Indian Traditions-Part-1 (Festivals)
Indian tradition is based on harmony of human being with nature. Health as described in Ayurveda is based on balance of tridosh i.e. Vata, Pitaa & kapha (do not confuse it with cough).
Vata = Air + Space
Pitta = Fire + Water
Kapha = Water + Earth
None of the above should be lower or higher in a person. It requires a balance of above three to maintain a healthy life.
The effect of vata/pitta/kapha varies with
1. Persons body
2. Age of the person
3. Season of the year
We will start with the easiest of all i.e. "Seasons of the Year". How the seasons are clubbed with the Hindu festivals. (My personal belief - Hinduism is not a religion, it is a way of living. In earlier days due to lack of resources, knowledge was limited to few persons. To educate everybody the living style would have been a complex process. Instead of it, the learned ones amalgated the healthy life style into the religion. They suggested a way of celebrating each festival in a specific way based on the season of the year so that Vata/Pitta/Kapha balance is maintained)
Let us see the logic in some of the festivals.
To start with Grishma or the summer (with no foody festivals)
Grishma (Summer -May/June)
During this period the sun is at the peak and hence fire is predominant. Pick up the calendar and surprise!- no festivals and no fasting too!!! You are free to eat anything as the fire (pitta) is prevailing. As summer is very hot/harsh in India person tends to drink a lot and hence over eating is subdued naturally. Also due to extreme temperature person is not tempted to eat spicy foods.
Varsha (Monsoon -July/August)
This is the period when vata is at peak with kapha also moderate. Indigestion is mainly caused by high vata. This season has maximum fasting festivals - Gokul astami, Ganesh chaturthi. As such it is recommended to fast whole Sharavan month. Also during such fasting Falahar is allowed. Falahar = Fala + Aahar. Fala means fruit and aahar means diet. If you observe Jain/Muslim religions, fasting months like Ramzan are in the same period. It cannot be a co-incidence but a thoughtful way of life suggested by scholars of each religion.
Sharad (Autumn - September/October)
This is the period when again fire is taking up but evenings are cooler. The digestion power is gearing up. Due to pitta it is not advisable to take spicy foods. To subdue the fire milk product is the best (remember a glass of milk for acidity) Combination of fire + spicy food = high pitta. Increase in pitta is acidity.
During this period we have Shradh month. Kheer Puri is made in all houses. (Kheer is boiled sweet milk+rice and puri is a type of fried Indian bread ) It is a tradition in many states of India to go to a terrace and offer this kheer purei to crows. Kheer as is made from milk will help to reduce acidity. Offering food to crows will attract crows to the place. Crows are natural garbage cleaner, and they help to clean up the mess after monsoon. That is one of the reasons to invite crows.
On Sharad Poonam night (full moon night of Sharad month) boiled milk+flaked rice is cooled naturally under the moon light. Late night the cooled milk+rice flake is enjoyed by the family members. (reduces heart burns)
Now for the remaining of the seasons (Hemant, Sishir & Vasant) I will leave it to readers to stretch their imagination and see if they can identify the logics for the following festivals (hints given)
- Diwali (Bon Appetite)
- Makar sakranti - eating of Til Gud ( Sweet Sesame seeds with Jaggery)
- Holi (Gather around bonfire & eat salted chana to burn out the phlegm/cough in the body)
Last Word
For a healthy living there are two options - Teach the principle to each and every OR make it a part of festival/religion so that the healthy fooding is celebrated generation to generation without any effort to teach anybody anything. I think the later option is more effective and that is what the ancient rishis thought of too.
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