Posted:
Okay it feels really good to see South Indian culture and tradition without huge dark-skinned gundas screaming enna rascals but CVs need to do proper research on the tradition they show because people without knowledge about it are learning from it.
7. Not all Iyers and Iyengars keep golu. It ONLY depends on each family's tradition. Unless the tradition has been present in the house they don't need to keep it. If there is no tradition of golu in the house women are invited to take tambulam which consists of auspicious things like betal leaves, betal nuts, turmeric-kumkum packets, fruit, and other things.
Golu:
I had previously made a topic about it for people who had no idea what that meant. Here is the link for it...
now coming back to some major errors shown in the show:
1. The steps DO NOT signify each day of navaratri. People can keep any number of steps right from 3 to any other odd number. You cannot keep even number steps it has to be ODD number! In my grandma's house we used to have almost 15 huge and long steps with various dolls and other creative things like park scene, marriage party scene, garden scene on the bottom. We cousins used to come up with a theme for the bottom and compete with other neighbors. It was almost like a competition among the colony people ð
2. The golu bommai or dolls are NOT to be touched starting day one of navaratri. It is considered inauspicious if you change the place of the dolls or if a doll breaks. So infants and toddlers are never allowed near the steps to ensure they don't move or break the dolls by mistake ð
3. There is nothing wrong in keeping barbie dolls. Nowadays people have started incorporating modern and other newer looking dolls to be part of the golu. Children are encouraged to come up with ideas and some want to keep their stuffed toys or dolls in the steps. The only rule is that the dolls kept in these steps should never be kept in the pooja mandap to be worshipped. The dolls are specially kept for this purpose and are not used for worshipping.
4. Ishita and family are Iyers meaning followers of Shiva and not Vishnu. Of course that doesn't mean that you are not supposed to listen or chant Vishnu's names but it's just their main deity is Shiva. And during navaratri they chant Lalita Sahasranama and not Vishnu Sahasranama. I remember in a previous episode Mrs. Iyer singing bhaja govindam. I think CVs got the most popular CD of MS. Subbalaksmi which is Vishnu Sahasranama that also contains bhaja govindam and keep playing it in case they need some South Indian BGM ð
5. In the show, every family member shows aarti to the golu. I am not too sure about this procedure but I don't recall doing such family aartis. Usually one person who does the pooja does the aarti in the evening and at night the ladies of the house show aarti made of kumkum and turmeric water. The water is prepared on the first day and used for all nine days. Before the family sleeps they take the aarti with that water and on the last day that water is poured in front of the house and on the tulsi plant. It's supposed to remove evil eye (drishti)
6. Invited women and children sing bhajans or classical songs and chant sahasranama take prasadam and leave. The main prasadam is sundal which is made of different steamed pulses mixed with tadka and coconut. Each day there is a different pulse like channa, green gram, etc. Yes now people have started having other sweets and savories along with it but the main prasadam offered is sundal for the Goddess.
7. Not all Iyers and Iyengars keep golu. It ONLY depends on each family's tradition. Unless the tradition has been present in the house they don't need to keep it. If there is no tradition of golu in the house women are invited to take tambulam which consists of auspicious things like betal leaves, betal nuts, turmeric-kumkum packets, fruit, and other things.
I guess I have covered the major bloopers shown in the show. People are welcome to add any other things ð
Hope this helped for those who are new to this!
Anupamaa
CID
