The Last Ray of Festivity in My House...... Raash

How do you feel when the festival is over? Don't you feel that this time is so boring and don't you remember the festive time? Don't you miss the lights, the music and the happiness? I feel.... everybody feels, because we like the festivity and that's why we try to keep the charm within us.

 
 Today I'm going to share a very personal happiness of mine embracing the festival. It is the last ray of that festive mood that we carry from the Durga Puja and Diwali. The extended form of festivity takes the attire of a worship in our house and once more makes us smile.

It is "Raash" that we celebrate in our house every year. Listening the name Raash one should think about the Worship of Lord Krishna, as mostly in this pious full moon day Lord Krishna and Goddess Radhika is being worshiped. But in our house we worship Goddess Laxmi and Lord Narayana in this full moon day. Most of the Bengali Families worship Goddess Laxmi at the "Kojagari" full moon just after Durga Puja. But we have shifted the program at Raash for some reasons.

We also worshiped Goddess Laxmi before at the Kojagari full moon before when my Grandma was alive and my Mom was a new member of our family. But afterwards it was stopped for various reasons and some family problems. So it was needed to start the ritual again. But at that day of Kojagari maximum people and our relatives use to be busy. So nobody is able to come to another's place. . So my mom decided to start the ritual again in this day. because firstly, it is a day when nobody usually do it and could be able to come to

another's place, secondly it is a national holiday because it is also th Birth day of Shikh lord, Guru Nanak, and thirdly she decided to keep the last ray of festivity in her home for that particular year by this.

We worship Lord Shiva, at the morning and then Lord Narayana and Goddess Laxmi at the evening time wit another Gods.

At the early morning of that day I sing in front of Lord Shiva taking bath and wearing a new dress.
It is the ritual of our family that the eldest of the maiden of the family will sing at the early morning to awake Lord Shiva. And in the present time being the eldest maiden girl of the family I do the ritual. Then I lit an oil lamp and put the idol of Lord Shiva in front of that and after getting the hit, we believe he becomes ready to bath. This bath is called "Maha Snan". At first enlightening the lamps of oil and Ghee and burning  Fragrance sticks and with the mixture of Green Coconut water, Honey, Raw Milk, Sweet Curd, Ghee with some Siddhi... a type of leaf of a plant he is being bathed. This mixture is called "Pancha Gabya" . Then he is being bathed in the Sandal wood fragrant water and last of all with the Ganges water. We keep the Pancha gabya very carefully because we keep water less starving for the whole day and we break it after finishing the worship with this.

The next step is to arrange the foods and another things for the ritual. And before that to make the designs on floor which is known as "Alpana", not only to decorate, but also because we believe that in that design the foot steps we make, Goddess Laxmi will step on that and will enter in our house with her husband. Other than that I prepare the worshiping place arranging the foods and another essential goods.

At the other side my mom and my aunts taking bath and wearing clean sarees cooks the food which are known as "Bhog".  At first they makes "Charu" which is for Lord Shiva, because he is a sage. It is made with milk and scented rice but having no sweet in that.  Then the food for Lord Narayana. For him they make "Pulav" and 7 types of fried vegetables with three types of cooked vegetables as curry, and "Paramannya". For Goddess Laxmi they make "Khichdi" and white rice, Hilsha fish and in an another plate the fried head portion of the Hilsha. God Ganapati is given Laddu and Paramannya to eat, and Goddess Durga is also given white Rice with Hilsha with the fried head portion of the fish but she is not given Khichdi. And in every dish without Ganapati's dish sour item that is known as Chatni and a piece of scented lemon is given. At last they are given  "Paan" as the mouth Freshner. We buy a pair of Hilsha that day to give them to the two Goddesses.
 And from all the veg items they make an another plate for Lord Shiva. But they do it very carefully because they are always alert about the vessels. No vessel can touch the another one. Otherwise all the foods would be unholy if the non veg item like fish touches the vegetable items.

  At the evening time the married women of the family comes at the worship room wearing new Sarees, "Aalta" in their feet, "Sindur"  in their parting of hair and ornaments. These are the symbols of married Hindu women. They blows conchs to evoke and welcome Lord Narayana and Goddess Laxmi in house. And then the prist worships them by offering the foods and another things to the Gods. In our house it is ritual to get a priest from the family, because we are Brahmin and It is the ritual of our family not to allow anyone else to worship our Gods other than the family members, and that's why my uncle do it.

                                                               
After finishing the worship we ask the Gods to stay at least 2 and 1/2 days in our place and for that we do not dislocate or even touch the "Mangal Ghat" which is actually a pot full ogf water and decorated by mango leaves and Green coconut. It is believed  to be the heart of Gods.

And then by the married women of our house the married women, who are not of our family are given Paan, Beetle Nut, Sindur and Haldi with Mastered Oil that has been dedicated to Goddess Laxmi.  

After finishing the rituals the priest gives the water of peace and finally the worshiping completes.

                                       
And while the all rituals get completed the married women blows conchs ones again and finish the rituals.

And Me??? I use to take a deep breath after all the rituals over and think "Asche bochor aabar hobe".