Fri, 29 Mar, 2024

Shravan: Month of the Color "Green"

By Nikita Gautam

The fifth month of Hindu calendar Shravan starts in late July and ends in the third week of August. The month of Shravan according to Hindu culture is seen as the holiest month of the year for Hindus. Auspicious festivals occur in this month, with remarkable importance. In Hindu culture, rituals and festivals hold significant importance. They unite people's hearts and soul, giving it a new cast to life. In Nepali culture, month of Shravan is based on the myths related to the marriage. Nepali women, dress themselves in green and red, clasping their hands in front of Lord Shiva. Every Monday, women gather in Lord Shiva's temple, devoting themselves and offer different religious submissions. Young unwed girls fast during Mondays of Shravan, desiring a husband reflecting image of lord Shiva. Unmarried women paint their hands with henna (Mehendi) and wear colored bangles mainly, red, green and yellow, for future ideal husbands. Married women regard this as an auspicious ritual for long life and prosperity of their husbands. Adult women have not only been watching the rituals for celebrating the tradition but also for preserving it. Today's young generation of women regard this tradition in the form of fashion. While some other women celebrate this not only for fashion but they love that tradition which lets them appear unique during this month. Cosmetic products are high in demand during this season. Cosmetic retailers as well as shopkeepers  prosper due to substantial demand of the products. Many henna artists are seen creating beautiful designs and are hardly unoccupied. Shravan's glamour also symbolizes wealth and prosperity. Shravan month is also popular for “Bol Bum Yatra”. Thousands of pilgrims travel together along this long distance journey to “Bol Bum”, one of the avatars of Lord Shiva. Also, these festivals have also led beauty parlors to be occupied with women wanting to put Henna on their hands. The economic sector of the state has been led to success due to occurrence of these kinds of festivals. Looking at the darker side of the picture, the degradation of individual socio economic condition has also been influenced by these festivals and traditions. People have been celebrating these as show-off events pretending to preserve the old and long tradition in a faulty manner. Go Green: Go Shravan ! :)