varalakshmi vrata hindu festival
DESCRIPTION
The Magic of Hindu FestivalsHinduism is celebratory by nature. Hindus miss no opportunity to set mundane matters aside and join with family, friends, neighbors and strangers alike to feast and have fun, to renew the home and the heart and, most importantly, draw nearer to God.Festivals are perhaps more impressive and varied in Hinduism than in any other religion. The devout Hindu knows these are times of profound mysticism, when God and the Gods touch our world, revitalize our souls, lighten karmas and bless our families. Yet festivals do even more than this: they are essential to the perpetuation of religion, periodically reigniting the spark of zeal and devotion in the community. They provide the spiritual public square where Hindus engage with one another, affirming shared values and enjoying life's intersections.Before each celebration, vows are taken, scriptures are studied, pilgrimages are trodden and fasts observed in preparation--all individual acts of intimate devotion that bring the devotee closer to the Gods and keep him on the path to his inmost Self. As each festival begins, solitary adoration becomes a collective ritual, with millions of people taking their places in an ad-hoc choreography. Tradition is followed but the result is never the same; every festival is special and unforgettable in its own way.Thus the Hindu is reminded of his faith by the sounds, scents and the wild medley of tastes laid out for the feast. His mind and emotions are imbued with Hinduism as sacred mantra prayers are intoned, the spiritual teachings are recounted by saints and the Gods are praised in melodious bhajans.Each state of India, indeed each village, lends a little of its unique culture to how a festival is celebrated, creating almost endless variations. But recently, with the growing Hindu population outside of India, festivals have acquired an international dimension. They provide a window into Hinduism for the non-Hindu populations in countries as far flung as Norway, Chile and Canada. At the same time, for Hindus immersed in foreign and often very alien cultures, festivals are the most visible and memorable sign of their heritage. Celebrated with unmatched fervor but with paced regularity, festivals serve as a reminder of one's identity and allegiance to Hindu traditions and ideals.What could be more entertaining, alive, vibrant and yet pious and rich in symbolism than a Hindu festival? Professor Dr. Shiva Bajpai remarked that it is through festivals that most Hindus experience their religion: "Festivals, pilgrimages and temple worship are the faith armor of Hindus."TRANSCRIPT
28 hinduism today april/may/june, 2010
Who is Varalakshmi and what is the vow?Varalakshmi is the giver of vara, mean-ing boons or wishes. In this form Lakshmi brings prosperity, well-being and fulfi lment to the home. The vow, or vrata, is each wom-an’s pledge to honor the female principle in the highest manner by observing this elabo-rate festival.
Where is the festival celebrated and when?Married women in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra celebrate this festival on the Friday preceding the full moon in the Hindu month of Shravana (August/September).
What are the customs for this day?Women who wish to wholeheartedly seek the Goddess’ protection receive blessings to do so from another who practices the tradition. Girls may participate but do not perform the puja. Homes are thoroughly cleaned, decorated and prepared the day
before for the Goddess’ arrival. The next morning, a ceremony is per-formed honoring Ganesha, the Lord of Beginnings. Then, through song, the women invite Varalakshmi into their home shrines. She is represented by a brass vessel (kalasha) filled with uncooked rice, betel leaves, betel nuts, coins, turmeric root, dates and other auspicious items. A coconut is seated over the mouth of the pot. The face of the Goddess, an impression usually made in silver (sometimes a coin), is attached to the coconut fi bre. The ka-lasha is then decorated with jewelry and draped with cloth and brocade to look like a beautiful Goddess. Several women attach a black-beaded braid with a tasselled ornament at the end.
What rite binds the women to Lakshmi? Hindu women pray for their family’s
Taking a Vow of Love & LoyaltyTaking a Vow of Love & LoyaltyVaralakshmi Vrata
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Varalakshmi Vrata is one of those rare festivals that are strictly feminine. At this time women cel-ebrate and reaffi rm their connection with Goddess
Lakshmi, the Divine Mother and provider of abundance and wealth. It is both a celebration and a strict observance,
practiced exclusively by married women. Wives take turns honoring each other as representatives of the God-dess, exchanging sweets, spices, new clothing and money. Women chant the prayers, prepare the offerings and conduct the entire ceremony themselves.
Making IdliHealthy steamed rice cakes, a staple breakfast food in South IndiaPreparation time: overnight
Cooking time: 30 minutesServes: 6-8Cooking equipment: A steamer and idli (or muffi n) cups.
Ingredients1 cup unbroken de-husked black gram urad dal, 3 cups rice (brown rice is healthiest), salt to taste
Method1. Soak rice and lentils in suffi cient
water for 2 hours. 2. Grind the mix into a fi ne, fl uffy
paste, adding water as needed to form a batter thicker than pancake batter. Let ferment overnight.
3. Mix the salt into the batter.4. Butter the steamer trays. 5. Scoop one ladle of batter into each
cup on the tray. 6. Steam for 20 minutes or until the
steam smells of cooked dough. 7. Scoop out the idlis. If dough is
sticky, steam them a little longer. 8. Enjoy them while hot, with savory
chutney and sambal!
Hinduism: Fact & Fiction
How do women relate to Varalakshmi? Vara lakshmi is the epitome of femininity. She is the giver of pleasure, happiness, love and peace. She embodies strength, resilience and fortitude. She is the teacher, bestowing knowledge. Women pray that they may pos-sess all Her strengths to fulfi ll their demand-ing roles in life. A Hindu woman is consid-ered the Lakshmi of her home, the one who brings good fortune. In Hindu marriages, the bride is Lakshmi personified. In the tradi-tional home, Every Hindu wife and mother
is addressed by the title Shrimati, the auspi-cious one, or Sau bhagya vati, the epitome of good fortune.
Are there many forms of Lakshmi? Though Goddess Lakshmi is one, She is wor-shiped on different occasions in slightly dif-ferent aspects, including Gajalakshmi, the royal form of the Goddess, flanked by el-ephants, representing power; Dhanalakshmi, the supreme giver of wealth; and Danyalak-shmi, keeper of grains and abundant food.
prosperity and well-being. A toram or sara-du—a thread stained in turmeric paste with nine knots in a row—is tied to the Goddess. A similar thread is prepared for each lady and placed in front of the Goddess during the puja. After the rituals, the thread-brace-lets are distributed and worn on the right wrist as a mark of protection.
Are the food preparations elaborate?The recipes are unimaginably complex and
time-consuming. Their loving preparation is itself a means of venerating the Goddess and, through Her, all women. To be proper, a feast must have at least a dozen appams, salty pongal, steamed rice cakes and kolakat-tai, twelve each with coconut filling and sesame seed fi lling—to name a few items on the menu. Camaraderie abounds and bless-ings fl ow in abundance as participants feast on delicacies. Foods prepared for this day are surpassed at no other festival.
Tidbits About Varalakshmi‛s Festivities
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FACT: Hindu women are honored as bringers of good luck and fortune. They are considered the keepers of culture, tradition, values and morals in a Hindu home. They have equal footing with men in education, politics and the arts. A husband and wife are viewed as yoked oxen, each having to pull the cart of family life for it to move forward. Priests only receive serious responsibilities in a temple after getting married, when they are considered to be stable and responsible.
FICTION: Some wrongly believe that dowry is a mandatory practice with religious roots. It is, in fact, a social custom that came into practice when succession laws favored only the male children in the family. A daughter’s wedding was an opportunity to give her a share of her parents’ wealth, which she would have no legal claim over later. The law has changed today to give equal rights to heirs of either gender, and parents are also changing, albeit gradually.
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