HOW TO CELEBRATE FESTIVAL IN LOCKDOWN

India the land of culture is famous all over the world for its uniqueness. Indian culture is the amalgamation of several cultures and spreads throughout the Indian subcontinent. India being a secular nation has a population following a variety of religions. Every religion and culture has their own festivals, which makes the country crowded with festivals throughout the year. Festivals are the times every Indian house is filled with relatives and friends.Many festivals up ahead in this year like the Ganesh Chaturthi which is a major celebration in Maharashtra, Vijay Dashmi the main festival in Bengal and South-East, Diwali and many more festivals which every year attracts a multitude of people with Pandals set everywhere and captivating fairs. But this year would be an exception in Indian history. Social distancing guidelines prevent the gatherings for celebration and houses yearn to hear the laughter of relatives. 

Of course keeping in mind safety first and being safe today will gives us a tomorrow to celebrate, we all have to go by the guidelines of COVID-19 social distancing. Now how can we achieve the happiness of celebrating festivals with friends, family and relatives, following the guidelines? Below are some suggested steps to celebrate the festivals in a lockdown and feel the presence of all your relatives at home. 

Decorate the house and cook special dishes:

The first and foremost thing of festival is to make the house look like it's a special day. Grace your home with festoons as you would do every year. To get authentic vibes, cook special dishes. They are the main ingredients of any celebration.

Wear festive clothes:

Once done with decorating the house next comes getting ready for the occasion. Dress in festive outfits just like attending any celebration or festival. Don't let laziness grip you and the thought "It's just my home and no need to be formal.", take over you. Keep your mind active by creating normal situation like any other year. 

Perform the rituals at home:

Offer Puja at home by performing all the rituals. God is present every where and will accept our prayers if we offer them with pure heart and devotion. Also you can arrange for a virtual Satsang to seek blessings from the supreme Lord to fight the Pandemic and contain the spread of COVID-19.

 

Virtually connect with all relatives and friends:

Thanks to our very dear social networking sites we can now connect to all our loved ones in just few clicks. Have a video chat with all and spread happiness to all the homes. No doubt the physical presence can not be replaced with virtual meets, but it can make us feel relaxed up to a great extent, as very well said "Something is better than nothing!".

Donate to Needy:

This festival make a point to add humanity along with devotion and donate something, no matter how little, to the needy ones out there who can not afford the privileges like yourself. Your necessity is a sophistication to them. It is a very old saying "Service to mankind is service to God". This year try to share your chunk of happiness with them and spread it to the world. 

These are some of the unique steps to celebrate a festival in the lockdown and enjoy the celebration. Be home, Be safe, so that you can celebrate the next and many more years' festivals with your family and friends.