Religions differ in their tenets and beliefs; they differ in their ways of worship and regulations. But, all religions do have their own festivals and special days. Life is a mixture of joy and sorrow but these special days reinforce faith in the minds of the followers in spite of the uncertainty about future. Also, festivals help cement the relationships that have remained strained for long. When family members and relatives meet on the festive days they bury their differences and exchange greetings. This atmosphere brings fresh hope of strengthening the weakened bond between them.

In today’s fast and mechanical life, people look at these festivals as just holidays and mere opportunities for relaxation. They believe that extending sleep for a few more hours even after the sun has risen is an unparalleled joy and that there can be no other thing in the world that can bring them better happiness. In our days, we used to get up at 3 a.m. on Diwali day and would revel and rejoice. But today, though people spend money like water to buy new dresses for these festivals they don’t seem to have the same enthusiasm to get up early to celebrate the festival. And, even on these festival days, it has become a common sight to see people sitting before the television with the remote in their hand changing channels to see which program interests them. The movie people who greet the viewers on the occasion through different channels would be celebrating the day with their family members and friends. But what do we do? We would be neglecting our families watching the artistes greet!

Women also are losing interest in preparing ‘nivedhana’ to the concerned deities. Chronic diseases like diabetes and high cholesterol have become common or even part of our life. So, restriction has to be retained in our diet. And, to add to this condition, joint family system has almost disappeared and there are only nuclear families. It would be enough if we prepare just four ‘kozhukattais’ and eight ‘vadas’! The mushrooming sweet shops have rendered the work of the housewife much easier by offering all types of snacks and sweets. And, keeping with the present trend, the God is also satisfied with just milk and fruit as ‘nivedhana’!