 |
Kathmandu Wednesday November 14, 2001 Kartik 29, 2058.
|
Laxmi Puja : The day to
worship Goddess of Prosperity
By Perina Pathak
KATHMANDU, Nov. 13 – Meena Aryal of Teku
is busy buying a bunch of marigold garlands at a flower shop in Tripureswor in downtown
Kathmandu. "I’m buying these flower garlands to hang on the doors and windows of
my house to welcome Goddess Laxmi," says Meena.
Meena is one among tens of thousands of
people who thronged to the city today to buy ingredients necessary for tomorrow’s
Laxmi Puja, the special day to worship Goddess Laxmi who is the symbol of wealth and
prosperity.
People decorate their houses, especially
doors and windows, with marigold garlands and clean up their homes before they begin
worshipping the Goddess in the evening. The flower garlands, combined with typical Nepali
oil lamps and candles, can be seen in every house and shop throughout the Kingdom, as
these are the ways to beautify the houses to welcome the Goddess.
"People will never have to face monetary
problem if they manage to please Goddess Laxmi," says Arjun Prasad Rimal, a Brahmin
priest. "The proper worshipping of Goddess Laxmi will bring prosperity and happiness
in people’s lives."
People involved in the financial sector and
businesses celebrate this occasion with more enthusiasm as this particular worshipping of
the Goddess is related to money. This is why shops and other financial and business
institutions are highly decorated with flowers, oil lamps, candles and even electric
lights. Many people even paint their houses during this time.
People start celebrating Laxmi Puja in the
evening and continue till late night as they believe Goddess Laxmi travel only at
midnight. There is also a belief that the Goddess will enter those houses, which are clean
and bright.
Many women members in a family take a fast
for the whole day tomorrow to prepare for the puja in the evening, after which only they
eat. Women in the family get-together the whole day tomorrow and prepare different types
of typical Nepali sweets like Sel, Puri and Anarasa, among others. These are later offered
to the Goddess during her worship.
One of the major attractions during the Tihar
festival is the singing of Deusi and Bhailo. Deusi and Bhailo are sung only during this
festival. People go around in groups to different houses to give blessings through these
Deusi and Bhailo songs and house owners offer them different presents, including some
cash. Though the number of people singing Deusi and Bhailo has gone down in the recent
years, people in the villages have still maintained this age-old tradition.
For the first time, three different events of
Tihar - Kukur Tihar (worship of dog), Gai Tihar (worship of cow) and Laxmi Puja –
have fallen on the same day on Wednesday this year.
Other Stories
|
