There are a few festivals that I love while some literally make me sick to the stomach. Like any other Bong in this world, Durga puja is my favorite festival. When I was a child, I received a new calendar. The first thing I did was look for the dates for Durga puja. I have spent most of my life away from Bengal. Yet, the Bengali in me surfaces the moment the month of Kartik begins. Kartik is the month when Durga puja is celebrated. Unlike, the rest of India, we Bongs do not spend Durga puja fasting and eating satwik food. For us Durga puja is also a food festival. The glutton in every Bong appears during Durga puja. We feast on egg rolls, mutton biryani, chicken chaap, and whatever our overworked stomach can digest. We also take a heavy dose of digene to make space for more food. If you are wondering why Bongs eat non-veg during Durga puja then please read one of my old posts.

My second favorite festival is Saraswati Pujo which is also known as the Bengali Valentine’s Day. Saraswati pujo is usually celebrated in the month of February coinciding with V-day. On this day, we are supposed to offer puja to Goddess Saraswati who is the goddess of music and learning. This is the day, when every Bengali girl from 8 months to 80 years wear a yellow saree. And naughty teenagers sneak out of their houses to meet their crushes. There is hardly any Bengali girl who has not received a proposal on this day (yours truly included).

My Little nephew praying to Goddess Saraswati

My third favorite festival is Christmas. I studied in a convent. We looked forward to the mass on the eve of X-mas, as we called it then. In Kolkata, there is a huge Anglo-Indian population. They celebrate it so beautifully that it is contagious. The entire city joins them. A common joke is that Jishu Khrishto (The Bengali name for Jesus) was probably born in Park Street. He was not born in Bethlehem. The crowd is as big as the crowd during Durga puja.

Christmas in Kolkata’s Park Street

After being a Mumbaikar for almost two decade, Ganpati has crawled up my list of favorites. My son being a Mumbai born and brought up kid, his favorite festival is Ganesh Chaturthi. Unlike me, he is more excited about Ganpati than Durga Puja.

Ganpati idol in my society

I loved to celebrate Holi and Diwali as a child. Now, I get allergic to colors during Holi. The firecrackers trigger my bronchiolitis during Diwali. Moreover, in Bengal we celebrate Kali pujo on the day of Diwali. When I was around five years old, my Uncle took me to a Tantrik Kali Puja. That event traumatized me for life. Even so many years later I feel a strange phobia on this day. Will write about it in detail some other time. In India, festivals are endless. In Bengali we say, “baro maase tero parbon” which means that there are twelve months but more festivals than months. I always feel the festival days smell different.

Life is full of festivals and I have been fortunate to celebrate many of them. Growing up in Sikkim, I enjoyed celebrating Losar. During my time in the Middle East, I fasted during Ramadaan. Eating publicly during the day was not allowed. Thanks, to one of my Israeli-Jewish friends who took me to attend my first and only Hanukkah. My mom taught in a Jain school. During Jain festivals, she always brought loads of snacks. I always looked forward to them. My Malayali neighbor sends me Onam Sadya which is another thing that I love to eat. In my society we also celebrate Lohri. I am most drawn by the sarson da saag and makki di roti. They are served along with gajar ka halwa after the lohri is burned.

Celebrating Hanukkah in Rome, Italy

I can go on writing..but let me stop. Please tell me all the festivals that you love to celebrate.

Joining Vinitha‘s two hundredth and fortieth edition of Fiction Monday with the word prompt Festival.