Baro maashe tero parbon, went the Bengali saying — 13 festivals in 12 months. But now festivities have multiplied enough to fill the whole calendar. From Akshay Tritiya to Friendship Day to Karva Chauth, every day is a party.Why this need to party so much? Psychiatrist Dr Bhargavi Chatterjea Bhattacharyya points out two main reasons. “There are obvious commercial motives behind promoting occasions like Dhanteras, Valentine’s Day or Mother’s Day. The other need has been occasioned by the breakdown of the joint family.”
In a larger set-up, there were more reasons to celebrate in the same house — a cousin’s rice-eating ceremony, a brother’s sacred thread ceremony, an uncle’s marriage. “With the frequency of such occasions cut down, people are looking for ways to break the humdrum of daily life.” Sudeshna Banerjee and Poulomi Banerjee check out the year…
January
Jan. 1, New Year’s Day: Once upon a time, the holiday would mean a trip to the zoo or picnics on the Maidan. Today it means party time…the first day of the year, it’s ok to get a hangover, we’ll sober up in the following days…Vuvuzela!
Jan. 23, Netaji’s Birthday: Also the beginning of a long, fun-filled weekend if January 26 is a Monday.
Jan. 26, Republic Day: Restaurants organise elaborate buffet meals on Republic Day with patriotic names for items, such as Hind-e-Bahar. Look out also for huge discount offers.
Bidhannagar Mela: A must visit for a Salt Lake resident. Sometimes on view, with trinkets, textiles and bags, are straight-from-the-districts attractions like a 20kg fish, dipped in formaldehyde. About the same time, Lexpo and Expo, and the Book Fair, now at the Bypass.
February
Saraswati puja: The puja with the greatest number of pandals, big, small, tiny, ugly or cute. The goddess of knowledge has a huge following, though the puja has another aspect. It offered the chance to go dating, before dating, or Valentine’s Day, arrived in the country.Feb. 14, Valentine’s Day: A national and commercial festival. Anargha Chowdhury of Anjali Jewellers counts Valentine’s Day as one of the big sales time. Those allergic to roses, hearts and the colour pink stay away.
Holi: You must attend a Holi party to gulp down the annual bhang. Wearing low-cost white clothes sold on the occasion at big clothes chains that make you look like Rekha or Amitabh in Rang barse, depending on your tendencies.
March
Shivratri: A day of fasting and wanting a husband like Lord Shiva. Would mortal women really be able to survive Shiva? Women think so, for the brata now cuts across classes, uniting women from the slums and multi-storeyeds before the shivling.
March 8, International Women’s Day: Cards, text messages, book launches. Pubs and clubs offer discounts to women.
IPL: The annual reminder that three-hour matches, cheerleaders and Bollywood stars are threatening not only Test cricket but also ODIs.
April
Easter: The sale of Easter eggs is growing exponentially. “The demand for traditional Easter bread to break one’s fast with and hot cross buns has gone down. But the demand for Easter eggs and bunnies has gone up by 50 per cent in the last two-three years,” says Lovey Burman of Kookie Jar.
Poila Baisakh: The second largest Bengali occasion. Mangsho, polao, new clothes, and feeling very Bengali. It’s the culmination of the great Chaitra sale and the beginning of halkhata, the new accounts book.
May
May 1, May Day: Bengal can never say no to a hard-earned holiday, especially one that is a tribute to striking labourers killed in 1886 Chicago in police firing. We need a break, from whatever we are not doing.
Rabindra Jayanti: 2010 was big, marking the beginning of Tagore’s 150th year. Be warned of more noise next year.
May 9, Mother’s Day: Buy a card, or a gift, take her out and pamper her. There are brands enough to help.
Akhshay Tritiya: The entrance to Salt Lake from Ultadanga glittered with an arched gate made by a jewellery chain for weeks leading to the event. Another auspicious occasion like Poila Baisakh to start a new business year, but now as much about buying jewellery. Rituparna Sengupta can be spotted on the occasion promoting a jewellery brand.
June
Lokenath puja: The 18th century saint with his piercing gaze has made his way into Bengali hearts with his promise of being by your side in times of trouble. His death anniversary is observed in a big way, resulting in a lot of prasad of pulao, niramish torkari and mishti. His popularity has overtaken Balak Brahmachari’s or Bama Khyapa’s. Lokenath Baba even has a Facebook account.
Football World Cup: The football feast starts and doesn’t end till July. Football is the national sport of Bengal, which is divided into Argentinians and Brazilians. It doesn’t matter if India had only once qualified for football’s biggest show in 1950, and the team did not go. We’ll be crazy. We will stay up night after night with Messi and Ronaldo, Rooney and Kaka for now, come what may, even if it is long power cuts the next day. Waka waka!
Jamai Shasthi: Getting bigger and better. Another occasion to gear up in Bengali ethnic wear, eat Bengali food and party in the evening. If cooking at home is troublesome, just take your jamai to a Bengali-cuisine restaurant.
July
Rath: The day marks Lord Jagannath’s journey to His aunt’s place. GenEx remembers fairs, and papads. But GeNext is seen dragging miniature raths too.
August
Aug. 2, Friendship Day: Invented in the US in 1935, imported into India probably by the 1998 Kuch Kuch Hota Hai where Shah Rukh Khan was seen gifting a friendship band to every girl. Some never stopped since.
Aug. 15, Independence Day: Same as Republic Day.
Rakhi: Rani Karnavati of Chittor sent one to Emperor Humayun to seek protection against Bahadur Shah, Sultan of Gujarat, making the Mughal emperor become her brother and rush to her rescue. Tagore used it for Hindu-Muslim bonding when the British tried to divide Bengal in 1905. Today Rakhi is a far less momentous, but a far more pervasive, occasion. Bengalis celebrate it with gusto.
September
Sept. 5, Teacher’s Day: Lost a bit of its lustre, but still holding on.
Sept. 9, Id-ul-Fitr: For the faithful it is the day of celebration after the month-long fasting and prayers. For the non-Muslim, it is biryani, kebab and firni, after a month of halim.
Ganesh chaturthi: Mumbai’s deity is fast finding a home in Kolkata too. The Puja season that used to start with Viswakarma now starts with Ganesha in some localities. But the modaks are still absent.
Viswakarma puja: The growing number of Viswakarma pujas can give competition to Saraswati pujas. The god of craftsmen would always inspire every bus route to set up its own pandal and every taxi to deck up its front with banyan tree leaves, but the pandals now are bigger and more numerous. Though with the shrinking skyline and profusion of cables, the kites don’t fly so much.
October
Mahalaya: The dawn that heralds Devipaksha, the fortnight of the goddess, ushers in the hectic celebration period.
Navratri: Fasting, worship and dandiyas. You can also spot your favourite small screen stars on stage, like Naitik-Akshara and Shyam-Sugna. Organisers claim that at the best of times dandiyas do not yield high returns. “We look at a maximum of 10-15 per cent profit. It’s more of a passion,” said Mayank Joshi, an organiser.
Durga puja: The real thing. Bengal’s greatest festival is as much a carnival as it is a ritual. If craftsmanship is on display in the pandals, the Kolkatan doesn’t shy of turning into a clotheshorse himself. And there is the eating. “Pandal-hoppers are always in a hurry. So it’s best that we offer them a buffet that they can pick up on the run,” says Milee Banerjee of The Stadel in Salt Lake.
Lakshmi puja: Largely popularised by families from erstwhile east Bengal, Lakshmi puja takes place within five days of Vijaya Dashami and allows the cost of a new pandal to be saved. Though no one keeps the Kojagari vigil.
Karva Chauth: No longer is it restricted to the married, female, or Hindi-speaking. “I had a Punjabi boyfriend who used to keep Karva Chauth. While we were dating I used to keep the fast too. We went to Pizza Hut after we saw the moon,” confesses a 28-year-old. Love in the times of fast food.
Oct. 31, Halloween: Trick or treat? Believe it or not, Halloween is here too. The nightclub Venom has been holding Halloween parties for the past three years. “We are still trying to educate the people,” says Bunty Sethi of Venom. Scary.
November
Dhanteras: Times were when Dhanteras would mean buying silver coins. Now it means all kinds of jewellery and other stuff too. Jewellery chain Nemichand Bamalwa & Sons achieved 25-30 per cent more sales in the Dhanteras-Diwali week last year compared with the same period the previous year. And once the word was unknown to Bengalis.
Kali puja/Diwali: The dark goddess is ushered in on the same Amavasya night when Diwali is celebrated with much fanfare. But Diwali is getting as popular as Kalipujo. Today Bengalis decorate their homes with colourful rangolis and Lakshmi-Ganesh pujas are held along with Kali pujas. Sweet shops raised prices by 20 per cent before Diwali last year.
Jagadhhatri puja: Chandernagore’s pride is Kolkata’s latest acquisition. “Our orders have increased at least 20 per cent compared to five years ago,” says Babu Pal, joint secretary of Kumartuli Mritshilpa Sanskriti Samity.
Bhai phonta: Same as Jamai Shasthi, only substitute jamai with bhai.
December
Poush Mela: The seventh day of Poush marked Maharshi Debendranath Tagore’s public initiation into Brahmo dharma then. Today the fair on Bhubandanga maath has the middle classes descending upon Santiniketan.
Dec. 25, Christmas: The area vacated by the cannon in New Market is getting busier every year. Trees with automatic lights, bells and balls and stars, fairy dolls, Santa in his sledge — the collection, mostly brought from China, is getting better and more expensive with every passing year. Christmas eve parties. Decorating the Christmas tree is a passion in Bengali homes now.
Dec. 31, New Year’s Eve: The year ends, but the parties increase.
March 8, International Women’s Day: Cards, text messages, book launches. Pubs and clubs offer discounts to women.
IPL: The annual reminder that three-hour matches, cheerleaders and Bollywood stars are threatening not only Test cricket but also ODIs.
April
Easter: The sale of Easter eggs is growing exponentially. “The demand for traditional Easter bread to break one’s fast with and hot cross buns has gone down. But the demand for Easter eggs and bunnies has gone up by 50 per cent in the last two-three years,” says Lovey Burman of Kookie Jar.
Poila Baisakh: The second largest Bengali occasion. Mangsho, polao, new clothes, and feeling very Bengali. It’s the culmination of the great Chaitra sale and the beginning of halkhata, the new accounts book.
May May 1, May Day: Bengal can never say no to a hard-earned holiday, especially one that is a tribute to striking labourers killed in 1886 Chicago in police firing. We need a break, from whatever we are not doing.
Rabindra Jayanti: 2010 was big, marking the beginning of Tagore’s 150th year. Be warned of more noise next year.
May 9, Mother’s Day: Buy a card, or a gift, take her out and pamper her. There are brands enough to help.
Akhshay Tritiya: The entrance to Salt Lake from Ultadanga glittered with an arched gate made by a jewellery chain for weeks leading to the event. Another auspicious occasion like Poila Baisakh to start a new business year, but now as much about buying jewellery. Rituparna Sengupta can be spotted on the occasion promoting a jewellery brand.
June
Lokenath puja: The 18th century saint with his piercing gaze has made his way into Bengali hearts with his promise of being by your side in times of trouble. His death anniversary is observed in a big way, resulting in a lot of prasad of pulao, niramish torkari and mishti. His popularity has overtaken Balak Brahmachari’s or Bama Khyapa’s. Lokenath Baba even has a Facebook account.
Football World Cup: The football feast starts and doesn’t end till July. Football is the national sport of Bengal, which is divided into Argentinians and Brazilians. It doesn’t matter if India had only once qualified for football’s biggest show in 1950, and the team did not go. We’ll be crazy. We will stay up night after night with Messi and Ronaldo, Rooney and Kaka for now, come what may, even if it is long power cuts the next day. Waka waka!
Jamai Shasthi: Getting bigger and better. Another occasion to gear up in Bengali ethnic wear, eat Bengali food and party in the evening. If cooking at home is troublesome, just take your jamai to a Bengali-cuisine restaurant.
July
Rath: The day marks Lord Jagannath’s journey to His aunt’s place. GenEx remembers fairs, and papads. But GeNext is seen dragging miniature raths too.
August Aug. 2, Friendship Day: Invented in the US in 1935, imported into India probably by the 1998 Kuch Kuch Hota Hai where Shah Rukh Khan was seen gifting a friendship band to every girl. Some never stopped since.
Aug. 15, Independence Day: Same as Republic Day.
Rakhi: Rani Karnavati of Chittor sent one to Emperor Humayun to seek protection against Bahadur Shah, Sultan of Gujarat, making the Mughal emperor become her brother and rush to her rescue. Tagore used it for Hindu-Muslim bonding when the British tried to divide Bengal in 1905. Today Rakhi is a far less momentous, but a far more pervasive, occasion. Bengalis celebrate it with gusto.
September
Sept. 5, Teacher’s Day: Lost a bit of its lustre, but still holding on.
Sept. 9, Id-ul-Fitr: For the faithful it is the day of celebration after the month-long fasting and prayers. For the non-Muslim, it is biryani, kebab and firni, after a month of halim.
Ganesh chaturthi: Mumbai’s deity is fast finding a home in Kolkata too. The Puja season that used to start with Viswakarma now starts with Ganesha in some localities. But the modaks are still absent.
Viswakarma puja: The growing number of Viswakarma pujas can give competition to Saraswati pujas. The god of craftsmen would always inspire every bus route to set up its own pandal and every taxi to deck up its front with banyan tree leaves, but the pandals now are bigger and more numerous. Though with the shrinking skyline and profusion of cables, the kites don’t fly so much.
October
Mahalaya: The dawn that heralds Devipaksha, the fortnight of the goddess, ushers in the hectic celebration period.
Navratri: Fasting, worship and dandiyas. You can also spot your favourite small screen stars on stage, like Naitik-Akshara and Shyam-Sugna. Organisers claim that at the best of times dandiyas do not yield high returns. “We look at a maximum of 10-15 per cent profit. It’s more of a passion,” said Mayank Joshi, an organiser.
Durga puja: The real thing. Bengal’s greatest festival is as much a carnival as it is a ritual. If craftsmanship is on display in the pandals, the Kolkatan doesn’t shy of turning into a clotheshorse himself. And there is the eating. “Pandal-hoppers are always in a hurry. So it’s best that we offer them a buffet that they can pick up on the run,” says Milee Banerjee of The Stadel in Salt Lake.
Lakshmi puja: Largely popularised by families from erstwhile east Bengal, Lakshmi puja takes place within five days of Vijaya Dashami and allows the cost of a new pandal to be saved. Though no one keeps the Kojagari vigil.
Karva Chauth: No longer is it restricted to the married, female, or Hindi-speaking. “I had a Punjabi boyfriend who used to keep Karva Chauth. While we were dating I used to keep the fast too. We went to Pizza Hut after we saw the moon,” confesses a 28-year-old. Love in the times of fast food.
Oct. 31, Halloween: Trick or treat? Believe it or not, Halloween is here too. The nightclub Venom has been holding Halloween parties for the past three years. “We are still trying to educate the people,” says Bunty Sethi of Venom. Scary.
November Dhanteras: Times were when Dhanteras would mean buying silver coins. Now it means all kinds of jewellery and other stuff too. Jewellery chain Nemichand Bamalwa & Sons achieved 25-30 per cent more sales in the Dhanteras-Diwali week last year compared with the same period the previous year. And once the word was unknown to Bengalis.
Kali puja/Diwali: The dark goddess is ushered in on the same Amavasya night when Diwali is celebrated with much fanfare. But Diwali is getting as popular as Kalipujo. Today Bengalis decorate their homes with colourful rangolis and Lakshmi-Ganesh pujas are held along with Kali pujas. Sweet shops raised prices by 20 per cent before Diwali last year.
Jagadhhatri puja: Chandernagore’s pride is Kolkata’s latest acquisition. “Our orders have increased at least 20 per cent compared to five years ago,” says Babu Pal, joint secretary of Kumartuli Mritshilpa Sanskriti Samity.
Bhai phonta: Same as Jamai Shasthi, only substitute jamai with bhai.
December
Poush Mela: The seventh day of Poush marked Maharshi Debendranath Tagore’s public initiation into Brahmo dharma then. Today the fair on Bhubandanga maath has the middle classes descending upon Santiniketan.
Dec. 25, Christmas: The area vacated by the cannon in New Market is getting busier every year. Trees with automatic lights, bells and balls and stars, fairy dolls, Santa in his sledge — the collection, mostly brought from China, is getting better and more expensive with every passing year. Christmas eve parties. Decorating the Christmas tree is a passion in Bengali homes now.
Dec. 31, New Year’s Eve: The year ends, but the parties increase.
No comments:
Post a Comment