Raghuraman

A Hindu style of living means festivals and celebrations all year round, with the full involvement of all members of family and our relatives and friends. These rituals have evolved over thousands of years. Many of these call for detailed advance planning; therefore, the fun is in planning as much as in execution, particularly if the family size is big. However, it calls for lot of give and take, understanding, and appreciation among brothers and sisters in the family. Besides this, our festivals have an ability to unite people, age old differences are forgotten, egos are suppressed and a great fellow feeling emerges in the process. Our women-folk are the back bone to our festivals, their enthusiasm and high voltage activity triggers the men-folk to join and give a helping hand in the function and organisation. In the process the ladies get a lions share of new purchases made in terms of jewelry and clothing besides the presents they also get during the occasions.

If I were to make a formal index, the following pattern would emerge:

April

• Tamil New Year and Vishu
• Akshaya Thrithiyai

August

• Pathinettam Perukku
• Varalakshmi Vratham
• Onam
• Avani Avittam
• Gayathri Japam

September

• Gokulashtami
• Vinayaka Chaturthi

October

• Saraswathi Pooja
• Vijay dashami

November

• Deepavali
• Ayyappa Festival

December

• Vaikunta Ekadasi

January

• Hanuman Jayanthi
• Bogi
• Pongal
• Maattu pongal
• Thaipusam

March

• Maha Shivaratri
• Karadai Nombu

Below, I have outlined the significance and celebrations involved for a few selected and more popular festivals.

Tamil New Year and Vishu

Tamil New Year is welcomed with joy and happiness; greetings and good wishes for the year are exchanged. Friends and relatives meet for a special lunch with a wide variety of vegetable dishes and sweets served over a banana leaf with rice. We also go to hear the reading of yearly forecasts done by Pundits in temples and community halls. The day starts with a visit to the nearby temple to seek the Lord’s directions and blessings year round.

On the other hand Vishu is celebrated among people with a Kerala background. Our day begins early morning before sunrise, when elders of the house escort us to see the Vishu kani arrangement kept the previous night in the house. We see in front of us a glittering and glorious sight with a backdrop of a mirror, an arrangement kept in the family pooja room. Small bowls of all grains used in daily cooking, major fruits and vegetables and flowers of the season, gold, silver, precious family heritage ornaments, jewelry, gold and silver coins and other Indian currency are all arranged neatly reflecting in the shine of lighted brass lamps! We pray to Goddess Lakshmi to bless us with needed wealth for us and a mind to offer to deserving causes and have-nots among us. We also pray to Goddess Annapurni, the provider of food, to continue to give us our daily bread. I recall that our forefathers did not eat their food without offering the same to an Aththi (guest or hungry) first.

A very interesting part of Vishu is the Kani neetam. Here the elders are required to offer a present of Rupee coins to the younger ones who come to greet them with Pranams/Namaskar. We start with our parents and the same is extended down the line. There is joy and happiness in the face of the giver and receiver. Being the youngest in the family I invariably ended up with the maximum collections and felt rich! This feeling would go on till the money was spent!

Akshaya Trithigai

It’s our belief that gold, silver, precious ornaments or coins purchased this day will bring prosperity during the rest of the year. In our puranas and epics we have writings to prove this. It would seem that it is this day when Lord Krishna gave Draupathi the Akshya pathram (vessel) which would give a never-ending supply of food till it is washed and kept inverted for the day! It is also on this day that Kuchela, who was suffering from poverty, went to meet his childhood friend Krishna, and even without his asking was endowed with riches by the all knowing Lord. So our women-folk will make good use of this opportunity to demand gold and silver ornaments from their men-folk and we cannot say no! The jewelry shops in town will entice the buyers with massive discount offers. A Gold rush season! Only God can save the poor husbands from getting a deep hole in their pockets.

Krishna Jayanthi or Gokulashtami

This is a day of reckoning, welcoming the birth of Krishna, an Avatar to destroy the devil Kamsa. Stories of Krishna’s childhood, the wonders he did to protect his followers, the devotion of Gopies and his music through the flute are legendary. Sri Krishna is welcomed in to each home on this evening, footsteps are drawn depicting his steps walking in, detailed poojas are arranged, with offerings of his choice (most favorite being butter) and little ones in the family are dressed like Sri Krishna. There are two famous temples for the Lord; one is at Udipi at Mangalore district in the border of Kerala and Karnataka, and the other being at Guruvayoor, near Trichur in Kerala state.

Sri Krishna, Gurivayurappa, Narayana, Madava and Govinda are some of the names he is addressed as. We have prolific spiritual leaders among us today who have offered their life, wealth and time to the spread of Sri Krishna’s message to humanity through Bhagavadam or Bagavat Gita, like Mata Amirthanandha Mayi and Professor Prema Pondurangan. Both have thousands of followers all over the world, and their Ashram is a great place for any religious minded to visit, stay and participate in the routines. A soul enriching experience!

Vinayaka Chaturthi

Many Ganesha idols can be seen in our houses in metal, ivory, wood, mud plaster or as paintings. He can be seen everywhere for there is no place without him, no function or ritual starts without offering poojas to him first. It’s our belief that he will guide and direct our every endeavor to success, so Hindus love him, respect him and take him where ever they go, the bare minimum being his picture in their wallets.

Sri Ganesha’s festival is celebrated as a community festival in Maharastra, giant sized images are made of mud plaster, and formally get installed with decorations in popular, central locations. People make it a point to visit as many as possible to pray and give their offerings. On the last day he is taken in procession through the main streets with music and dancing for immersion in the sea.

Ganesha is very easy to please. He accepts anything offered with a pure mind, even a grass garland. He has a thousand names and his favorite dish is Kolukkatai, a rice ball like dish cooked in a steam oven. In all our temples there is a special place for him and he is worshipped first as soon as we enter the temple. Need I say more about the respect we have for him?

Navarathri

A very important festival celebrated over a period of nine days, worshipping Sri Durga for the first three days, Sri Lakshmi for the next three days and Sri Saraswathi for the last three days praying for strength, wealth and knowledge respectively. Members of the house help create an arrangement of dolls in structured steps of 5-7-9 and the same is decorated with lights. Children also create a garden, or a zoo, or museum, or even a cricket match scene on the base as an added attraction. Ladies of the household take the lead in this function. Evenings are allotted to receiving invited friends and relatives who participate in the poojas, group or individual singing and aarathi. Every day a dish is made as Prasadam and, after offering to the presiding deity, is distributed to invitees in a pre made container or packet (Men usually do this job). One can witness colourful evenings with ladies wearing their best jewelry and clothing. We have to buy new silk saris (if possible nine, one for each day) for our lady wives, and daughters. Note that no excuses are allowed here as they would claim that it is an act done for the welfare of the family.

On the last day after the poojas we are expected to read some chapters of our important books which would earlier be kept in the pooja area. The next day is Vijaya Dasmami day, a day to teach basic writing skills to the young ones by the elders in the family. Many families admit their little ones to school this day.

Deepavali

Deepavali is a festival of lights, sounds, new clothing, new jewelry, great feasts and new account opening by traders. Happiness and joy prevails all around. A fitting celebration of good prevailing over evil. A lot of pre-planning and pre-budgeting is done for this festival. It is a major cash outflow festival with shopping involved for all members of the family, purchase of new dresses, firecrackers, sweets , houses cleaned and redecorated and in many cases decorative lights are placed in position. Business houses order gifts for their clients to be delivered on this day.

Typically the day starts early before sunrise, with a holy bath (we call it Ganga snan), the new dresses are handed over by the elders in the family to all, and we in turn seek the blessings of the Lord, and family deity for our health and happiness. We seek the blessings of our parents, elders and gurus and off we go in groups to burst firecrackers. For breakfast we are served many sweet items followed with traditional Idli, chutney, podies and steaming filter coffee. A great family feast is cooked for lunch, joined by friends and relatives. The day moves to evening for temple prayers, and another session of firecrackers. A very busy day for all.

Ayyappa season

Dharma Sastha, Manikanda, Kaliyuga Varadha. Saranam, saranam , saranam, Swamiyea Saranam Ayyappa will be the words in every Ayyappa devotees mind and lips from mid November to mid January, during which period the devotees, after taking a vow and wearing the symbolic mala, observe certain austerities and practices for 41 days before embarking on the journey to Sabari mala hills on the banks of river Pampa in Kerala. A very sacred journey done normally as a group will follow the longer route of 41 kms or shorter route of 12 kms through the forests and steep hills to get a Darsan of Lord Ayyappa ,the presiding Deity in Sabarimala. The pre-season preparation of 41 days prepares the body and mind to undertake the great journey on foot. Strict vegetarian, simple food, mala with saffron or black dress, prayers twice daily morning and evening after bath, a temple trip daily, attending group chantings are followed during this phase.

Gurusamy is the name given to the group leader who normally would have experienced the trip more than a dozen times As a friend and guide he would help other devotees (called Ayyappas) in the preparatory phase, actual trip and return. We carry offerings to the lord on our heads packed in Irumudi, a cloth packing with two compartments, one for the lord containing coconut shells filled with ghee, pooja items and rice, and the other for ourselves with other offerings. Dharma sastha accepts all without distinction and reaching Him at Sabarimala is a divine experience. As per last year’s count over 12 lakh devotees made the trip during this season. The temple with gold plating, is surrounded by 18 hills. Two important days are the Dec 25[Makara Vilaku] and Jan 15 [Jyothi] when millions of devotes seek His Dhrasan. The temple with its Holy 18 steps is also kept open on a selected few days every month which is announced in newspapers. I had the benefit of making over 4 trips to Sabarimala, and each trip is an experience. A great fellow feeling, simple living, acceptance, concentration, leaner bodies are some of the incidental benefits that one accrues during the process. No day goes without a Saranam to Ayyappa.

Maha Shivaratri

This is the day for Lord Siva, Parameswara, the starter and ender of all. The presiding deity in all Siva temples with his consort Ambigai/Easwari. Poojas and night long prayers are conducted with offerings of sandal paste, milk, coconut water and fruit mixes in honey. Many devotes observe fasting during this day. A very important day in the Hindu calendar.

Pongal

Celebrated as a three day festival mostly in Tamilnadu coinciding with the first harvest of rice, a farmer’s festival, when the family cooks the first grain in a new pot and offers the same as thanksgiving to the Sun God. The house is cleaned and decorated on the first day. Bogi, the second day, is the festival day of offerings, joint prayers and a good feast. The third day is allotted to the cows and cattle in the farmers shed. They are bathed, dressed and decorated and taken in ceremonial processions to temple, their favourite foods are given to them. They are given ample rest during this day, a way of saying thank you!

Festivals are our pacifier, preserver and path finder for our inner self which also needs reconditioning once in while like a well used engine. The more we try to relive and enjoy such events the more we stand to gain and in the process learn and live like a human being which is the least expected of us.