A day of thanks
Daily musings #611- Tuesday, 4 October 2022
In North America we have Thanksgiving. In Canada, this is celebrated Monday next and the US Thanksgiving follows later sometime.
In India, today was a day of giving thanks. But not to people but to equipment, books, work tools, cars, offices, and homes - a prayer for their services. Something akin to Marie Kondo thanking clothing for their services before disposing of them. We don’t sometimes give enough thanks to these as we take these things for granted. Whether prayer would improve them, I know not, but culturally this belief permeates and it was fantastic to see tradition honored en masse this way.
This is followed by the second day of prayer to Lordess Lakshmi, the God of Wealth. The whole country stops for these two days as national holidays. Wealth of course is not only about money, it is one of them. Wealth is manifested in a variety of ways including health, a bountiful harvest, the right amount of rains at the right time, and so forth.
I so happened to be here at this time and partake in these practices with those who believe in them. It brought back memories of growing up rooted in this culture and practices without questioning or examining them, or even understanding them, but that is what cultures are. You get steeped in the waves of human practices to become one with them. We are local to wherever we are and its practices. To belong. Because that is what we humans do.