India is a land of great cultural diversity. Each and every region has its own unique music, sweets as well as customs and celebrations. And when writer Meenakshi Reddy Madhavan asked everyone to talk about “something cool & slightly obscure your family celebrates”, people happily obliged. Read on to know about all these festivals from across the country.
#1. Kolu or Golu – the festival of dolls celebrated during Navratri in South India.
For eg: near my grandparents’ house in Hyderabad was a Tamil family that set out their dolls on a table every year? Like all sorts of clay dolls and teeny tiny doll’s house furniture type things & that day they welcomed all us surrounding kids inside with open arms.
— Meenakshi Reddy Madhavan (@reddymadhavan) November 5, 2020
this is also an andhra telugu custom – but done during sankranti and called bommala koluvu 🙂
— Sadhana (@sadhanac) November 5, 2020
#2. Ezhuthinirruthu or Vidya Arambham – Initiating the education of children between 2-5 years.
Not obscure at all but I love it. Ezhuthinirruthu. Toddlers are sat down to ‘write’ a word in a plate of grain with their finger. Someone you admire, someone older or someone you consider literary or artistic or learned does it for the child
— Nisha Susan (@chasingiamb) November 5, 2020
I find this custom very beautiful. We call it vidyaarambham (beginning of knowledge). Hari is written on grains, and on the tongue as well 🙂
— Rekha Bala (@rekhabaala) November 5, 2020
Hehe, not really that poetic. Aksharabyaasam in Andhra. Wiki tells me it’s mudhal ezhuthu in TN 🙂
— FilterKaapiLover (@bigbala) November 5, 2020
#3. Kukur Tihar – When dogs are honoured for their awesomeness in Eastern states of Sikkim and West Bengal.
My husband runs a pet resort and all the staff there is Nepali. We celebrate Kukur Tihar every Diwali. The doggos and we LOVE it. So much love and gratitude for wo-man’s best friend
— Pistol 4.0 (@payoshnis) November 5, 2020
Always happy to! (I have many other photos but they show the staff so not right of me to share those) pic.twitter.com/yEw4FPVAXQ
— Pistol 4.0 (@payoshnis) November 5, 2020
#4. Pola – When farmers honour their bulls and oxen in central India.
Pola, a festival to honour oxen in agrarian families in Maharashtra. It is not without its complications (and maybe I’m opening a pandora’s box here) but I like the idea that a day is set aside to give them some rest from the backbreaking work they are put to.
— Anagha (@uhnuhgha) November 5, 2020
#5. Swarna prashana – feeding gold to infants.
In my family which is Malayali-Kannadiga mix, after kids are born they rub some gold ornament usually like a ring or something on this particular piece of wood and then rub that gold flecks/ particles (?) on the child’s tongue. Supposed to provide prosperity or something.
— Sherina Poyyail🏳️🌈 (@debausheri) November 5, 2020
#6. Bhumi puje – worshipping the land and earth.
We celebrate this unique festival called bhumi puje, where in the farming folks offer some food made of all the leaves available nearby to the mother earth. The next day it is prohibited to harm the ground as the earth is sleeping after a meal!
— Aravinda Devaramane (@aravinda_dk) November 5, 2020
Does your family celebrate these festivals? Tell us!