Kerala celebrated Thiruvathira on 31st December 2009.
Thiruvathira falls in the month of Dhanu (fifth month of the Malayalam
Calendar-Kolla Varsham) which corresponds to the month of December-January.
The chilling breeze, moonlit night, scented midnight flowers and the cosmic
romance makes the day a special one. Women, in group, celebrate this
festival with a passion for love and spirituality.
Legends of Love:
The origin of this festival of love is obscure.
Popularly, it is the birthday of Lord Shiva.
Lord Shiva merged all nine powers into him before initiation of creation, on
this day.
It is also a day celebrated in reminiscence of the union of Lord Shiva and
Sree Parvathi, after a long penance. Therefore, it is the holy day of
marriage of God Shiva and Goddess Parvathi.
Some consider it as the day when Kamadeva, the mythological God of sex and
love was reborn. He burnt to
ashes in the fatal flames of ire from the third eye of Lord Siva. The
Lord pardoned him, on request of Sree Parvati and Rathidevi, later.
Another legend associated with this festival is that in tune with Narada
Maharshi’s advice, Rugmini followed the fast following Sree Parvati, to
become Lord Krishna’s bride.
In accordance with Narada’s advice, Gopikas in Vrindavanam also opted for
Karthiyayani fast during Hemantha season. They longed to have Lord Krishna
as their husband, made an idol of Goddess Karthiyayani and prayed for a
mandala season, which yielded result in merging of their spirits and souls
into the Lord on the moon lit night of Thiruvathira. Lord joined them in
rasakreeda and with Lord as the centre; they danced on the banks of
river Yamuna. Gopikas attained eternal bliss …
For this, Gopikas took early baths in river Kalindhi, during the Saraswathi
yama; singing hymns and tapping on the water, splashing rhythmically;
praising the Lord. They conducted worship with wild flowers, submitted “naivedhyam”
with cooked tubers in jaggery, swinging and fasting …All these rituals
have later become the customs of Thiruvathira.
Long ago during the Mahakalakalpa, there was a severe war between
Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu. Lord Shiva took an immobile form and from that
emerged a Shiva Linga. As per advice of Lord Shiva, Brahma and Vishnu paid
homage to this Linga with Omkaram and Panchakshari (OM NAMASHIVAYA).
The Lord Mahadeva emerged and blessed them both. From then, devotees who
worship the Lord on this Thiruvathira day receive immense blessings that are
most precious. It is remarkable than what is received by worshipping for
over a year, says Shivapurana.
Whatever might be the true legend; Thiruvathira is holy day and devotees
worship Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvathi, submitting them to seek their
blessings.
Treasure of Tradition:
Customs are based on age-old traditions.
The festival of Thiruvathira is extremely popular amongst womenfolk and more
specifically among the women of Nair and Namboothiri Community of Gods’ own
country, Kerala.
Festivities of Thiruvathira begin a week before, commencing from Aswathi
asterism.
The second last day is Rohini. On this day, fasting is done for overall
welfare of the family and wellbeing of all members. The previous day is
Makayiram. On this day, mothers observe fast for the well-being of their
children. Married women who have difficulties in conceiving fast and
spent this day praying Lord. They long for blessings in the form of a kid of
their own.
On Ardra day, last day of the festive week, wives fast for the welfare of
their husband. This encompasses prayers for his life longevity,
togetherness, quick reunions or fame of their beloved husband; as the case
may be, which would ensure simultaneously long and happy married life.
This fast is
called the King of fasts in Hindu Mythology.
However, there is no compulsion on any of these fasting whatsoever.
Generally, women wake up by 4am during the winter season, take their bath
and visit nearest Shiva Shrine, if possible before sunrise. This is Ardra
Darshan.
Adherence
to Thiruvathira ensures husbands’ well being and in turn, helps maintain
marital bliss and conjugal harmony. Even in present days, young and educated
girls follow these traditions wholeheartedly as evidenced by the crowd of
devotees in Shiva temples early on this day morning…
Unmarried girls fast on Thiruvathira aspiring for a compatible groom in
future. The first Thiruvathira following the marriage of a girl
is
Poothiruvathira.
Celebrations
on this occasion are on a grand scale. All members of the family gather at
this house for the annual, rather once in a lifetime event of the newly
weds.
Celebration in Changing Times:
The
simplest version of Thiruvathira celebrated nowadays consists of wearing
fresh two-piece attire called “settu mundu” and culinary delicacies unique
for the day. Although Ardra Darshan before sunshine is not as easy as in
early days, the day definitely starts with prayers to Lord Shiva and Sree
Parvathi and a visit to the nearby temple in the early sunlit hours.
Breakfast includes an arrowroot pudding (koova payasam) and steamed nendran
banana.
Arrowroot is botanically Maranta arundinceae. It is
highly nutritious and has medicinal uses. It is a common home remedy for
dysentery and aids easy recovery of convalescing patients, when used
otherwise.
Tender coconuts, milk and fruits enrich the unique menu for the day.
Lunch is mostly porridge in wheat or sooji rawa or chama (Panicum
milletium) with coconut milk; and special Thiruvathira “puzhuku”.
This is made with tubers and pulses, which have different types of tubers,
corms and rhizomes ranging from tapioca, elephant foot yam, dioscorea,
coleus, lesser yams etc along with pulses like green gram or cowpea and raw
plantain.
Most of these tubers contain adequate sources of easily digestible starch
and hence might have a significant role in natural health therapy for the
winter season, as karkidaka kanji and dasapushpam soup for health care and
rejuvenation during the rainy season.
Avoiding all items made with rice, from the rise of Ardra star for the
succeeding 60 nazika is the specialty.
Ettangadi:
Ettangadi refers to an item prepared especially in the evenings of Makayiram.
This indicates initiation of Thiruvathira noyambu.
This consists of eight different tubers. In the courtyard, on clean land,
painted and purified with cow dung slurry, fire is prepared, for roasting
tubers. It is specially prepared on occasions of Poothiruvathira. It reminds
one of the campfires in a misty moonlit, winter night.
The roasted tubers are peeled, cut into small bits and mixed with kalkanda
(sugar crystals), honey, ghee, banana bits, nuts, raisins, and sometimes
with cooked pulses or dal and scraped coconut.
The eldest woman in the family performs the rituals related to ettangadi.
The final mix, after offering to Lord Shiva, Lord Ganesha and Sree Parvathi,
is shared by all ladies who are into the fast.
The probable ingredients used for “ettangadi chudal” is tabulated
(table 1).
Pathirapoochoodal:
This refers to gathering and wearing a combination of 10 auspicious flowers,
which is together called dasapushpam. This was considered holy in
earlier times. During those days, these plants were available in plenty in
most homesteads of Kerala. Associated myth is tabulated (TABLE 2).
Along with these flowers, adaikamaniyan (Sphaeranthus
indicus) and Neelakoduveli (Plumbago capensis),are
also used. These are collected earlier by the men in the household and kept
hidden beneath a tree in the courtyard. Women seek them out. The eldest
member distributes it, to all, to adorn their hairs to pacify and seek
blessings of devas noted in the table.
It is believed that Sree Parvati, paid homage to Lord Shiva during her
penance using flowers of Neelakoduveli which blooms at midnight; along with
leaves of Konna (Cassia spp) and Eruku(Calotropis
spp).
Grandma’s nostalgia:
In
olden days, women would visit rivers or nearby ponds, in early hours, in
groups along with a lighted lamp and Astamangalya. They stand in the cold
waters up to their navel and splash water singing hymns. They clap their
hands in such a way that they take water in the armpits with their left hand
and beat on it with their right hand. How many times one claps depends on
the age of their better half. It is in progression, one additional to their
present age, seeking blessings for another year of conjugal bliss and
harmony. They then take bath, worshiping and awakening Goddess Ganga. This
is done on severe winter mornings, before sunrise. It is popularly called
“thudichukuli”.
Back home, they sit facing east and light lamps. Now the eldest
Sumangali apply anjukuri , above the bhindi on every forehead. This
consists of different colours. Red is with sindooram (saffron),
chandhanam(sandal paste), yellow with manjal(turmeric), black with the oiled
charcoal from Pooja (ganapathy homa kootu) and green made from paste of
mukooti leaves(Biophytum).
They also join in the evenings in a nearby courtyard and dance rhythmically
in circles either with a Shiva Linga or with a well-lit brass lamp at the
centre. This form of dance, called thiruvathirakali, is now highly
restricted to few rural scenarios, big joint families and mostly to dance
competitions in Youth Festivals and Onam celebrations.
Songs on this occasion are a beautiful blend of histories and legends.
The most popular songs are:
Dhanu masathil thiruvathira,
bhagavan thante thirunalalo
bhagavathyku thirunoyamballo...
(Sung
during thudichukuli)
Onnaanaam mathilakath onnundu pol poothilanji
poothilanji pooparikan poranundo thozhimare..
…….pathanam mathilakath.......
(Sung during search for pathirapoo)
The
wealth of Thiruvathira songs is a rich one. The content of songs varied from
adoration of Lord Krishna, to ragas that facilitate rain by music or make
land fertile and others in praise of Lord Shiva and Sree Parvathi.
Mangalageethy is the most significant of the exhaustive list.
Some
of these songs were compiled by different teams and are available as music
CDs for purchase, over years.
Reviving the rituals:
There may have regional and local differences in the way this festival is
celebrated. For example, in Calicut, even in the city limits of Kozhikode;
pulikali forms commonly called “porattu” still exist which adds
colour to the otherwise simple festival. Folk forms dressed in paint with
drums, lantern and music visits every household and performs a song in their
courtyard during the evening hours. In some areas, many teams of performers
entertain the devotees. This helps surpass sleepless nights in praise and
glory for Lord Shiva.
Many of the rituals closely observed by women folk withered away with the
collapse of the joint family system. However, social groups and residential
associations are trying to revitalize
the
celebration in
possible manner.
Merging modern women with erstwhile customs and traditions, to help
reinstate the nostalgic mood associated with Thiruvathira in earnest efforts
to hold on to our vanishing treasures of customs, rituals and beliefs to
uphold our culture and traditions for posterity.
