According to Indian culture, extinguishing a burning light (ज्योत बुज्हाना) is considered very inauspicious. So strong is this belief that in most Indian movies, a flickering & finally dying lamp is symbolically used to warn the audience of someone's impending death. Why do most of us then encourage such an act on a birthday - which is considered an auspicious occasion??
I sometimes wonder why adults should consider their own birthdays as occasions for celebration. Adults normally celebrate "achievements" and you did nothing to bring yourself into this world - did you? It is ok for your parents to celebrate your birthday - you are indeed their achievement. Moreover each passing year brings us closer to the FINAL DAY - if anything, this should be a day of contemplation ( I almost said "condolence"). Birthdays were ok when we were kids - drooling for those gifts & chocolates.
Let us come back to the mystery of extinguished candles! This is actually an ancient Greek custom which we have copied without really understanding its significance. According to the original practice, the birthday boy / girl is supposed to close his/her eyes and make a silent wish to GOD before opening them and blowing off the candle. The smoke from the extinguished candle which rises upwards is supposed to "carry" that wish to GOD.
Don't ask me why only the smoke (visible to the eye) can carry your wishes to GOD and the hot fumes (which also rise upwards while the candle is burning, but are invisible to the eye) cannot!
Can you now tell me why we use only a cake to stick those candles in? Why can't it be a can of श्रीखंड or शीरा or some of those other mouth watering Indian पकवान ?
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Apparently Greek customs are as illogical as some of our own but blind following can never be justified.
केकच्या जागी श्रीखंड किंवा शिरा वापरण्याची कल्पना मस्त आहे.
This proves that perception is very important.
A candle which is extinguished is considered as the inauspicious (life gone dead) can also be imagined as a secret thought sent across the universe.
Both are symbolic, both have something to do with our mind and the only difference that I can see is that while one is positive the other is negative.
I can understand Prakash. At your age affording so many candles every year is getting pretty expensive, ain't it?
Hi
no matter how many birthdays we celebrate, one should always have the feeling of staying young (as I have mentioned in my book, which I am sure you must not have read till now). So you always carry the young feeling, which brings you so much energy that you really do not mind your growing age. So we really dont have to pay condolenses to ourselves, instead feel that you are those many years young.
Secondly as you personally said in your speech on the launching ceremony, and which I also agree, that one should not bother about the so called FINAL DAY and instead enjoy the present. What say?????
Love
Manjiri
I truly appreciate your efforts and more importantly making this consistent which I know How difficult it is to maintain such a thought based initiative.
Indeed inspiring
Hmmm I can see Poonam rolling her eyes after reading that first paragraph on (the lack of ) importance of birthdays :-) It explains a bit more why I am the way I am!
I go against this custom because i always light a candle on my Birthday and don't blow it off.:) But i feel other people just blindly follow few things without knowing the actual reason behind it. Just bcoz one person is doing it, the other will just immitate. I am sure no one knows that its a Greek custom!!
I absolutely agree...its against our customs n traditions....n 1 more thing is, many people inadvertently but enthusiastically blow the candles with great force which can lead to drops of saliva gettin deposited on the cake....which then every1 njoys.....Nexxt time may b every1 will think abt this....
I agree that extinguishing a burning light is considered very inauspicious in Indian culture.
Our lifestyle at present is an incongruous mixture of Indian and Western culture, without understanding the fundamentals of either.
It is difficult to eradicate established customs without replacing them by others, which are equally acceptable.
I suggest that Tula daan ( Donating goods equal in weight) is a good substitute for the candle and the cake
Why we cut Cake? Simple b'coz just like how we learn to follow blowing candles from Greeks... similarly... cutting cake from someone...
We're just followers...n not Leaders....
I don't mind any Indian sweet to replace cake...
hi,
very thoughtful blog,
i really appreciate the question mark you have put on our way of accepting things as blind follower.
but isn't it a proof of very liberal attitude of Indians (mainly Hindus)?
May I know How Many birthdays u have celebrated ur own?
There may b N questions like this- 'Y Cake?' First Question may b WHY we celebrate the B'DAY itself as we are moving one more day to end of our life....and should not celebrate for End of Life...
Some questions need to be unanswered... ___Rupesh
Never knew about this Greek custom. Interesting.
For once I thought you would explain why people still celebrate birthdays. Or for that matter any day! I think it's because people are living such miserable lives that they are always looking for some reason to express happiness.
I don't think those celebrating birthdays are really happy for their birth. Because if it were so then they would feel this happiness / gratefulness even if they stayed alone that day. But that won't happen. This happiness materializes only in togetherness through partying. What has other people do to with one's birth? So, it's all fake.
Real thing is that people want reasons to celebrate. This in itself makes celebrations the show of misery of those celebrating. Can't they celebrate every moment of their life if they are so happy yo be born???
Never knew about this Greek custom. Interesting.
For once I thought you would explain why people still celebrate birthdays. Or for that matter any day! I think it's because people are living such miserable lives that they are always looking for some reason to express happiness.
I don't think those celebrating birthdays are really happy for their birth. Because if it were so then they would feel this happiness / gratefulness even if they stayed alone that day. But that won't happen. This happiness materializes only in togetherness through partying. What has other people do to with one's birth? So, it's all fake.
Real thing is that people want reasons to celebrate. This in itself makes celebrations the show of misery of those celebrating. Can't they celebrate every moment of their life if they are so happy yo be born???
Beliefs do not have any logic or reasons , mostly.
Beliefs need/should not be ridiculed.
Beliefs are one's own, from which one derives his/ her satisfaction , energy etc.
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