The Ayudha Puja is usually celebrated on the 9th day during the Navrathi period, and is an integral part of the Dasara festival. Special prayers are offered to goddess Saraswati - the divine source of wisdom and enlightenment. I offered my own prayer during this day too... for a few less mosquitoes in the car each morning.
Riley and Sheridan both helped participate in the Puja. They decorated the driveway and were adorned with the spice pastes. Libby just laid around, though she too had a small opportunity to be blessed as you'll see in the video.
The original video of the Puja is over 10 minutes, so I edited it down as best I could. For reference, the man in the button down shirt is my driver, and my gardener is in the white t-shirt and shorts. You're lucky he dressed up for the occasion... usually he does his work in just his shorts.
7 comments:
Very Neat to see, Thanks for sharing.
I love the picture of the girls and the dog and I love that the dog got a blessing as well.
I do remember last year. This is really neat for the girls (and you too I'm sure) to experience something like this. I think that's what I miss the most - the traditions of different cultures.
that was so neat to see.
Absolutely facinating. I had only heard of Pujas before this as something Everest climbers do to ask permission and blessings from the Gods before they attempt a summit. I especially love that Libby got blessed too. Awesome there was enough to go around. :)
What a great cultural experience for your girls!
Very interesting to watch the ceremony and to hear your voice. The place seems so lovely, the birds in the background. I can get a feel of where you live. Perhaps you could take us on a video tour of your property as there's probably lots of flora and fauna that is exotic to us.
- Suzanne
Great post! When I lived in Chennai, Ayudha Puja was my favorite! I loved to see the decorated and sparkly clean busses and all other vehicles! What a nice experience.
I was more impressed the person doing the puja was not hesitant to give tikka (kumkum vibhoodhi) to your dog, as in most parts of India, Chennai included, dogs are usually kept far from temples/holy places/puja areas. (My experience anyhow.)
Your family looks wonderful in Indian dress. Has your husband worn kurta pyjama or lunghi/dhoti yet?
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