Festivals Via Feminist Lens: Vrats like Pausha Purnima Teach Us Humanity And Universalism

Pausha Purnima Vrat is the most auspicious Purnima vrat celebrated by Hindu religion. Etymologically, Pausha Purnima means the full moon day of the Pausha month which is December or January. This Purnima is dedicated to Lord Vishnu and Shiva. It is also celebrated as Shakambari Jayanti in which the devotees worship Goddess Shakambari, an avatar of Goddess Durga, who eradicated starvation and drought. Hence Shakambari is also known as the Goddess of fruits, vegetables and greeneries.

How is it celebrated?

Pausha Purnima is celebrated with great enthusiasm all over India. Ritualistic bath in holy rivers like Sangam and Ganga is considered auspicious on this day. People observe day-long fasts and worship Lord Vishnu, Shiva and Shakambari. They chant Lord Vishnu’s mantras 108 times and offer fruits and flowers. Devotees break their fasts after sighting the moon and performing puja at night. Some devotees do not abstain from food completely during the fast. They consume fruits and milk products until the end of the fast.

Also Read: Hindu Vrat Calendar 2021: Mark The Dates Of Hindu Festivals And Vrats

Many devotees also perform charities on this day to get rid of their sins and seek salvation.

On this day, the tribal community of Koriyan district of Chhatisgarh celebrate Charta festival, an important harvest festival observed with a feast.

Significance of the festival

The festival is often seen as a ritual to cleanse your body and soul by performing fasts, puja and taking holy baths. On this day, devotees endeavour to get rid of their sins, the vicious cycle of rebirth and gain moksha or salvation. Moreover, Pausha Purnima Vrat is auspicious because it marks the end of the winter season and the onset of the holy and harvesting season of February.

Also Read: Festival Of Makar Sankranti Should Remind Us Of Equality On The Agricultural Farms

Watching from the feminist lens

There is no particular story that backs the significance of the festival. Festivals like Pausha Purnima Vrat of the Hindu religion are dedicated to the universe, its functions and the significance of the changing times on human life. If we keep the patriarchal divisions and stereotypes in our homes aside, Hindu vrats are a celebration of the unity of humanity with nature where the idea of humanity is not biased. So the change that we need to continue celebrating the festivals is to unlearn sexism and internalise universalism. If you believe in religion and God, remember that the world was created by God as a space of harmony and equality but its divisions into a hierarchy are the product of human’s self-conceit.

Also Read: Why I Write: To Reclaim Mythological Stories As A Feminist Writer