Maatha Tirtha Puja (Mother's Day)
The Nepalese people
have always been family oriented. They take great pride in their
ancient tradition of closely-knit family unit. This sort of kinship is
not only the result of religious teachings, but also due to various
festivals and ceremonies, which brings the family together and
strengthens the family ties in the Nepalese society.
Such
is the festival of "Mata Tritha Puja" which in English is "Mother's
day" . This festival falls on the last day of the dark fortnight of
April or early May. It is a day when one shows appreciation and
gratitude to his/her mother for her unconditional love and undying
support.
On this day, each house bustles with activities
and everyone, regardless of age, participates. There aren't much
religious ceremonies but the fact that it is a day for mothers, calls
for celebrations for she is the one who keeps the family together
through ups and downs in life. Even the small children dig into their
savings to buy gifts for their mothers. Sons and daughters living
separately, come with presents and delicacies to spend time with their
mother. It is a day of reunion for married daughters with their
mothers. The entire day is filled with festivities and merry making.
Those
who don't have a mother pay obeisance to Mata Tirtha, which is a sacred
site of pilgrimage and holy bathing. It lies six miles south - west of
central Katmandu, consisting of two pools-the larger for bathing and
the smaller is famous as the place where one "looks upon one's mother's
face".
Legends reveal that in the ancient times the region
was ruled by a cowherd king. One of his cowherds was so depressed by
his mother's death that he went to pray and make offerings at a water
storage pond in the forest on this day. Miraculously his mother's face
appeared and her hand accepted the offerings. Thus its called Mata
Tirtha, where many hope to see their mother's face. Alot of folklores
are attached to this site, some of which are tragic. But whatever it
maybe, people still believe that paying homage to this site will bring
peace to their mother's departed soul. So for this reason people come
from distant places, on this day, to show their reverance.
Thus,
Mata Tirtha holds a very profound meaning in each person's life. For a
mother, is a figure present in everyone's life. This day gives each
child a chance to show the depth of his/her feelings for her.
Article by Padmakshi Rana
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