We have all have fond memories of the various festivals that were a part of our growing years. The excitement of making preparations for the festivities, decorating the house, mom's delicacies, new clothes. It is funny when people in India are surprised to see people staying abroad celebrate the festivals with great excitement and dedication. I think when we are away from home, each approaching festival brings memories of it from home, and we long to recreate the same excitement and fun. We enjoy in putting in that extra effort to procure the hard to find things like mango leaves, betel leaves, and the right puja coconut. When the eventual output is as close as possible to what we had back home, it makes us thrilled and feel closer to home.
It was our first Vinayaka Chaturthi in the US this year. It is a big festival for us. We enjoyed a lot making preparations for it. We took photos of the puja and sent them home back in India. The palavelli that we made using wooden columns bought from hardware store, was the center of attraction. I hope we are able to make better and more beautiful arrangements in each of the coming years.
