Sindhara

Sindhara is a festival dedicated to the daughter-in-law. It is celebrated in most parts of North India. This festival comes during the brighter half of the Hindu month of Sharaavan (July-August), a day before the Teej festival.

Sindhara marks the end of summer and the beginning of the monsoon, giving a respite from the heat. The women folk enjoy this day by swaying on the swings tied to large trees. They decorate their hands and feet with ‘mehndi,’ which is an herbal paste that leaves a reddish orange coloration on the skin. They purchase bangles and new clothes featuring exquisite gold colored embroidery.

As mentioned earlier, Sindhara is a festival for the daughter-in-law. She visits her parents, a day before the festival, along with the gifts given by her mother-in-law. The gifts include sweets, cosmetics, toys and game articles. The visit lasts for a day and the daughter-in-law returns back on the next evening.

She now brings with her the ‘baya,’ which is an assortment of sweets, delicacies, fruits and some token amount of money, gifted by her mother. A ‘puja’ is performed in the evening with ‘Gaur Mata’ (incarnation of Goddess Parvati) being the chief deity. The women of the house sit around the idol of goddess and worship by burning an oil lamp and offering rice, flowers and water to the deity.

While performing the rituals, the married women keep their head covered with the ‘pallu’ (falling edge of the saree) as a mark of respect. A corner of the ‘pallu’ is kept over the plate holding the ‘baya.’, while an elderly woman utters some words pertaining to the tradition of this festival. On completion of the ritualistic recital, the ‘baya’ is given to the mother-in-law or in her absence to an elderly woman of the house.