It’s great how casual conversations can lead to insights into a country’s culture and peoples’ practices. I am making my way to Delhi’s airport this morning for my flight to Varanasi and chatting to my driver about my trip to India. The traffic is horrendous, but my driver assures me we have plenty of time. He informs me the extra traffic is due to the festival.
It seems like there’s a different festival every week in India- one to welcome the monsoon, one for wives to honor husbands, etc., but as he explained this one to me, I thought it was quite special. It is a festival for brothers and sisters. It is a time when sisters pray their brothers will love long, happy and healthy lives. As part of the tradition, the sister presents her brother with a bracelet. The brother then gives his sister a gift.
All the ladies are decked out in their best saris, and propped on the back of mopeds (side straddle of course) en route to visit their brothers and the rest of their families. I think of my brother back in Atlanta, and a smile crosses my face as I think about this tradition and our relationship and friendship. I take note of the red and gold string bracelets, and it leads to many good conversations with the people wearing them that day and in the days following.