The Time We Ate Jack O' Lanterns for Lunch

Dear friends,

I have been having such a multitude of new experiences these past few weeks that is has been difficult to keep up with it all! These have included celebrating two different holidays in the past two weeks, Diwali and Halloween. Diwaloween. Hallowali.

Last Wednesday, October 26th, was Diwali, the "festival of lights." I did a little research on Diwali: While Diwali is popularly known as the "festival of lights," the most significant spiritual meaning is "the awareness of the inner light." Central to Hindu philosophy is the belief that there is something beyond the physical body and mind which is pure, infinite, and eternal, known as the Atman. The celebration of Diwali as the "victory of good over evil" refers to the "light of higher knowledge dispelling all ignorance." With this awakening comes compassion and the awareness of the oneness of all things. Just as we celebrate our physical birth, Hindus, Jains, and Sikhs celebrate Diwali as the birth of this "Inner light."

The night before Diwali, Lea Hostel held a magnificent celebration! It began by the lighting of hundreds of little oil lamps around the second floor balcony of the hostel. When all of these tiny lamps were lit, it was quite a beautiful sight. One of the girls insisted on giving me her candle so that I could help light them. After the lighting of the lamps, all the girls gathered downstairs in the courtyard of the hostel and lit sparklers (many sparklers in very close proximity!) Then over near the gate, fireworks and firecrackers were set off for at least a half hour. The girls were cheering and screaming, their faces lit with joy and light from all the fireworks.

Lighting the lamps

Sparklers!

So much noise, smoke, and laughter!

Sparks were flying all round us, landing on us, even. I couldn't believe how fearlessly the girls lit and stood right next to the exploding fireworks! Lit candles, sparklers, firecrackers, long hair, hanging clothes on clotheslines, shawls, and bushes everywhere...It was a miracle that nothing caught fire!

After the fireworks began an hour of raucous cheering! In the courtyard, the girls separated into circles by year and screamed various cheers & songs at the top of their lungs! I had no idea they could be this loud-they're always pretty quiet, so it was refreshing and astonishing to see this side of them. Some music was put on the TV and dancing began! Even the warden and assistant warden joined in the celebration! The girls at one point just screamed for ten minutes straight-I had no idea what was going on! The various cheering and dancing continued, and I joined in.

I realized that they were doing different cheers for each girl as she entered the center of the circle, depending on her personality or interests. I found this to be fascinating-especially how quickly they picked a song for each girl. (They pushed me into the center a few times, though I don't know what they were singing.:) My heart filled with joy at being included in such a celebration, at finding myself in such a truly intimate and unique experience. It was wild and exhilarating, a flurry of sound and fireworks and the music of laughter. The girls closed out their evening with a final song where we all held one another's shoulders and swayed. I, too, swayed with them, celebrating along with them light's victory over dark.

At one point when I was in the circle I looked up at the sky and saw a single star, and I felt God reminding me of His presence in this moment of deep joy. I remembered times in my past where I've prayed out loud while looking up at the stars, and I was struck by the thought that this is the same God, then and now, who knew even then that I would be where I am. I was amazed to find myself in the middle of this joyful, uproarious dance circle, underneath the smoke and glimmering lamps, with Him up there winking at me. I realized that this was in fact the very first star I'd seen in India. It hit me that this very same sky covers all the earth; that this same star is visible back home-and I felt connected, connected to home and to Him and to something much larger than myself.

 
 So just as last week I learned all about Diwali, this week I had the pleasure of introducing the girls of the hostel to Halloween! This was such a joy. On Sunday afternoon after returning from Aluva for our second YAV retreat, my tutor Shalu and our friend Lydia came with me into town to find some pumpkins. On Monday, I taught a few classes on Halloween and the history of Halloween, which was really interesting to research. That evening at the hostel, we carved pumpkins! I think at first the girls didn't really know what was going on as I was carrying around knives, newspaper, and pictures of jack o' lanterns, but shortly after beginning the room was packed. We only had five pumpkins, so I led the carving step by step, allowing new girls to complete each step. It was a joy to see the delight on their faces in this new activity. A couple of them had heard of Halloween before (thanks to the Harry Potter movies) but most had never heard of it. As we carved, we ate candy and listened to Halloween music and I explained the different things we do on Halloween-trick or treating, dressing up in costumes, etc. It was pretty funny to see their reactions to the idea of knocking on strangers' doors to receive candy while in costume. There is nothing like living in a land with new traditions to make you realize the strange nature of some of your own. :)

Breaking out the candy (and Michael Jackson's 'Thriller') :)

Learning about Halloween

The room was packed! I felt bad that we only had 5 pumpkins...

The finished product

With Warden (left) and Bindu Miss, asst. warden (left)

The bindi  pumpkin

The pumpkins were lovely- especially the one with a bindi (the forehead ornament worn by many Indian women.) I think the girls learned a lot and also really enjoyed themselves-what a joy to share this with them!

Later that night, I heard a knock at my door with a loud, "Trick-or-treat!" In came a bunch of girls carrying a jack o' lantern, wearing costumes they had made themselves out of streamers and newspaper!!!! I almost died from laughter! They had learned that on Halloween you dress up and go trick-or-treating, so that's what they did! I couldn't believe it. This was probably my favorite moment in India so far. I will never, ever be able to forget those streamer-covered girls howling with laughter as they celebrated their first-ever Halloween.

Midhila in her homemade costume made out of streamers and newspaper

The whole motley crew

These girls bring me such joy! L to R: Greeshma, Lydia, and Midhila

And it gets better: a few days later, I realized that I hadn't seen the jack o' lanterns around. As I was looking for them, Lydia, one of the girls in the hostel, said: "We had pumpkin curry for lunch." I said, "Ok, but do you know where the jack o'lanterns are?" She repeated, "We had pumpkin curry for lunch."

....

So I put two and two together, and Lydia confirmed it. Yes, yesterday, all 140 girls at the hostel ate curry made out of three-day-old jack o'lanterns that had had candles burning in them.

I wonder how it tasted.