India Trip, Day 11: cleaning session

October 24 (Wed) - Day 11:  cleaning session

It is Dusshera today.  Indians wash, clean, polish, and do puja of their vehicles today by drawing a swastik with vermillion (kuku), lighting up incense sticks (agarbatti), and putting a garland (phool ki maala).  The puja here is not literally "worshiping" the vehicle, but more like asking God to protect it, I think.  If you go around the city, you see a garland of flowers hanging in front of almost every other vehicle.


In 15 days it will be Diwali.  Indians also clean their house before Diwali to throw away old and useless stuff, and to invite the goddess of money, Goddess Laxmi in their clean house to enter and fill their home and their life with prosperity.  Diwali, called the "festival of lights", is one of the biggest festivals celebrated and observed by Hindus.  The cleaning sessions for Diwali have begun at our place today.

'Diwali ki safaai' (cleaning for Diwali) is the topic of everyone's conversation these days.  "Has diwali ki safaai begun at your place?", "Oh, I am so tired after all the diwali ki safaai today!", etc etc etc.  All my life, I had never seen my family in Bangkok clean the house as much as these people in India do for Diwali once every year.

And especially my devar...will not leave the tiniest nook or corner untouched!
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