Easter brings Spring !

Spring is in the air as the change of season is evident in the burgeoning bright flowers and fruits with the Regal Tulip & the Royal Mango making an entrance this April.

Spring is associated with rebirth, renewal & regrowth.

And the words associated with Spring are resilience, fertility, rise and hope.

And the festival that put that bounce in spring is Easter.

The Resurrection of Lord Jesus Christ on Easter bears testimony of the Risen Lord from the dead. It is based on this faith that the Spring festivities have gained momentum from the time of the Pagan (Greco-Roman Polytheism) festivities of Easter from 323 BC. Cultural Historians see Easter as a convergence of Pagan, Hebrew and Christian traditions and Spring has been associated with Christ’s Resurrection from then on.

Easter marks the end of the 40-day Lent Season which starts with Ash Wednesday. During the Lent, fasting, prayer, penance and abstinence is observed by Christians worldwide. The Lent Season being 6 weeks in all, the last week is called the ‘Holy Week’ comprising:

1 April 2012 – Palm Sunday – commemorates the triumphal entry of Lord Jesus into Jerusalem. Churches in current times distribute palm leaves which are tied up in the form of a Cross to the worshippers.

5 April 2012 – Maundy Thursday – commemorates the Last Supper that Lord Jesus had with his 12 Apostles.

6 April 2012 – Good Friday – commemorates the day when Lord Jesus was Crucified on the Cross on Mount Calvary outside Jerusalem.

8 April 2012 – Easter – celebrates the rising of Lord Jesus from the dead.

On these days special services are held in Church with special renditions by the Church Choir. Christians attend Church every day of this Holy Week.

During Lent, Christians commit to fasting and forfeiting luxuries as a form of penitence. Some give up drinking liquor, some give up smoking, some – eating meat or sweets – or whatever is the main indulgence …..because…..abstinence strengthens you. The 40 days of fasting is directly in commemoration of the 40 days that Lord Jesus spent before He was Crucified on the Cross.

These 40 days are of paramount importance to Christians as they help in reinventing & redefining themselves by renouncing sin. Sin is defined as an ‘objectionable practice’ and the Bible clearly defines ‘Sin’ which is popularly known as the Seven Deadly Sins:

1. Wrath – uncontrolled feelings of hatred and anger.

2. Greed –.uncontrolled desire for excess of wealth, status, power and possessions.

3. Sloth – laziness & idleness

4. Pride – feeling superior over everybody else.

5. Lust – excessive thoughts of sexual nature.

6. Envy - feeling of discontentment over another person’s benefits or possessions.

7. Gluttony – excessive eating and drinking.

The Lent is the time of the year when Christians are reminded to take control over themselves, stop sinning and live life in moderation and follow this practice during the remainder of the year. So the Lent is a reminder of what one ought to be during the rest of the year.

Another thing practiced by Christians on Easter is charity known as ‘Tithe’ where Christians are urged to give 1/10^th of their total annual income to the needy. The needy need not be unknown people in a foreign country. They could be within your family or circuit of friends.

And as for the whole purpose of Lent – getting a grip on yourself and living well – how about you try 2 things this year – 1. You give up one sin that you are committing. 2. You give charity to the needy. Is this impossible for you?

4 AM on Easter Sunday (8 March) in any Church around you is where you should be if you want to feel the pulse & joy of Easter. And do not miss the special renditions of the Choir on Easter.

March Elephants....March.

Temple Festivals of Kerala epitomize royalty, grandeur and carnivals of India. And one of them is the Guruvayur Utsavam (festival) celebrated at the Guruvayur Sri Krishna Temple in Guruvayur – known as the ‘Dwaraka of the South’- in Kerala starting from 5^th of March.

This March, the little town of Guruvayur will bustle with activity as it celebrates the Guruvayur Festivals – Patahadi, Dhwajadi and Ankuradi that last all month. The Temple would be richly decorated by fresh-cut flowers during day and with multi-coloured blinking lights – thousands in a row at night and the streets would be lined with flower and light decorations with spiritual music in Malayalam playing at every nook and corner. Fireworks, decorative arch-ways, bunches of coconuts and plantain trunks which are planted by most doorways is what Guruvayur experiences every March.

Remembered for the elaborate ‘pujas’ in the Guruvayur Sri Krishna Temple and the majestic Elephant parades in which Elephants adorned with ornate golden caparisons (nettipattam) parade along with hundreds of Lord Krishna devotees and the temple priests doing the drum-roll in the festival procession around the temples, the Guruvayur Festivals in March are dedicated to Lord Krishna and are much-awaited by the locals and tourists. During this month the Temple hosts several cultural programs daily. It is a feast to the eyes and the experience takes you to a whole new level of spirituality even if you’re not a Hindu.

Known to have more than 60 captive Elephants which are an integral part of the Temple Pujas & Processions, the Guruvayur Sri Krishna Temple Board has constructed an exclusive, one-of-its-kind Elephant Palace to house these regal beings of which Gajarajan Guruvayur Kesavan is the most popular and celebrated elephant for his devout behaviour. Beside pilgrimage people from all over the country visit Guruvayur Temple during this festival because of the unique Elephant Race (Aanayottam) which marks the commencement of the festival where all the elephants along with their respective mahouts race against one another on the streets of Guruvayur.

Besides partaking in the celebration of the Guruvayur Festival, rheumatic patients also pay homage to the temple’s residing deity – Lord Krishna as it is a strong belief that doing so would relieve them of their suffering and ailments.