Shivaratri - The Great Night of Shiva - The Amazing Days for Sonic Sonny 💁🏻Can India get anymore Colourful - YES - Part 1
Just when I thought India could not get anymore colourful or spectacular - I was WRONG !
THE FESTIVAL
Shivaratri, the festival and celebration of the Hindu God, Lord Shiva.
It's a first and foremost a religious festival and also a time for celebration with your family and friends. It's a holiday time in India.
The celebrations go on for many days and closes with the pulling of an amazing chariot.
THE TEMPLE DAY
Temples are adorned with lights & Families attend Pooja ( to give worship / honour Shiva) at the many Temples across the country.
I have never seen longer queues like this in soaring 34 degree heat families with young children waited their turn patiently for hours to enter the Temple - it to was very humbling to see and certainly made me think about my own faith.
I attended the Temple on the second day when the locals had mostly made their Poojas
My flower offering
It felt nice to enter and leave a small token of me behind - I said a little wish and pray of my own faith also.
3 days later the Chariot pulling day arrives and the centre became a wonderful mixture of people offering colour, art, selling food, crafts and pretty much anything else you could imagine needing at a festival. More in Part 2
THE FOOD AND STALLS
And of course would not be a celebration without SWEETS - the india way of celebration and have luck is to offer and to eat sweets !!
Bright orange Jalebi - deep fried flour batter then soaked in sugar syrup.
Spice Tables appear even more beautiful and creative for the festival.
CRAFTS
Crafts are amazing - from simple bead bracelets to customised macrame brackets. I couldn't resist engaging with this family all happily working together. Of course I couldn't walk away without buying !
Can you spot my Name - letter spelling S O N I -- just the "A" is still to be added to complete the bracket!
Hope you enjoy the post - more to follow on the colour, talent and art of the festival.
Have a great start to the week Steemsters!
Sonic Sonny 💁🏻