Are our Festivals losing their Fervour?
‘How are you planning to celebrate Holi this time?’ This question I asked to many and most of the answers were, ‘At home, with family’. I could sense the lack of enthusiasm.
With the third wave of the Corona Pandemic just passed by, everyone is still cautious.
India is the land of festivals, where all days in the calendar, and for every event occurring is celebrated– whether it is the arrival of Spring or the harvest, Diwali, Dussehra, Id, Christmas. One can easily notice the change in the way festivals are celebrated- the missing fervour and the enthusiasm. Last two years of Pandemic, most of the bigger festivals were washed out, mostly being celebrated at home, meeting friends virtually. Perhaps, one of the major impacts the Pandemic has left on the world is that the celebrations of Festivals are subdued and controlled.
Are Festivals losing their charm? Or it’s the fatigue of the Pandemic?
The continuous stress of staying indoors, celebrating festivals with restrictions, and above all the loss of dear ones due to covid-19 have taken a real toll on the minds of the people. The washout of cheer and festivities is indeed cause for frustration. One can assume that this is perhaps temporary, and with time as the situation improves, the fervour associated with the festival celebrations will also return.
Will the Fervour associated with our festivals return?
Most of our festivals celebrate prosperity and hope– and we must hold onto the meaning of these celebrations all the more. The current generation, below 25 years, is perhaps the one who are missing the Celebrations very much. Kids are eagerly waiting for the old times to return when they can celebrate freely with their friends.
Many, including me, feel that ‘Back to Normal’ may not happen. Our Festival celebrations too will adapt to the ‘new norm’. The formal parts of religious festivals will change. The informal gatherings and family traditions that accompany times of celebration will be affected. One may feel a range of emotions akin to grief and sadness, which is completely understandable but the truth is the new norm is going to stay, as people’s minds are going to be conditioned to the new way which will not let the old times return, even if the situation improves…
On the other side, many feel that old times would return surely, maybe in a new way. The enthusiasm and zeal will be back in our festivals. When we look back into history, the pandemics and other destructions are a regular part of Human Civilization. The continuous wars also have led to large and long-time suffering but mankind has always risen above all, and it is seen that then the Festivals are celebrated with more Fervour, for the festivals are – ‘Celebration of Life’!
As witnesses of this Pandemic, we have to wait and see, if the enthusiasm in our festivals will return or festival celebrations too will reinvent. Truly, how we celebrated the festivals too will be divided into pre-pandemic and post-pandemic era. Talking about how we celebrated before 2021 may well become one of our most cherished memories!
Rakhi Sunil Kumar
