Modernization has hit the world hard. The way puberty is to teenagers, commercialization is to festivals. With each passing era, the definition of a festival has changed drastically. In the late ’80s and ’90s, festivals meant dedication. Today, they mean spending money according to an individual’s status and power to invest.
What’s the first thing that strikes your skull when ‘DIWALI’ is on board? I bet it’s the crackers. Likewise, ‘HOLI’ knocks for colors, ‘EID’ for food, ‘CHRISTMAS’ highlights the tree, gifts, and so on. Little does anyone bother now to know the real meaning. The true symbols have been scraped into the mythological books and children’s essays.
All the festivals, both religious and national, have become a mere season for industries to suck the maximum revenue from the people all over. That doesn’t mean that these businessmen are at fault. Let me be clear when I say that humans are individually responsible for the deterioration of the importance of festivals all around the globe. We have outstretched the situation to the extent where the meanings of celebration have flipped from harmony and peace to explicitly on joy and unruly delight.
Nobody cares for the real reason behind the celebration!!
The more I dwell upon the topic, I see how all of us have completely neglected awareness of the reasons for these festivals. For all those struggling workers, laborers, students, and people with jobs look upon them as opportunities for holidays. Conclusively, who cares to know the answers of ‘WHY’, ‘WHERE’, ‘WHEN’, and ‘HOW’ today?
All the brands and reputed companies in all the sectors of a business start baiting the customers with the bonanza prices at the threshold of festive seasons. When the ready-made electric lights are present for sale why invest in hundreds of diyas to decorate the house? You know what festivals today are more a depiction of exaggerating wealth and undeniable power.
Those who are affluent enough want to show off their sore wealth and pamper their ego. They believe in exchanging expensive gifts, teaching the coming generation as they go. It’s the material that measures the happiness of life and the extension of the festival. Parties are now a fashion. Catering to your ‘closed ones’ who you haven’t meant for years, gifting them, decorating the house with exorbitant ornaments can feed a lot in commercializing the festivals.
Those who call themselves atheists celebrate them. Ironically, all of these festivals originated with miracles in the past proving the triumph of good over evil. Exuberant kids and ferocious youngsters have barely any interest in the stories at all. Liquors are tradition and clothes are a necessity.
All are responsible for lowering the real value of these festivals, not only the businessmen!
Commercialization is not restricted to a particular religion or a specific section of society. Everyone is trapped in this pool of addiction. The pattern is almost the same, as soon as Christmas arrives, the businessmen put on New Year’s decoratives on display. We all practically always fall into the prey of buying unwanted products. How many times has anyone thought of the value and morale that the festival is going to bring? Only the desire for encountering new things fuels our joyous mood.
P.S – It’s not always kindergarten and schools that are to lift the responsibilities of educating the children about festivals, the parents as well play a salient feature.
Long gone are the days when guests were treated as Gods’ arrival. The present scenario is conflicting. Peace is in isolation. Reunions and gatherings are only dreams for holiday destinations and not celebration. So, don’t blame the school for not providing the ethics of warm fellowship. Children miss out on a lot of things when they don’t know the reason for what they perform when they celebrate.
Commercialization of festivals globally has turned the concept of commemoration to buying and selling of happiness
All we are concerned about – what to wear? what to buy? and what’s the upcoming sale?? It’s high time we pass these norms and break the limitation that money can buy. Of course, there are masses who have taken the initiatives of sharing love and the following peace by not exclusively flattering their assets and helping the needy and making the lives of people easy.
Let’s not just celebrate Independence Day by bursting crackers and shouting patriotism and instead follow the path for which our ancestors gave their lives. Put away your phones, and stop sending virtual wishes. Meet your loved ones, teach your young toddlers what they are celebrating, and why. Well, to conclude I guess, all of us have an unexplored side, same is the case with festivals. We need to explore the unknown, concealed side, and meaning of each festival we celebrate to enjoy it to the fullest.
Remember, satisfaction must be your priority and not wealth.