Shiva Ratri

Monday, March 11, 2013 2:02 pm

Yesterday was Shiva Ratri, the celebration of Lord Shiva’s marriage to Pavarotti, and Varanasi is the city of Shiva. To put it simply, this means yesterday was a big deal. People from all over India went to the Kumbah Mela, then came to Varanasi in order to celebrate in Shiva’s hometown. In the center of town, there were millions people who waited all day for the chance to worship in the Vishunat Temple, the most important Shiva Temple in the world, and everywhere you looked there were young men high as the sky, worshiping in any and every way.

Not the best place for a small white girl. I stayed home for most of the day.

But don’t worry; I celebrated in style in my house, for Devin, Karen, and I were invited to the family Puja. Il’l give you the cliff notes

A merry band of five priests showed up at around 11:00, and proceeded to set up the massive amounts of materials required for the ceremony. At 12:00 the chanting began, and one of the younger priests helped Menu Ji and Vijya Ji, my host parents, put the right things in the right places in the right order, while doing in the right hand motions. I was lost five minutes in, and there was a long road ahead.

The bowl before the juice
and the youngest priest

We had moved the furniture in my sitting room, and were all sitting on the floor surrounding a small table with a gold bowl containing a Shiva Linga and a statue of Vishnu. Basically, we were making offerings to the gods, which is something that is done daily in temples, but on Shiva Ratir is was done in is epic proportions.

After about 40 minutes of preparatory chanting, blessing, and offering the main event was about to begin. (We were going from Kabbalat Shabbat to Mariv).

The youngest and fittest priest got up, picked a huge pot up off the table and set it down next to Menu Ji. She took off the cover and inside was 10 liters of green liquid. Me being the Indian crops expert that I am, was able to identify it was sugar cane juice, gaining mad brownie points from the family (Thanks village men). Menu Ji poured a few ladles of it into a horn-looking thing with a tiny spout on the end and they let the juice fall onto the statues. (They were bathing Shiva’s penis in what looked like pee. Wha wha. I am a thireteen year old boy.) After a little while Vijiya Ji gave the spout to Menu Ji and she took a turn pouring.

And then vijya ji.

That silver thing is what the juice
 was poured out of

And then Menu Ji again.

And then it had been 21 minutes of watching juice fall. The priests look bored

28 minutes:  The priests take something out of another pot. We are going to move on!!!

Nope. The bowl is not big enough for all of the juice, so he is scooping some out into an empty pot so we can keep pouring

32 minutes: Grandpa Ji is asleep.

40 minutes: Juice is still going strong. Priests, not so much

 47 Minutes: Take a break so Menu ji can pick up the phone. Nope, not a break, Vijiya Ji is still pouring.

64 mintues: We begin to pass around the horn so everyone can have a turn

72 Minutes: JUICE IS DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

73 Minutes: Oh wait, now it is time for the milk. The green of the sugar cane juice is being diluted with the white of the milk, and it may be the most vile thing I have ever seem in my life.

2 liters of milk later we are finally done pouring. I am exhausted, but I am not the one who has been chanting non-stop for the last two hours. There is still more to be done, but at least we get to stand up for a while, and the juice is over. We all take turns waving fire around the bowl, and throwing flowers into the alter (I get reprimanded for using my left hand) and then we pass out different kinds of sweets and food.

Pouring the sugar cane juice

At the very end everyone ties red and yellow string around their wrists, and the priest put mine on my left hand, which apparently signifies that I am married. I am okay with that.

Three hours after the chanting began it stops. It is time for lunch.

BUT WAIT! Shiva Ratri is a fast day.

 When I questioned Menu Ji about that she looked at me like I was an idiot, and told me we would be eating fasting food. Everyone knows you can have fried things, dairy, fruit, and sweets on fast days. How else would you do it? I choose not to mention that in her house we eat fruit, dairy, fried food, and sweets everyday. Instead I smiled and sat down to eat.

Assi Crossing at Night

10 liters of sugar cane juice leftovers

I want everyone to take a minute and appreciate the fact that these priests had just chanted for three hours straight, and they would the same thing at between 5 and 8 other homes before the night was out. I have no idea how they made it though.

Later that night, when most of the festivities had died down Tania, Devin, and I ventured down to the ghats, which were packed with people, and there seemed to be parties going on everywhere. The city was as aglow as a 6000-year-old city, which not completely outfitted with electricity, could be, and the vibe was energizing. We stopped into an Indian Classical Concert, and took pictures around town. We then went home for more fried food, dairy, and sweets. I went to bed a little nauseous.

Things we offered Shiva:

Marigolds

Purple flowers

Coins

Some of the dry offerings

Money notes

Rice

Oranges

Banana

Grapes

Bheer (a greet fruit thing)

Guava

Coconut

Pointy fruits

Other fruits I don’t know the names of

Sweets

Red, yellow, and white, string

Leaves

Curd

Sugar

Milk

Sugar cane juice

Water

Honey

Spices

Fire

Candles