A Week of Celebrations

February 14, 2024 ~ millennialmatriarchs ~ Leave a comment

Just as the January festivities that heralded the New Year have waned, the early days of February have their own set of celebrations. From Galantines Day and Valentines Day, to Basant Panchami, to the Chinese New Year, this is a week that celebrates new beginnings.

Meena has written about the history of the first two days. The third day, Basant Panchami falls on the fifth day of the Hindu month of Magha. This year this happens to be on 14 February. This auspicious day, marks the first day of spring in the Indian seasonal almanac. This is also the day to pay homage to Saraswati, the goddess of learning, music, arts and wisdom. Homes are decorated with marigold flowers and rice flour rangoli, special food is cooked and distributed to family and neighbours after the traditional puja to invoke year-long blessings of the Goddess for knowledge and progress. Yellow is the colour that marks this celebration of spring—from wearing yellow clothes to the myriads of marigold ornamentations.

Celebrations of another spring festival in another part of the world also commenced this week with joy and fervor. This is the Chinese New Year, which like Basant Panchami, is determined by the lunar calendar. These celebrations, which last for 16 days, commenced on 10 February this year. The Chinese Spring Festival was originally a ceremonial day to pray to gods for a good planting and harvest season. As in all agrarian societies, the entire year was dependent on a good harvest. People also prayed to their ancestors, for their blessings. Even today, Chinese New Year heralds a time of renewal, prosperity, and festivity, not just in China, but for Chinese communities across the world. Celebrations symbolize fresh beginnings and a renewal of familial ties, and it is customary for family members from far and wide to travel to meet up for reunions and gatherings.

The Chinese zodiac follows a twelve-year cycle with each year assigned to an animal. The twelve animals are arranged in this order: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. 2024 is the Year of the Dragon according to this zodiac. The dragon holds significant cultural importance in Chinese folklore. The Chinese people deeply cherish the dragon which is believed to represent strength, wisdom and good fortune. The dragon, this year’s Chinese zodiac sign represents power, magic, and the pursuit of one’s desires. Each animal in the zodiac is thought to influence the personality traits and fate of those born that year. Individuals born in the Year of the Dragon are thought to be blessed with good luck.

As in all traditional societies, there are a number of customs that mark the special days. Unlike most festivals which are preceded by a special round of ‘spring cleaning’, in the run-up to Chinese New Year’s day, traditionally bathing was not allowed on this day, as also sweeping throwing of garbage, a few days prior to this day. This is to make sure that all the good luck is not swept or washed away! On the other hand there is a designated day before the New Year which is dedicated to cleaning so as to sweep the bad luck away and make room for the good. A delicate balance indeed! There are a few other taboos during the New Year period, once again to guard against any ‘seeping changes’. No cutting of hair or nails, no use of sharp objects, no breaking no swearing, cursing or saying unlucky words like ‘death’ or ‘sickness’.

While Indian spring festival is marked by the exuberance and cheer of yellow, it is red that marks the heralding of a new year in China. Houses are decorated with red lanterns, strings of red chilli peppers (real or fake), and red decorations on walls and doors. Red clothes are also a part of the Spring Festival wardrobe. It is believed that the colour red will help to deter evil and demons. Children traditionally receive money in red packets or pockets are they are called. These symbolize the transfer of good fortune from elders to the youngsters. The practice has its origins in folklore.

As the legend goes an evil spirit named Sui would appear on New Year’s Eve and pat the heads of sleeping children three times. This would make the children sick. One couple was playing with their child at bedtime with some coins and left the coins on red paper near the child as it slept. That night when the sprit Sui came it was frightened away by the coins glinting on the red paper. Thus began the tradition of giving children coins in red covers on New Year’s Eve, to guard against evil spirits and for their good health and fortune through the year. The tradition continues to this day.

The other tradition which is closely linked to the celebrations is the bursting of crackers, just as Diwali celebrations are marked in India. This one too has a legend attached. Another mythical beast named Nian who preyed on people and livestock, used to visit villages on New Year’s Eve, forcing people to hide in fear in their houses or escape to the mountains. There are two versions of the story. In one, a young boy burst crackers and scared away the monster. In another, a beggar took refuge in an old woman’s house and promised to save her from the monster. He pasted red papers on the doors and windows and burst crackers at midnight, both of which frightened away the monster. Thus bursting of firecrackers at midnight on New Year’s Eve and again on New Year’s morning has continued to be a tradition associated with this festival.

Ironically, due to safety reasons and air pollution concerns, the Chinese government has banned firecrackers in many cities in China. However there has been a lot of public pressure to allow people to celebrate an ages-old tradition of welcoming the New Year with the sound and light of firecrackers.

On another note, the Chinese government is hoping that the declining fertility rate and falling population numbers which has reached worrisome levels will get a boost with a flood of new babies born in the Year of the Dragon. According to the traits associated with the Chinese zodiac children born in this year will be imbued with strength, intelligence, confidence, and success. Thus it is hoped that parents will hope to conceive and deliver dragon babies in this year!

Whatever the mode of celebration, spring marks new beginnings, hope and freshness. Celebrating red and yellow every day of the year.

–Mamata

Yellow is the Colour of Spring

February 8, 2022 ~ millennialmatriarchs ~ Leave a comment

Basant Panchami, celebrated on the fifth day of the Magha month, heralds the end of winter and the coming of spring. It precedes Holi which marks the beginning of summer by about 40 days.

Yellow is the colour of this festival. With good reason—of the myriad flowers that bloom in the spring, many are yellow. Mainly the mustard flowers, which turn North India’s landscapes golden in these months. Yellow is also the colour of Goddess Saraswati, to whom this festival is dedicated in some parts of the country.

Apart from marking a major seasonal change, there are many stories and myths associated with the festival.

My favourite one is to do with Poet Kalidasa. The story goes thus, for those who need a refresher: The Princess of one of the kingdoms in the North (not at all clear which one!) was very intelligent. She laid down the condition that she would marry only the man who beat her in a contest of wits. Many a suitor came and was rejected, including the son of the CM of the country. Male egos were as fragile then (approximately 5^th century CE) as now, and the CM and maybe some of the rejected suitors decided to give her her comeuppance. Imagine a girl proving that she was more intelligent than men! Anyway, they decided to hunt out the dumbest guy in the country in a kind of reverse intelligence test. They were thrilled when they located a shepherd who they felt was the epitome of dumbness—it is said that they spotted him when he was sitting on the tip of branch high up on a tree, and sawing away at the branch—which would of course have resulted in his falling down along with the branch. Through a series of ruses, they managed to trick the Princess into thinking he was very intelligent. The Princess married him, and obviously the secret came out pretty soon. The Princess threw the husband out. He was in despair and on the verge of suicide. At this point, Goddess Sarwaswati is said to have appeared in front of him, and asked him to take a dip in the river. And then the miracle happened! When he emerged shivering from the river, it was with a hymn to the Goddess on his lips—the Shyamala Dandakam! A miracle had happened–he had gained poetry, wisdom, language and knowledge! That was Kalidasa—the man who gave us works such as Abhijñānaśākuntalam, Kumārasambhava, Ritusamhara, Meghadhoota, etc. The episode of the Goddess giving him darshan and his gaining wisdom is said to have happened on the fifth day of Magha, which therefore we now celebrate as Saraswati Puja, and pray that the Goddess may bestow similar gifts on us. . (It has always intrigued me as to what happened with the marriage. Did Kalidasa and the Princess get back together? I don’t remember that the story ever referred to that.).Some people also mark this as Saraswati’s birthday.

The other story involves Shiva and Parvati and is a bit gory for my liking. Shiva’s beloved wife Sati had died, and he went into total depression (following a huge show of rage). He started meditating and was oblivious to the world and his duties. But the world needed him to keep the cycle of life going—an immediate requirement being that a son be born to him to destroy the demon of the moment. As per the larger plan, Sati had already taken her birth as Parvati, the daughter of the King of the Himalayas where Shiva sat in meditation. But nothing she did could even get him to open his eyes. That is when the gods sent Kamadeva, the god of love, who shot an arrow at Shiva and got him to open his eyes. So furious was Shiva that he opened his third eye and burnt Kama before anyone knew what was happening. But the purpose was achieved–he also saw Parvati and fell in love with her. Kama’s sorrowful wife Rati underwent rigourous penances for 40 days till Shiva relented and agreed to let Kama, the collateral damage, resume his physical form for one day a year. The day this happened was Basant Panchami.

East and North India seem to celebrate this festival much more than the South—at least, I don’t remember this as one the special days in our Tamil calendar. So for me Basant Panchami is memories of amazing bhogs at the houses of dear Bengali friends. And an opportunity to wear yellow, a colour too bright for my usual palate.

Grateful for the diversity of stories, traditions, celebrations. Surely makes our lives more colourful and interesting!

–Meena

Wisely, Towards Spring

February 4, 2020February 4, 2020 ~ millennialmatriarchs ~ Leave a comment

D268048C-DD39-4287-B9B7-279D6073FAE4 Basant Panchami went by last week. The mustard fields of Punjab must have been a riot of yellow, but my own little shrub was beautiful too!

Basant Panchami falling 40 days before Holi, marks the transition towards spring. As always, the festival is celebrated differently in different parts of the country. In some parts of India like Bengal, and even as far afield as Indonesia, it is marked as Saraswati Puja. Apart from the fact that it is the time of flowering of many plants like the mustard which has yellow flowers, the colour yellow marks this festival because of its association with Saraswathi, Goddess of Learning.

I could not really find what the exact association of Basant Panchami with Saraswati is (being a Tamilian, I celebrate Saraswati Puja during Dusshera). But I did come across one very interesting story linking the two.

The story of Kalidasa is well known. He lived in a country with a princess renowned for her intelligence and wit. The princess set the condition that she would marry only the man who answered a series of questions she put to him. Many a man—king, prince, warrior, commoner—tried and failed. The people of the country were fed up (and a lot of male egos probably smarted). A bunch of them decided to teach her a lesson. They set up the village idiot for this. They knew the questions, and tutored him as to how to respond to them—basically not to open his mouth and exhibit his ignorance, but simply show hand signs.

The ruse worked and Kalidasa married the princess. (Actually, he was not called Kalidasa then, but acquired the name later). It did not take the princess long to figure out that her husband was a dolt. She threw him out.

Depressed, he wandered about. In most versions of the story, he went and prayed to Kali in a temple, and she blessed him with brilliance and wit and eloquence (Maybe on behalf of Saraswati? Or asked Saraswati to bless him with these attributes?). There is however a lesser known version of the story that he was kicked out of home and hearth around Basant Panchami, and on the day of Panchami, he tried to drown himself in the Ganga. Saraswati saved him and endowed him with her blessings. Thanks to which he went on to become Sanksrit’s greatest playwright, giving the world such gems as Abhijnanashakuntala , Vikramorvashi , Malavikagnimitra, Raghuvamsha, Kumarasambhava and Meghaduta.

So happy journey towards spring! May Basant Panchami bring wit and wisdom to all of us, as it is said to have brought Kalidasa.

–Meena