Happy Thanksgiving

I'm excited about today. I wasn't in such a festive mood for Diwali. I wonder why these double standards!?

I have a lot of baggage with Diwali - this time when I was away from home and family for the first time on Diwali, I just wanted a year off! So I lazed around the house enjoying the normalcy of the day. I bought four diyas from the Indian store a week before Diwali because I felt like doing something for it in my own little way. But when the day arrived I was too tempted to let the day go by like just another day. So the diyas remained untouched!

So is it about needing a change? I do like change a lot. So maybe Thanksgiving gives me something new - just have a big feast with friends and family - how lovely is that! Eventhough Diwali too is a family holiday, somehow my family is too busy to just sit down and enjoy each other's company. That could be one explanation of my excitement for Thanksgiving.

Another similarity I see between Diwali and Thanksgiving is that both are actually religious holidays. In Diwali we pray to Laxmi -the Goddess of wealth. We thank Her and ask her for her continued economic showers of blessings. In Thanksgiving, as far as I know, we also thank the Lord for what He has endowed upon us and hope to be under His blessings forever.

Sounds pretty similar - but the difference comes in the implementation. I can imagine a family here enjoying the Thanksgiving meal and maybe right before or after the meal reciting a small prayer to the Lord.
My Diwali usually goes in 95% prayers throughout the day (in various places around the city) and a rushed simpler-than-usual meal at night. I don't mind the praying as long as it's followed by a nice big festive meal - that will just make my day - no matter for how long I sat in the car looking at the Delhi roads. But what I get is going to bed starved!

The diyas are lighted all over my house - usually by the domestic help - since we all are too busy PRAYING!! Even the firecrackers end up in her hands since we don't have time even to burn the ceremonial firecracker...

Looking at the evidence I think I cannot be blamed for grabbing Thanksgiving and making it my very own - and do it with ease as long as the ever-scrutinizing eyes, and now ears, of my relatives are so so far away from me!