MY FIRST EXPERIENCE IN INDIAN CELEBRATION- Hannah

MY FIRST EXPERIENCE IN INDIAN CELEBRATION- Hannah

I IMG-20141127-WA0064am Ms. Hannah, from Germany, placed in MVP project with FSL India Chennai Facility. I and another German LTV volunteer Ms. Sara were invited by Mr. Gunasekar, one of the FSL Staff in Chennai, for his house warming ceremony on 27th November 2014. It was very impressive that Gunasekar and his family welcomed us happily as if we have been known for longer years. Truly, I was known to Gunasekar for only few days and Ms. Sara doesn’t known  him.

I really wondered and surprised about the hospitality shown to us by his relatives – they treated us like gods; wherever we went, someone gave us a chair. As we have not worn the saree correctly, someone made us wore it right. They pinned the flowers at our hair. They gifted us new saree, agarbathis, glass bangles and fruits. We at first hesitated to get that but the chennai staff explained to us that it will be given to the guest who comes new to their home.

P1080840P1080839The most interesting thing is the breakfast – Poori, Idly, Pongal, Vada, Kesari, Idiyappam, Sambar, Chutney etc – very delicious South Indian breakfast served in banana leaves and we ate with our hands. The highlight of the Inter cultural learning is Serving the food in the banana leaves to the guests. Apart from hospitality, there is another exciting thing shown in the celebration – SPRIRITUALITY : the function started early in the morning before Sunrise; cow was let go inside the new house for prosperity and fertility; holy fire was lit for the religious reasons – but only worry for me is that out of all these, the new house became dirty.

I can say, it is the explorable and enjoyable celebration on the whole…!

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