I was invited for a ceremony and interestingly I was the only woman (may be the only North Indian) in the Malayali Church in a Kasavu Saree . All the moms and other family members of the kids participating were beautifully dressed and wearing beautiful sarees.
I was thinking while observing from the balcony how wonderful it was to be an outsider and being able to pay attention to what was going on around me. The ceremony lasted for over two hours.
The prayers were sung in Malyalam ( A language of India) The male singer was amazing. Don’t know why I couldn’t stop thinking of Yeshudas and Chitra (two famous singers from that community) The female singer was good too but the gentleman was singing through out the ceremony.
Christians are always associated with service. I saw the nuns in the audience and they reminded me of the nurses we have met in our life.
The church was quiet and didn’t have too many people. The covid protocols were being followed.
I enjoyed seeing young kids walking around, getting bored and parents trying to juggle the various aspects of their religious beliefs and parenting.
The two babies in the audience slept through out while the older siblings went on doing their religious duty.
I went inside a place of worship after a long time, went to respect the family’s faith. I don’t practice religion but am always curious to know more about other cultures and life.
I came back home thinking how wonderful it was to have a chance to witness a celebration of this kind.
My Saree is a gift from my sister’s sister in law. My sister married in a Malyali Family so this saree is a tribute to that relationship.
No comments:
Post a Comment