Why festivals are actually important?

Diwali to me is associated with getting new clothes, waking up early morning to bathe with Moti Sandal soap (there is even an ad depicting a child waking up everyone in the house at the crack of dawn and informing them that it's time to bathe with Moti soap) , getting dressed in the new clothes and going to the temple, meeting and greeting people over there. Later in the evening we light up our entire house with a hundred diyas; put up lanterns and colorful lights. This culminates in bursting crackers as a form of celebration. And the most important part - the food; the ladoos, chakli, karanjis, sev - all freshly made and consumed over the span of a week. Each day of Diwali also came with its unique set  menu - every year the same menu is made and we all look forward to it. 

This template is the same for most festivals with slight variations. Common elements are food (the most important, if you ask me) , getting together, having meaningful conversations and having a lot of fun together. Variations are in way of celebration - playing with colors and water, Ganesha aarti and immersion, burning  an effigy of Raavan to showcase that good always triumphs over evil, garba dance for the nine nights of Navratri. Each of these hrings out a different element in the societal dynamics. Even though festivals are associated with religions everyone around irrespective of religious background participates as it is a way of bonding, having fun and eating good food.

Festivals are the glue that binds people together in something greater than themselves and gives them a purpose. It is a time when multiple generations get together to partake in customs and rituals; which is how they are passed down to future generations. Our everyday life is a routine; festivals are what break the routine - many people travel back home to celebrate with their families so it is a change of scenery; the special food you consume during festivals changes the flavors of what you usually consume; meeting with friends and extended family to catch up on their lives, going out together to enjoy the festivities. Connection has been scientifically proven to increase happiness; so has changing things up as the brain gets used to things faster than we think. In addition, this serves as an experience which brings much more joy than material things.

It brings joy precisely because it is short lived. If we were to celebrate each day as we do on Diwali there will be no Diwali; that would become our routine and it would be so exhausting. Dressing up every day in fancy clothes, eating those items for every meal, all the preparations as part of the festival, bursting crackers everyday will lose its charm in no time. I am using Diwali as an example here, but that could be substituted for any festival you celebrate, and the meaning would be the same.

My recipe for enjoying any festival is to explore what it means to my family, my friends - do something together, eat together and make happy memories. And, do it every year so that it becomes a ritual; something we collectively look forward to.