Hiya All
Here I am bloggin my thoughts, ideas, journals and ofcourse my inevitable ramblings. Greatly appreciate you'll stopping by and add comments if you will. See ya!
Here I am bloggin my thoughts, ideas, journals and ofcourse my inevitable ramblings. Greatly appreciate you'll stopping by and add comments if you will. See ya!
Festivals and their Significance
Posted 24th March 2008 at 12:41 PM by Anandchitra
Recently I observed some people celebrate Easter. The thing that comes to mind in this is the eleborate dresses everyone wore and then their hats and then food and then the play by children in search of the missing Easter eggs. Since I went to a christian school and then christian college, my family asks me questions about any christian religious aspect. Not that I claimed to know it all. So dh wanted to know why one should hide the easter egg and then search for it. I did not know about it. As far back as I can remember my memories were only of prayers by the Sister Nuns and never remembered these Egg Hunts.. I feel the significane slowly changes.. Here I am in no way impying that all are so but maybe a few are so..in not giving importance to the religious aspects.
I do not have to look very far for this matter as I remember how celebrating Deepavali changed after I got married. Before marraige it was all about bursting crackers and eating the goodies. Once married I was deluged with questions from family members about what goodies I made. Being a novice I always dreaded
the approach of any festival. I still remember Krishna Janmashtami. Being involved in Puja I just did plain poha and milk as neivedhyam much to the horror of all even mother. Everyone was shocked that I did not make murukku and thattai at the very least !
Very recently last year when I kept kollu the focus for me shifted from prayers to making the different chundals and getting the house ready for guests. When I lamented
about this my family said why not just do what is more important to you? Has the religious aspect changed or is it just me I wonder. I really feel people in whatever religion slowly moving away from the reason behind the festival and the focus is more on dress, clothes, food and such. Please tell me its not just me and thats the latest trend these days.
I do not have to look very far for this matter as I remember how celebrating Deepavali changed after I got married. Before marraige it was all about bursting crackers and eating the goodies. Once married I was deluged with questions from family members about what goodies I made. Being a novice I always dreaded
the approach of any festival. I still remember Krishna Janmashtami. Being involved in Puja I just did plain poha and milk as neivedhyam much to the horror of all even mother. Everyone was shocked that I did not make murukku and thattai at the very least !Very recently last year when I kept kollu the focus for me shifted from prayers to making the different chundals and getting the house ready for guests. When I lamented
about this my family said why not just do what is more important to you? Has the religious aspect changed or is it just me I wonder. I really feel people in whatever religion slowly moving away from the reason behind the festival and the focus is more on dress, clothes, food and such. Please tell me its not just me and thats the latest trend these days.
Total Comments 18
Comments
 |  Dear AC, That was a wonderful piece written a clear candid thought put in plain words. With each passing year the significance of any day actually differs. Why reach to festivals, when I was in school "Sunday" was a very important day for a reason that I did not have to wake up early to go to school and secondly my parents would have decided to take us out may be for a movie, circus, or an outing to a nearby beach, garden could be a day picnic too. Today Sunday is meant for shopping, calling in friends, having gala time. The same way, festivals have also taken a different meaning in my life. Diwali is more for lighting, Dassera for dandiyas, New Year for parties, and so on.. A good write up dearie.. enjoyed reading.. |
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| | Nice one AC dear. I agree we do things differently today. I do however think that we mostly have the same intent as ppl did before. Getting together, having fun, eating goodies. Of course, with changing lifestyles the simplicity has gone. We do not have domestic help to do everything we want to right from making the eats ourselves, inviting ppl, getting the house ready for them and of course getting the puja set-up ready. Hence we have to rescind to choosing a few and doing just those. I do agree that with all the polished and sophisticated ways of society there is greater importance given to outward things like dressing up, jewelry, the things you own in your house etc. Overall, I think it is the fast paced and nuclear lifestyle that has brought about this change rather than just as individuals. We are just adjusting to the situation and trying to priotitize things according to the changed situation and our own liking. I totally agree with Mals that as we move from one phase in life to another the significance of the same thing changes. So, it is not just you AC. We are together in this! SS |
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| |  AC, What a nice thought. I wont say that the festive spirit and their significance have never gone off. It all depends upon individual thoughts and life styles. Many people still want to do things the traditional way and many just adjust things according to their lifestyle. Making sundals for the Golu along with the Pujas is the most welcoming act in this modern days. If we want our future generations to know the traditions and cultures then we need to celebrate all the festivals without missing their spirit. This way it will help our kids to know what is what. Just tell me whether you prepared Cheedais and Murukkus for last year's Janmashtami? |
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| |  Mals thanks for this very nicely worded reply..I would have given up writing blogs if it were'nt for you..You have put it down so well..these days with so many things going on Sunday becomes just yet another day..you are such a precious angel..Times have changed and so has the festivals and our take on them.. |
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| | SS do not argue with me dear young friend when I say your reply is better than my lead.. I am proud to say it and itsa tribute to your writing skills too.. I hear when you say that the fast paced and nuclear lifestyle has brought about this change..so very very true..Thanks for your comments.. I am really glad you chose to join me here:) |
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| | Rajmi as always a crisp and neat and nicely worded reply my dearest young friend.. so glad you got time to read and reply.. You are right..many people still want to do things the traditional way and many just adjust things according to their lifestyle..I did prepare cheedai as per chitvish recipe..it came out very easy for me. I also replied in her forum about the ease.. also did murukku from a mtr mix.. my family loved it.. also her kozhkatai recipe was easy for me for ganesh chaturthi.. so i am slowly improving I should say :) |
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| | Thats nice to know that you made the Cheedais and Kozhukattais and also it turned out well. |
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| | Rajmi I thought of you as more of my young cute sis now looks like we are looking at young sis-inlaw??? dearest friend i would rather have you as sis any day:) |
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| | Rajmi I like your new avatar: jolly good fellow:) |
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| | Dear AC, I am always a sis. I can never be a sis-in-law. Thanks. I was searching for this for a long time and recently hit upon a website that had this. Saved it and added it. |
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| |  Very nice Post indeed. In the recent days me and my friends have been talking about these stuffs lately...When we are raised in our home land our parents didnt have much trouble in teaching us and explaining us on the significance of our festivals and customs, but now since most of us reside abroad, if we do not follow them, they will be lost and our kids wouldnt even know these exist. When we were young we were enjoying the festive food and the spirit of those festivals and parents insisted on getting ourselves involved in the religious activities and there by learning all the good things in those...now a days most of the women are working and we stay abroad, so we have additional responsibility in teaching our kids, making them realise the spirit of the event, make them learn our own customs and culture (because i feel these days festivals are the main means by which you can teach the kids about your culture and custom, the daily routine doesnt do that) and above all making delicious festive meals and dishes to keep our DH and kids enjoy what they miss in our home land...In doing all these we loose our own spirit in enjoying these festivals...Think we must regain all those lost spirit, this would also help us in delivering our spirit to the little ones.... |
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| | very nicely said and put forth .thanks for stepping in.. ursnegithi. |
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| |  Dear Ac, Yeah agreed times have changed. With both partners working, the lady of the house does not have the time nor the energy to do such elaborate things so the main ingredient is done like cheedai or sundal. When we were in Port Blair, though we could not have Kollu there, still we assemble in each members house every evening had bhajans and a potluck dinner. You will never believe I still miss that navarathri though i am in the happening city of bangalore. It also depends on each person's perspective, some belive we have to eat in God's name and prepare everything & some believe prayers are more important and God never asks for all the goodies. If he really accepts the goodies, nobody will offer them........ is another part. I still believe you pray with your heart and offer to God whatever you can with LOVE. As krishna says in B Gita, a flower, a leaf, a little drop of water if offered to him with Love, he will personally come there to receive the same. |
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| | Only you can write so sweet and put the words together in your perspective..I really like the way you described the celebrations at Port Blair and how u miss them now even though u live in the heart of it all...dearest Lalitha..I am so happy u choose to reply to mine as it makes my blog more interesting to all and special to me:) |
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| |  Dear AC, a nice write up. The significance of festivals will never lose its importance because at least on that particular day,all members of the family pray together. The goodies and dresses are also other attractions to keep the festivals alive.Even when I was working I used to make the specific bakshanams and dishes for each festival. For the last few years I was thinking to cut short some of the things because only we too are at home, but I could not do it thinking that my DH would be deprived of eating the goodies. PS |
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| | onru chunalum nanru chunneergal amma PS.. so glad you wrote what u felt.. yes we will deprive our family of the special goodies when we dont do it..atleast for that sake we need to do right?? :) |
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| |  Dear AC akka, Kozhukattais... Seedais...murukkus.... What all... Making this poor guy all hungry ..... God has not asked anybody to keep all the prasadams... We in our own enthu to please him or make him happy try to do the sweets which we feel that each God likes and keep it as prasadam... We learnt that Ganesha is found of KK and Krishna used to steel butter... so on Vinayak Chadurthi we do KK and on Krishnajayanthi butter with sugar... If we look at it from this materialistic world.... All these prasadams are made to just for us to eat later... Different variety of food... Feast... If for one day God started taking the prasadam in reality, from the next day we will stop doing prasadam.... If we look at it spiritually... We are trying to bring the God from the higher platter to our equal and try to feed him, with what we eat and what he likes.... We associate, each festival to each God... So different variety of food/dress etc came into focus... Again in this we have differntiated the poojas and celebrations... Now, over the years do we lose the focus and concentrate more on the food and clothes... In this fast moving materialistic world, we are more concerned about the society, neighbours, friends and relatives... We do our pooja... But we want to show to others that we too have celebrated... This show off is the reason for us to buy expensive clothes/feast etc... But there are people who do it in the real spirit... but over the years this group is becoming a minority... When you are in overseas, especially ME, i dont know about other places... the festive mood itself will not be there... It is just any other day... Let me stop here, otherwise i will keep blabbering... These are absolutely my own views and not to hurt anybody... |
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| | Veda do forgive me for missing this most wonderful and Exquisite reply.. and I really mean it:) I just read and was absolutely impressed with your skills in expressing.. so neatly.. You have given in a nutshell what I tried to do.. and I totally agree:) Please dont say blabbering and my views and such again.. we should always feel free to express ourselves.. if someone cannot take it thats fine:) I do hope more people read these lines of your.. again thanks for sharing your thoughts:) regards from sis:) |
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Recent Blog Entries by Anandchitra
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