“barah mahine, terah parv (We have 13 festivals in 12 months) goes a common saying, I wonder who invented just 13 festivals. I believe we celebrate more than 13 fests in a year.

Anyways, I pick your depression/ escapism part that surrounds festivals per sé . I worked on a similiar story some time back. Ever thought how many festivals people from the pre-civilisation era used to celebrate and what was their ways of partying? Ideally, we should be enjoying each day in our lives confirming that we are alive and contributing in some or the other way to society.

Coming to celebrations, we certainly bank on mother nature. If I go by Indian festivals not a single event is devoid of the seasonal contributional. We whitewash our homes during this time, which is a disinfecting agent. We get ready to welcome the winter season and buy new clothes. Do we need a reason to celebrate? I know a few who dont need a reason or religion for that matter to enjoy life. The transition in weather incites excitement.

We arrange gathering and party eventually to affirm our contribution to the close knit society which is increasingly dependable.

Fun, frolic, celebrations and parties have been an integral part of any society that grows- economically as well as geographically.

to swapna: ur reply almost slapped my perspective and i m happy it did. While i was perceiving festivals from an individual’s perspective, i completely forgot that communities make festivals. So, yes, the grup behavior shud have been given attention.

to priya: i m elated that ur 1st words on VEranDA were a reply to mine. Indeed, that was a practical reply. May be I am seeing things too…..I dont kno..

anyway,
thanx guyz n keep bloggin

I wanted to begin with “Who is Joy?” But bad jokes are Ankit’s prerogative. So, I decided against it.

So, the first comment for your post comes from someone who doesn’t really believe in religion. Please don’t confuse that with “god.” I like God (we have a fairly good relationship). I don’t quite buy the rituals that go along with religion and most mythological stories have been so distorted that they sound ridiculous.

I believe life is about joy and seeking happiness. Festivals are just a reminder that life is worth celebrating. We can’t have reminders everyday or they’d lose their purpose. Like if your alarm clock rings continuously, you wouldn’t know when to wake up. Festivals are like alarm clocks - they ring once in a while and you have the option of clicking on snooze. But don’t turn it off and go back to sleep!!!

So, have fun and on some days have more fun! Simple rules to live by

Life isnt as depressing as one reads it to be in the papers.
The contemporary Indian has greater priorities in life and greater challenges to overcome. So celebrating festivals is not as meaningful as it once used to be. We may celebrate it outwardly but does it change the way we behave to others or bring a transformation in our hearts? I dont know.

Look at our lives. Do we really understand what the festivals are about and why we celebrate it the way we do? Do we even consider why it is relevant to still celebrate it? I am not sure about it coz yes Onam, Vishu and Christmas are very special festivals coz i associate those festivals with certain beliefs that relate to values and not necessarily mythical characters. But do i know why i rush back home at the end of the day to celebrate these festivals? I can’t say i am sure of it. But I would love to hear what others feel about this.