The Hindu Holiday Dilemma

Much of my time in India has been spent being a part of some of the various Hindu holiday festivals.  These things are very complicated here, as the same festival is celebrated in millions of different ways based on region and even family. Hindus are extremely religious and the festivals are entirely based on religious praise, rituals, and offerings. Being raised Catholic, although I’ve tried to search for similarities, most of the comparisons end with stark differences. 

I’ve participated in most of the rituals, most of the time under strict instructions, having no clue what’s going on or what I’m supposed to do. I do it mainly to be included and to not appear disrespectful, but the worshiping of statues and offerings to various gods isn’t really in my religious wheelhouse. 

This week’s rituals started with the construction of a fire and the lighting of candles in the prayer room. Everyone was given either a full stripe (married women) or a small stripe of sindoor powder and took a visit to the prayer room. The food offering was then handed out to everyone. It seemed like banana tacos to me, but I somehow politely avoided a try. 

The next day an assembly of items was put together that I was told would be offered to the sun god. I wasn’t sure exactly what that would involve. The street outside the house we are staying was decorated and this carpet was laid down. Blaring loud religious music was playing from loudspeakers all day. I’m told that before COVID and the eldest Aunt became ill, we would follow this path down to the Ganges River along with thousands of others to lay the offering on the banks.

 

Instead, we took an auto rickshaw down to the Ganges to retrieve water to fill up a baby pool on the roof. Yes, this really happened. Then the next eldest Aunt gets in the pool of Ganges water and holds each of these offering baskets made earlier in the day. Periodically someone is instructed to poor more of the holy (Ganges) water on her or the offering basket she is holding. 

The evening then ended with fireworks.

The last festival is coming up tomorrow. It’s a celebration of Goddess of the Universe- it’s a form of the Goddess celebrated during Dusshra what I wrote about a few years ago. These sweet cookie type things were made. They tasted kinda like gingerbread. Then the front porch type area was cleaned and this giant statue was wheeled in. I’m told a priest is coming tomorrow and at that time her face can be uncovered. Stay tuned!