Indians are forever celebrating – births of Gods and Goddesses, their marriages and the victory of deities over demons. For some the celebrations are wrapped in a religious fervor, but for me, its always been more of a cultural tradition , rather than a religious affair. I love most festivals because of their color and vigor and very often , they bring the great Indian family together. All celebrations begin and end with food.
Today we celebrate Krishna Jayanthi or Gokul Ashtami or Janmashtami as it is called in various parts of the country. The celebrations are also as diverse as it can get and today most of the festivities spill from homes and temples to the streets. The legend goes that Krishna in his childhood used to steal butter from earthen ware pots held aloft or hidden around the homes. In towns today, young boys or girls perform acrobatics by forming a human pyramid to break the pots which are tied up in the air on a rope. The pots normally carry money and the spoils are celebrated by the community .
In South, some families welcome Krishna home. As a child, my mother used to tell me that Krishna will visit our homes during midnight. ” He was born in the midnight, remember, ” she said and narrated the story all over again. She used to painstakingly create designs of tiny feet on the floor , leading from the entrance to the puja room.Very often I used to wake up and wonder if Krishna had walked down the path. Sometimes I used to place my feet on those designs and pretend to be in Krishna’s shoes and get yelled at in the bargain .” Krishna will not come home if you do that, ” she used to warn and I used to run away to play. While most of these are rubbished today as superstitions, I believe there was so much of innocence and belief in those little things that made our day. Today, most festivities lack those little things, which gave us so much of nostalgia and connected us to our community and our culture.
I was in Madras (Chennai ) recently when the street vendors were busy selling terracotta idols of Krishnas to families. With Ganesh Chaturthi , Navratri and Dasara around the corner, the painted terracota idols are making a quick sale. I am down with a bad stomach and hence can neither enjoy the butter, the sweets and the savories today, nor am I painting feet of Krishna on my floor – but I would just like to revel in the festivities around.
Good one…
Lovely set of pictures.
/*but for me, its always been more of a cultural tradition , rather than a religious affair.*/
Same here 😀
Ahh, those colours. Nothing is as magical anymore as when we were children and believed in magic 🙂
Great cultural tradition and lovely post!
Thanks everyone..I so agree with the magic part, Fida
Thanks everyone..I so agree with the magic part, Fida
hahahaa… love the first sentence:) “Indians are forever celebrating” -great observation and colorful pics. and you got a nice blog here..
Mom also drew Krishna’s feet at home yesterday, but what bothers me is the tasty seedai prepare in home is missing and those bought from the shop lacks the savor. Keeping away the belief, I like celebrating festivals as much it bring happiness to everyone.
Pictures are very colorful to eyes!
Thank you for sharing
This fabulous work with us
Good creations
Oh sorry to learn that you can not enjoy the sweet meats prepared at home. Incidentally in the second photograph, a muslim vendor is selling the idols.
You have a very colourful culture. And the people are beautiful and always happy celebrating!
most hindu festivals were perhaps celebrated with the intention of socialising and to keep ourselves away from the routine. We too celebrated sri jayanthi and the uriyadi at varagur is very famous.
excellent post lakshmi, keep coming with more such posts along with your travelogues.
hey!
wow! loved ur blog 😀
Wonders never cease. This is soul lifting. I like the 3rd picture. Liveliness amidst lifelessness. Keep up the great work.