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Christmas reminds me of Tihar...

Its December 21, and I can already sense the Christmas feeling. White snow, happy holidays, colorful gifts, Christmas lunches, and bright lights...This is my first Christmas in a western country, away from home. I am not a Christian but am definitely enjoying this festivity around me. And, why not? The elaborate decorations with lights brightening the neighborhood reminds me of Tihar, the festival of lights. 

Back home, Tihar was one festival I could never get enough of. There was a lot of things I enjoyed about it. Break from school was one of them, of course. But more than that, the brightly lit autumn evenings with deusi-bhailo songs reverberating from every possible direction, filled me with such joy. Watching mom make sel rotis, helping dai fill up the palas with oil for burning in the evening, learning card games with dad, going out to play bhailo with friends in the evening and so many more fond memories. 

I remember the first time I went to play bhailo with my friends. It was 1992. I was barely seven at the time. On learning that kids in my neighborhood, all my size and age, were planning to go play bhailo, I immediately asked mom to let me join them. Of course she wouldn't let me go, being the concerned mom that she was. But after a good deal of convincing, mom finally agreed. So at 4 in the evening I set out with my band of friends. There were about ten of us. 

We would go from house to house and shop to shop. There was this particularly smart boy who took lead of all the bhatyauney stuff. The rest of us would follow him singing on top of our voice. And when the singing was done, the house lady would give us some money, often accompanied with fruits and sel rotis..... Our eyes glowed and grew bigger every time we received a 5 rupee note. We would exchange secret glances and try to hide our excitement. Silently, at the back of my mind I would start calculating how much money we had made. The very thought of earning money, and giving it to my parents for all the right reasons, made me feel so grown up and so responsible all of a sudden. That was one of the happiest evenings of my life.

To this day, when I think of Tihar, that particular evening comes to my mind. And right now when I say that this Christmas feeling is giving me goosebumps, believe you me, its because it takes me back to that autumn evening of 1992 :-)
Merry Christmas and happy holidays!!
-Bineeta


Comments

  1. bloggerktmDecember 22, 2012 at 3:33 AM

    it was refreshing learning of such memory! Happy Christmas and enjoy your holidays!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Bineeta December 25, 2012 at 10:14 PM

    Thank you very much,and warm greetings to you too. Plus happy new year 2013 in advance :-)

    ReplyDelete

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