The Downpour of Festivities

The Downpour of Festivities

Living as a metaphor of cyclical time gives special meaning to seasons in Indian aesthetics. The seasonal cycle asserts the principle of continuity and sequntiality-so significant for survival in the midst of change. The hope of rejuvenation and perpetuation of life inspire a sense of acceptance rather than annoyance for the changing seasons. The hope and acceptance is perhaps best reflected in the myriad views we have about the rainy reason. Described as the de facto spring of the predominantly agrarian society by Prof. A.L. Basham, the rainy season spanning the four months of monsoon activity heralds a cornucopia of emotions and expressions. In a tradition that finds divinity in everything, the disparate sentiments of awe, admiration, fear and gratitude merge in celebrations all around India.

The reveling in this enchanting song from the lyre of the world (as Tagore may have called it) takes different hues based not just on the diversity of region but also of purpose. On the basis of purpose, the first prominent group of festivals expresses the hopes of fertility. Second group of festivals focus on rising above the feelings of uncertainty coming in the wake of the season and the last relates to adjusting with the adjustment with the period of inaction due to rains. While the first group of festivals is best reflected in the folk spirit, the last is generally confined of classical elitism. The chasm of purpose however does not dampen the spirit of celebrations. The folk-classical continuum blends the celebrations of the masses.

The celebration of fertility is perhaps the hallmark of the rainy season festivals. Most festivals in the season herald the incipient rejuvenation, which culminates in full fledged celebrations of fertility with the arrival of mild winters (Sharada in the classical tradition). The celebrations begin as a precursor to the rabi season, by honouring the Earth Goddess. Be it the Ambubachi or Ambuvachi of Bengal and Assam or the Raja Parba of Orissa, the focus is on venerating the earth before her fertility is exploited by agriculturists. As a mark of respect for Mother Earth, the folks do not ‘touch’ or ‘hurt’ Her by walking barefoot or lighting the hearth. The veneration of divine fertility reaches the zenith at the Kamakhya Temple on Assam where both folk and Sanskritic streams find a confluence under the aegis of Agamic traditions. The festival at the temple draws devotees from all over who wait for the reopening of the temple after three days of closing to herald the phase of fecundity. A similar fertility refrain is there in the festival of Lai Haraoba in Manipur which dates back to the Pre-Vaisnava days of the state. Beginning at the onset of summers, the festival continues for four months with enactment of myths and rituals of divine creation by special ritual experts, culminating during the rainy season. Even the overwhelming spirit of Gaudiya Vaisnavism in the Manipur valley has not been able to diminish the significance of Lai Haraoba for the mainstream Meitei community of the Manipur valley.

The restrictions and uncertainties that come with the onset of monsoon lead to unique coping mechanisms. For the classical tradition, the coping starts with dealing with the inaction and isolation especially for those in the ascetic order. The solution has been found in the observance of four months of stay at one place and contemplation (better known as chaturmasa). On the more worldly side, Harishayani Ekadashi which marks the beginning of the four month rainy season, is observed as the beginning of the four month resting period for gods, especially in the Vaisnava tradition. The priests then concentrate on the propitiation of Shiva during the following month of Shravan. Another important festival in the Sanskritic stream is the Guru Purnima, where the disciples traditionally used to offer gifts to their Guru. The festival may have lost its fervour with the ubiquitous modern educational system but the vestiges survive in areas of classical music and dance where the Guru-Shishya tradition is still alive.

In the folk aspect the coping assumed new dimensions-they relate to the adjustments with being away from loved ones and adjusting to the challenges of the rains. From the plains of the North to Tamil Nadu, the months of the rain are marked by the return of married daughters to their father’s home in many regions. This period of separation from the spouse on the one hand and reunion with the family of orientation for the married women on the other finds many customs and rituals associated with it. It includes the special celebrations for the women, including customary recital of folk songs and laying of swings. The men on the other hand often shun any shaving or bodily decorations or comfort for the month of Shravan. The coping also extends to deal with contingencies of the rainy season including managing the resources need for agriculture and home. It also means being prepared for the impact of drought or floods. The answer to coping with contingencies is found in fairs prior to onset of heavy rains-which help people stock for the rainy season. A plethora of magico-religious performances ranging from the mimetic magic practices of the tribal groups to the Sanskritic sacrifices for rains deal with the anxieties.

One major group festivals that reflects the unique blend between aspirations of fertility and the anxieties of the rain relates to snake worship. As a creature that can move without limbs and slide into subterranean zones full of mythical wealth, the snake is eulogized as the custodian of wealth. The enigmatic nature of its existence and its association with hidden regions even above the ground makes it a unique symbol capable of giving the boons of fertility. To complement the sentiment, the power of its venom makes it an object of awe especially with the rise of incidents of snake bite due to the tilling of the soil and the better proposition for thee snake to hide above the ground due to the resurgence in greenery. Festivals like Mansa Puja in Bengal and Naga Panchami in Northern, Central, Western parts of India, apart from some regions in the South (particularly Kerala). With the popularity of the snake shrines in traditional Nair tharawads (households), snake worship has a cult status, with the presence of snake icons especially of the divine serpent Anantha (also known as Sesha) in many households. At even more classical level, the Naga Vasuki temple at Prayag becomes a major draw of pilgrims on the occasion of Naga Panchami, where this predominantly folk festival gets its swig of the Sanskritic tradition.

The coping with contingencies is often a feminised phenomenon in most patriarchal societies, with India being no exception. In most of the above festivals, women have a major role to play. Mansa Puja in Bengal is basically a female affair. Indeed, even the ritual experts for snake worship in Kerala are sometimes women. The special festivals of married women to pray for the long life of their husbands and the welfare of their household are found both in the North and the South. Among this genre of festivals is the major tourist draw of Rajasthan-Teej, marked by over 24 hours of fasting apart from lot of purchase of jewellery and clothes and with special processions to mark the divine love of Shiva and Parvati. In the South the Varalakshmi Vratham is a similar occasion of fasting and praying for the welfare of the family. The unmarried girls have their own share of folk festivals which apart form Naga Panchami includes the commencement for the preparation for the worship of Goddess Sanjhi in Central North India, which finally commences during the fortnight of ancestors.

The festivals of rainy season are not just confined to folk stream and there are mainstream religious celebrations especially in form of various major congregations. The first important congregation is the Ratha Yatra of Jaganath Puri. In much of Eastern, Central and Southern India there are similar Jatras and celebrations associated with major temples. One significant one among them is the famous Palkhi procession of the Varkari tradition that culminates with a huge congregation at Pandharpur in Maharashtra. Equally significant is the pilgrimage during Shravan to the Baidyanath Dham in Deoghar (now in Jharkhand). As one of the putative sites of Baidyanath jyotirlinga (the twelve sites with a special ‘essence’ of Shiva), it becomes a major congregation where the pilgrims are conspicuous with their orange/ochre attire. The biggest festival in the religious realm is perhaps the celebration of the birth of Krishna on Janmashtami or Gokulashtami. The festival of Ganesha that follows about 10 days after Janmashtami is celebrated with religious fervour not just in the South and in Maharashtra but has its own unique form in the North-where it si known for the throwing of stones on other persons’ roof as a means to get away form the curse of viewing the moon on the day of the festival. In much of Central North India Ganesha Chaturthi is known as Dhela Chauth.

The rainy season heralds the biggest festival of Kerala-Onam, to mark the return of the mythical king of the land, Bali to know the welfare of his people. The 10 day festival is marked by not just celebrations inside of the house with special rituals and feasts but its public expressions in form of boat race and dances has now made Kerala and essential part of the tourist itinerary during the otherwise lean tourist months of monsoon.

The list of celebrations is endless and it is hard to capture a glimpse of all in a mere article. But it is this endlessness of celebrations that makes India a land of constant intrigue, enjoyment and celebration. As proverbs in many languages say, India is a land where there are eight festivals in seven days of a week.