*!* Celebrations *!*

Fellow Officers!!!!!!!!!!

I was thinking the other day, we are all from different parts of the country and some of our beloved members are settled in other countries too!!!!!😉

So.....

In an effort to promote cultural exchange and stuff (apart from exchange about SS😉) I would like to ask the members to post the different FESTIVALS that are celebrated in their state/region as they draw near!!!!!!!

You can also mention local traditions and foods that are special to the occasion!!!!

The ritual is observed on the full moon day of the month of Shravan, on which sisters tie the sacred Rakhi string on their brothers' right wrists, and pray for their long life. Rakhis are ideally made of silk with gold and silver threads, beautifully crafted embroidered sequins, and studded with semi precious stones.

Oh.. right.... but I think before that comes the Nagpanchami.......

It is a festival celebrated in Maharashtra (I dont know if it is celebrated elsewhere.... :D)

On that day, tiny images of Snakes or Nag are made from mud, and every woman prays to it, for safety of her bretheren and for prosperity.

There is a folk tale behind this.....

I will post it if any1 is interested to know!

Originally posted by: Pooj@

Oh.. right.... but I think before that comes the Nagpanchami.......

It is a festival celebrated in Maharashtra (I dont know if it is celebrated elsewhere.... :D)

On that day, tiny images of Snakes or Nag are made from mud, and every woman prays to it, for safety of her bretheren and for prosperity.

There is a folk tale behind this.....

I will post it if any1 is interested to know!

Yeps!!!!

Posting the tale

(Guys I am retelling this tale which was told to me by my grandma...plz bear with me!)

Long long ago, there was a girl, who was married into a family. She had a husband, a house and all she could ever want for, but she pined for a brother. She had no brothers but still she used to talk of one, as if he exsisted. One day, her mother in law finally asked her if this brother of hers would really appear and take her to her childhood home, the home of her parents or in other words her maher(dont know what its called in hindi)She prayed to the king of serpents the Nag. He arrived one day, in guise of a handsome human and claimed to be her brother. Elated she accompained her to his house, his hill, where he lived with his wife. The wife was expecting. So the Nag asked her to hold a lamp of oil over his wife for light. When the children were born, she was frightened and in her fright she dropped the lamp. It fell on the tail of the little serpents. The next day, her brother escorted her to her home.

But year after year, day after day, she prayed to the Lord for the safety of her Brother and his family.

Time flied and the young serpents grew up. One day the asked their mother the reason behind their burnt tails. She narrated to them the story of the night when they came into the world and the mistake of their father's sister.

The young serpents, enraged decided to kill the woman. They made their way to her house but stopped short. She had drawn figures of Nags on a wooden platform (paat) with rangoli and she was prayoing, "Where ever my brother be, let him be happy. Where ever my brother's wife be, let her be happy. Wherever my nephews and neices be, let them be happy. Let them be sheltered from all the misfortunes of the world and have long, happy lives."

The serpents were pleased with her and they blessed her.

From that day on, Nagpanchami is celebrated as a mark of respect of the serpents who eat the rodents which threaten the crop.