Ten reasons why I celebrate festivals

The first thing I should tell you is I am not religious!

The reasons are

-It’s the same, old life that we lead every day. A monotonous and routine existence. Festivals give me an opportunity to break free from this drudgery and change my routine for a day. 

-A holiday! Yes, most festivals are a holiday or a Restricted Holiday. It means taking a day off and celebrating the festival with lot of fanfare.

-F stands for festival and also for the food which is a part of it. Be it Taal (food items made from  the extract of Palm fruit), the Saraswati Puja Bhog, the Ashtami bhog during Durga Puja or the Kali Pujo feast of Polao-Mutton; each festival has its own delicacy associated with it. The celebration is incomplete without the proper food. The Navratri festival gives me an opportunity to cut down on carbohydrates and proteins which otherwise I am not able to abstain from. 

-A perfect time to catch up with friends and socialize. A perfect day to organize or attend a gathering of relatives and relive old memories. 

-An occasion to highlight my culinary skills. Khichudi-Labra feast for Saraswati Pujo, Luchi-Alu Dom for Narayan Pujo or Puli-Pithey for Poush Sankranti, , these are some of the occasions I invite people home for food.

-An opportunity to bring out my choicest sarees, put on matching accessories and get ready for a beautiful day out.

-I grew up watching my mother and grandmother celebrating a variety of festivals. I loved the rituals and customs associated with these festivals and decided that I won’t let them end with my mother. I have to continue this tradition and not let modernity destroy them.

-Now that I am a mother, I realize the importance of celebrating these festivals. My child watches me, while I observe these rituals and I know he is picking them up. Someday, I hope he will continue these traditions and not let them die.

-Every festival has a relevant background. It’s interesting and exciting to explore each of these festivals, understand the folklore and myths behind them and document them. For example, Manasa Puja, the deity of the snake, is held every year during monsoon. It is during monsoon that snakes are rampant and many deaths occur due to snake bite. The villagers religiously worship Ma Manasa, in a bid to pacify the deity and seek her blessings, for a longer and safer life. 

-The Indian culture is rich and diverse. It’s interesting to note that every festival, in every region has its counterpart in another region. While the Bengalis worship the Goddess perched on a Lion, elsewhere people worship the Goddess on the Tiger during Navratri. While the Bengalis celebrate Poyla Boishakh and have a new ‘Haalkhaata’, the Assamese celebrate Bihu.