Festivals –An Indispensable Part of Culture
When you think of a festival what is the first thing that pops up in your mind?
Without any doubt, we can say that happiness, joy, family reunion, and meeting
with our friends and relatives. Festivals are the essence of every culture, a
time to rejoice and keep all the worries aside. Festivals help us to embrace
our culture and at the same time unite people together. Precious reunions and the
overflow of thanksgiving are the particularities of all festivals. The whole
concept of coming together and celebrating the festival is really beautiful.
Interestingly, most of our festivals are associated with celestial
objects or astronomy. Some festivals are celebrated according to the phases of
the moon. Our ancestors performed methodical observations of the sky to fix the dates of festivals. For example, Diwali-the festival of lights comes on the
new moon day. Eid-ul-Fitr celebration starts on the day following the sighting
of the crescent moon.
Festivals
are welcomed by all. All the people, the old, the youth, and the children
celebrate it with a lot of fun and frolic. The poor and the rich alike
celebrate the festivals, and the preparation for the festivals is done many days
in advance. People get together cleaning up their houses, and surroundings and
then painting and decorating them.
During festival seasons, the bazaars are decorated very beautifully and
all shops and markets draw a lot of crowds.
From
ancient times onwards we have associated festivals with new clothes. People buy
new clothes for themselves and for their families. The textile shops have good business during the festival season. The hawkers and petty dealers of all
sorts of goods sit on the pavements to sell their goods. Even the cottage
industries make huge profits during festival season. Electronics shops also
have a busy time because it is considered very auspicious to purchase new
electronic items and utensils during festivals.
Unity
has always been an integral part of our culture, all festivals teach us about
unity and love. We also exchange sweets, gifts, and greeting cards with our
friends and relatives. The reason behind this custom is that we should share
our happiness and wealth with others. By doing so we have a state of satisfaction
at the same time we can make them feel happy too. As festivals attract visitors, besides happiness and color they offer economic and
social benefits.
Festivals are advantageous in many respects. They provide
entertainment to the people, keep us closer to tradition, and shield us from sadness,
loneliness, and stress. During festivals, cultural activities and fairs draw
the attention of the people. It not only promotes unity in diversity but also
promotes the tourism industry of the nation. Festivals provide knowledge of our
heritage and tradition. It also allows us to familiarize ourselves with our culture. In short, festivals are part and parcel of our
life.
My Favorite Festival-Onam
Onam,
the ten-day harvest festival of Kerala is celebrated by millions of Keralites
(People of Kerala) across the world. My childhood memories of Onam celebrations
go back to my vacations when we cousins along with uncles and aunts would sit
on the floor and enjoy the special Onam meal called ‘Onam Sadhya’ served on
banana leaves in the living room. It is celebrated in the Malayalam month of
Chingam with the date changing each year.
Chingam, being the first month of the Malayalam calendar, the festival
Onam is the festival of new hopes and beginnings.
There is a story behind the Onam festival. Once upon a time, there lived an Asura king named Mahabali in Kerala. Under his rule, the country was rich and prosperous. Poverty was unknown to his kingdom. No crimes, no lies. It was the golden age of Kerala. His power extended to the three worlds. The Devas were jealous of him and approached Lord Vishnu for help. Lord Vishnu took the avatar of Vamana. He approached Mahabali for the alms. He only wanted the land that he could cover in three steps. Mahabali agreed. Lord Vishnu suddenly began to grow in size and covered everything in two steps. For the third step, Mahabali offered his head and Lord Vishnu pushed Mahabali to another world. Mahabali was granted a boon when he departed from his Kingdom that he could visit once a year to see his subjects. Onam commemorates the annual visit of King Mahabali.
The
preparations for Onam are done many days in advance. For me, every Onam is special,
I always ensure that I am with my family for the Onam celebration. In the early
morning, we went out to pluck flowers from the garden to make pookkalam
(flower design) in our front yard. My cousins from Bengaluru and Bombay used to
come to our house during the Onam holidays. No festival is complete without a
new dress, as in the case of Onam also. We all wear new clothes after a bath.
Sometimes I was very lucky, I would get a second round of new dresses from
Bengaluru or Bombay.
Much like other festivals, Onam is also celebrated with a lavish feast called Onam Sadhya. The usual items in an Onam Sadhya include Upperi, Sharkara Varatti, Inji Curry, Pachadi, Olan, Avial, Kalan, Pappadam, etc. with brown rice as the main dish and end with Adda Prathaman. In some parts of the city as well as in Schools and Colleges Onam meals are arranged by different associations and organizations to mark the occasion. A range of activities will be waiting after meals, out of all the activities, swinging on the swing and the Thiruvathira dance are my absolute favorites. Lots of food and fun, lots of happiness and joy, togetherness and sharing, all these are the highlights of the Onam festival.
You might also like:
Online Learning-Pleasures and Pressures
https://letuslearnonline1.blogspot.com/2021/01/online-learning-pleasures-and-pressures.html
