chickpeas
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup almonds
• 12 dried apricots
• 5 ½ cups sugar
• 5 cups water (enough to cover ingredients)
• Topping: walnuts, cinnamon

Preparation:

1. Soak wheat, white beans, chickpeas, and almonds in water overnight.
2. Boil the above ingredients (step 1) and remove their outer shells or skin.
3. Soak the raisins in boiling water until they soften.
4. Put all the above ingredients in a large pot and boil them. Add peanuts and almonds (peeled and cut in half).
5. Chop the apricots into small pieces and add to the mixture, along with sugar.
6. Boil the mixture for 10-15 minutes.
7. Enjoy your pudding!

*Feel free to experiment with other grains, fruits, and nuts.