Today is a Holiday

Today .. the eighth of March, is a holiday. Mahashivratri. (a link to the reason for the festival.) http://www.indiayogi.com/content/festivals/mahashiv.asp Everyone is dressed to the canine's and filing to the Temple to honor Lord Shiva. They wait long hours, in the sun to go in. I'm not sure what happens inside. There must be thousands of people. They give their shoes to people who bag them and number them, giving them the number to reclaim the shoes when they come out. There are fresh flowers and music all about and booths with food and books, like a Fair. I woke to the singing this morning. I heard male voices and female answers. There were solos too. I find the Indian singing scale truly interesting. It runs up and down, tickling the senses. Today the air was exotic with incense and flowers. and the music.

We gave the driver the day off. he says his mother is looking for a wife for him, and he thinks he will be married by the end of this year. He is prosperous enough to have moved out on his own, yet still take care of his mother. Asked if he thinks his mother will choose well, he said "Oh YES! she will choose very carefully and I will be pleased, I am sure."

How exciting that must be. To know you will have a mate, carefully chosen, and will embark on a new life, anticipate children, knowing your mate will expect the same. Does it often work? Can you say no?

I ate fig dumplings with yogurt gravy, for lunch. :) sounds like something from the Arabian Nights, doesn't it?

So, today is Lord Shiva's day. With as much or more reverence as is given to Easter or Passover. Or other rituals in other religions. I do not feel strange or weird, or revolted at what some term as "paganism". I feel in the air the calm surety of worship, and righteousness. How did we all get to where we think that everyone else's religion is stupid? Think about it.