
Traditionally, the festivities in Indian society have always accorded ‘space’ for women where their womanhood, fertility et all could be celebrated. Though some of these rituals seem archaic now, they still manage to gather a large number of women. Here we discuss some of the rites and rituals associated with married women that are pracised in various regions of the country during the Navratri festival.
Whether it is Teej in Bihar, Bhondla in Maharashtra or Golu in South,it’s time for women to come together and bond with each other.
Sing a song
Ailama Pailama... croons a voice and girls and ladies, go around in circle, holding hands. In the midst is a blackboard or a cardboard/canvas with a drawing of an elephant. You must have come upon this sight in the recreation centre of many housing societies, or in private halls, during Navratri. “Bhondla is very unique to Maharashtrian culture and each subregion has its own variations. For instance, in Vidarbha region, it is called Hadga.
The lyrics of the songs and the way they are sung also differ. The pitch and intonation differs too,” informs Dr Manjiri Gokhale, who runs a YouTube channel on Bhondla songs.
Typical to folk history, there is no clarity on who wrote these songs and when, and what was the reason in starting this fun game. However, taking an informed guess, Gokhale says, “One thing is for sure, men have, in no capacity, contributed to the origin of Bhondla. If at all, it’s only the ‘savashna’ (married) status of a woman that counts. My aaji (granny), who pulled us in to participate in traditional song and fun games like Bhondla and Mangalagauriche khel, used to say, ‘It’s around the Peshwai era that bhondla etc began’. It was a way to keep child brides from being homesick and to see that they got a chance to mingle and play around with girls their age. Today, of course, women in their 40s too participate in a Bhondla.”
Bhondla songs mostly revolve around sasar-maher (the home of the in-laws and parents) and lot of fun is made of the in-laws. “In those times, you couldn’t directly hit out against your in-laws, or criticise your mother-in-law, so the songs have been written in such a way that you can draw comparisons with ‘Khashta Sasu’ (stern mother-in-law) and her ilk. However, the husband was always shown to be good and gives into his wife’s demand of visiting her folks on a short visit,” she adds.
Another interesting facet of the songs is that they are ‘endless’. There are a couple of songs that describe Maharashtrian woman’s jewellery. “So each lady would take turn to add to the description of the ornaments. Or you could also describe your personality traits and looks in the stanzas — like ‘a zipri’ girl or the one with frizzy hair; someone who is thin and lanky; or someone who is round. All in all, it allowed the girls some time off from their marital duties and act their age,”concludes she.
The festival of dolls
Golu also known as Bombe Habba or Bommai Kolu is a doll and figurine display organised during the festival of Navratri in Southern India. It is customary in the states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Seemandhra.
“The Golu tradition is carried forward by the woman of the family, adopted from her mother-in-law. As part of the celebration, dolls are placed on odd number of steps — three, five, seven, nine or eleven. Display of the dolls is made in such a manner that they depict the events in a particular person’s life or a god’s story. For instance, a Carnatic singers’ group, marriage set, temple set, Sabarimala set, Ras Leela, Ram, Laxman, Janki, Hanuman set, Dashavatar set etc. The main god is Marapatchi bommai which is made using teakwood, sandalwood, or rosewood and is dressed with new clothes every year. “Everyday, a different rangoli (kolam) is drawn in the house. Towards the end of every day for nine days, an aarti (prayer) is conducted to ward off evil.
Every morning and evening, a ritual called ‘deepaaradhane’ is done for worshipping the gods and goddesses. Nava varnam (nine songs) are sung through the nine days. Everyday, a different sundal is prepared as prasad and offered to god,” inform Geetha Ramkrishnan, homemaker and Latha Venkatraman, insurance professional.
The colourful Kalash Sthapana
During Navratri, Kalash Sthapana is the most important ritual among the Gujarati community. Three things here are significant — kalash (Mataji no Garbo), lamp (divo) and idol/photo of the Goddess Durga or Amba Maa. The entire setup is called ‘Garbo’.
“Culturally, the kalash is supposed to be made of clay/mud, but nowadays silver/copper/gold kalash are also used. The kalash represents the devi for nine days. The devi is worshipped and requested to stay in the kalash for nine days. It is filled with holy water, seven grains/cereals (nowadays only barely is sown), haldi, kumkum, five mango leaves (represents Earth, Fire, Water, Air, Sky), an inverted coconut and a coin. On the last day, the sowed seeds are given as prasad to the devotees,” says Ramila Panchal, a homemaker.
The kalash is placed over mud, ideally brought from the banks of the river. The coconut is covered with a red cloth and on the ninth day, the kalash is immersed in the river or installed in any temple. The idol/photo of the goddess is always covered with a chunri, ideally a bandhni chunri (it is known that bandhni chunri was dear to the goddess) and nine colours are followed for nine days.
Talking about the significance of the tradition, Panchal says, “On Aakam (first day), goddess Durga killed the demon Mahishasur. In these nine days, women dress up, sing aarti and play Raas Garba around the sthapana. They sing folk songs to invite the goddess to their homes.
Traditional Raas Garba is played on the music of dhol and manjira. Many women fast for nine days or consume only fruits and water. Some people also worship and feed cows during the festival.”
Colour me red!
Women dressed up in ‘laal padh’ saree (traditional Bengali white saree with red border, which is considered auspicious), happily applying vermilion on each other’s forehead and face, the sound of ‘sankha’ (conch shell) and ‘ulu dhwani’ (a sound made by women in Bengal) filling the air. People from Bengal will know that this is a typical scene during sindoor khela. A custom celebrated on Vijaya Dashami, sindoor khela is one of the interesting parts of Durga Puja.
The ritual which involves only women, is a big affair as it’s a day when they bid goodbye to Maa Durga. Rita Sinha, 57, homemaker from Kolkata who has been a part of sindoor khela for many years, says since sindoor is considered very auspicious and red is a colour associated with marriage and prosperity, only married women take part in the ritual. “Sindoor khela takes place prior to the immersion of the Durga idol and before we begin the khela, we apply sindoor to Maa Durga’s feet and forehead as a mark of respect. This is followed by offering of sweets. It is believed that Maa comes to her father’s home during Durga Puja along with her children and when it is time for her to leave, we bid her goodbye this way. It is a part of the Bengali culture — when the married daughter visits us and is leaving for her in-laws’ place, we apply sindoor on her forehead wishing for her well-being and happy conjugal life,” informs Sinha.
In Bengali culture, married women also wear ‘sakha pola’ — the red and white bangles.
“Sindoor khela signifies the power of womanhood and shows that goddess Durga will protect women and their families. It is also an emotional moment because soon we have to see Maa going back to Kailash and then we have to wait till she comes back next year,” says Sinha.
Her daughter-in-law Sriparna Kar Sinha, a working professional in early 30s, loves the sindoor khela and feels happy being part of the festivity where she gets to bond with other women. “I like the red colour and the blessings and the love shared by all at that moment,” Sriparna adds.