Makar Sankranti- I was invited to attend a ceremony to celebrate this special Hindu Festival on one of Hindu's only fixed holidays on January 14th. Makar Sankranti is a major harvest festival celebrated in different ways all over India. According to the lunar calender, this festival celebrates the sun moving from one Zodiac sign to another, called Sankranti. The movement of the sun from the Capricorn (that's me:) to the Tropic of Cancer, called Makar in Hindi.
Scientifically, this day marks the beginning of warmer and longer days compared to nights and the beginning of the harvest season. Sankranti is derived from the word- Sat + Kranti, which means a good change or an auspicious movement.
Certainly, it was auspicious activity that allowed me to join such a powerful ceremony as well as my first chance to partake in a Hindu Festival. Also, it was my first time sporting the tilak or bindi (aka "red dot") on my forehead. Pretty cute, no?
Sankranti ceremonies differ across all regions and cultural backgrounds of India. The Sankranti ceremony I attended included a fire ritual in which spices and ghee (clarified butter) were offered into the fire, while sacred chants and kirtans were sung. There was also prasad, divine blessings in the form of food.
I arrived at the ceremony and as seats filled up sitting on the lawn, I realised I was the only non-Indian present. It is an adjustment to be in the minority here in Bangalore. Regardless, I felt very much at peace and in unison with all those around me once the chanting began. I was handed an "English" version of the lyrics. It could have been Arabic for all I knew. I loved to sing the "Shanti, Shanti, Shanti, and oms" parts, some more familiar words of peace from my yoga practices in Minneapolis. Can you just picture me getting down to this? I am pretty sure I had a goofy grin slapped all over my face.
During the long parts of the chanting, in particular one chant that was repeated in honor of a god 108 times. (It reminded me of saying the rosary!) I shared giggles and a smile with the teen aged girl sitting next to me who admitted to me in the sweet Indian accent, "Oh Gaaawd...it is getting late. I need to go home and study my maths" I agreed it was getting a bit long as I was craving the prasad treats after two hours of sitting, mosquitoes, and not having had lunch or dinner.
And yet, possible potential malaria aside, I found this to be one of the more spiritually awakening moments of my time in India. Despite the foreign language and traditions, I felt like I had been there before. (Maybe in a past life?)
One woman was asked to stand and share about the importance of the day. She really hit home with her message. She spoke of how important it is to accept change in our lives and to not hold onto the negative. I was like, "did you read my blog post yesterday???" She explained why we hold onto the negative- it is easy for the brain to attach to the negative because in moving forward, we don't know what faces us in choosing a more positive action. Fear gets in the way. It is easier to cling to the negative that we are so familiar with. Next thing we know, our immune system crashes, and it is a downward spiral of anger towards ourselves and others.
But the same goes for positive thinking- a spiral upwards-resulting in increased relaxation and finding, shanti, or tranquillity within ourselves. However, this path takes courage. Don't I know it! But, when we are at peace- we are not fighting the world.
We are human though. When we lose our ground and have moments of negativity, we need to maintain faith- a universal message in every spiritual or religious group I have encountered. Faith in a higher power and realizing that we are not in control and to respect the time things take and wait patiently.
How apropos, as I awoke this morning and faced my patience being tested right and left. I can't say I was thinking of this message as I patiently waited for the Internet guy who never showed up. When I called, he pleaded the fifth and said my least favorite explanation I so often hear in Bangalore or "Tomorrow, m'am, tomorrow..." meaning "maybe tomorrow, maybe in two weeks." This was immediately followed by a promise broken to have the apartment move-in ready by today. Followed by the delivery of a sofa bed-on time, praise the Lord! But when the packaging was unwrapped it...was.... PURPLE! (Patti- it is your favorite color!) But nope, not what the doctor ordered.
Or maybe, India teaches me yet another dose of medicine for my self growth. Okay, Lori. Breathe. Take Courage. It will be okay. be assertive when necessary to make the change, but to also take courage to not let the negative seep in too deep, and realize, the grass grows in its own time, India moves at its own unique pace.
I can change me. not India. And, if I could change India-would I want to?
Traditional fire ceremony.
Scientifically, this day marks the beginning of warmer and longer days compared to nights and the beginning of the harvest season. Sankranti is derived from the word- Sat + Kranti, which means a good change or an auspicious movement.
Certainly, it was auspicious activity that allowed me to join such a powerful ceremony as well as my first chance to partake in a Hindu Festival. Also, it was my first time sporting the tilak or bindi (aka "red dot") on my forehead. Pretty cute, no?
Sankranti ceremonies differ across all regions and cultural backgrounds of India. The Sankranti ceremony I attended included a fire ritual in which spices and ghee (clarified butter) were offered into the fire, while sacred chants and kirtans were sung. There was also prasad, divine blessings in the form of food.
I arrived at the ceremony and as seats filled up sitting on the lawn, I realised I was the only non-Indian present. It is an adjustment to be in the minority here in Bangalore. Regardless, I felt very much at peace and in unison with all those around me once the chanting began. I was handed an "English" version of the lyrics. It could have been Arabic for all I knew. I loved to sing the "Shanti, Shanti, Shanti, and oms" parts, some more familiar words of peace from my yoga practices in Minneapolis. Can you just picture me getting down to this? I am pretty sure I had a goofy grin slapped all over my face.
During the long parts of the chanting, in particular one chant that was repeated in honor of a god 108 times. (It reminded me of saying the rosary!) I shared giggles and a smile with the teen aged girl sitting next to me who admitted to me in the sweet Indian accent, "Oh Gaaawd...it is getting late. I need to go home and study my maths" I agreed it was getting a bit long as I was craving the prasad treats after two hours of sitting, mosquitoes, and not having had lunch or dinner.
And yet, possible potential malaria aside, I found this to be one of the more spiritually awakening moments of my time in India. Despite the foreign language and traditions, I felt like I had been there before. (Maybe in a past life?)
One woman was asked to stand and share about the importance of the day. She really hit home with her message. She spoke of how important it is to accept change in our lives and to not hold onto the negative. I was like, "did you read my blog post yesterday???" She explained why we hold onto the negative- it is easy for the brain to attach to the negative because in moving forward, we don't know what faces us in choosing a more positive action. Fear gets in the way. It is easier to cling to the negative that we are so familiar with. Next thing we know, our immune system crashes, and it is a downward spiral of anger towards ourselves and others.
But the same goes for positive thinking- a spiral upwards-resulting in increased relaxation and finding, shanti, or tranquillity within ourselves. However, this path takes courage. Don't I know it! But, when we are at peace- we are not fighting the world.
We are human though. When we lose our ground and have moments of negativity, we need to maintain faith- a universal message in every spiritual or religious group I have encountered. Faith in a higher power and realizing that we are not in control and to respect the time things take and wait patiently.
How apropos, as I awoke this morning and faced my patience being tested right and left. I can't say I was thinking of this message as I patiently waited for the Internet guy who never showed up. When I called, he pleaded the fifth and said my least favorite explanation I so often hear in Bangalore or "Tomorrow, m'am, tomorrow..." meaning "maybe tomorrow, maybe in two weeks." This was immediately followed by a promise broken to have the apartment move-in ready by today. Followed by the delivery of a sofa bed-on time, praise the Lord! But when the packaging was unwrapped it...was.... PURPLE! (Patti- it is your favorite color!) But nope, not what the doctor ordered.
Or maybe, India teaches me yet another dose of medicine for my self growth. Okay, Lori. Breathe. Take Courage. It will be okay. be assertive when necessary to make the change, but to also take courage to not let the negative seep in too deep, and realize, the grass grows in its own time, India moves at its own unique pace.
I can change me. not India. And, if I could change India-would I want to?
that's right...I took my own picture in the bathroom mirror. lovely...
How nice to be invited and included in the ceremony - sounds like a wonderful experience. I can only imagine your reaction to the purple couch :) ouch. I hope you are settling in to your new place! Share pics!
ReplyDeleteWow, this is a profound experience. And definitely a good experience (though not easy)to be the only non-indian. At least the context was postive. The world over, people have made important discoveries of the human state of mind and being. Lesson learned.
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