Chithirai Festival

Chithirai or Alagar Festival, Tamil Nadu :

One of the longest festivals celebrated for almost a month in summer is the Chithirai Tiruvizha, with its epicentre in Madurai. Acclaimed as the Athens of the East, Madurai is the architectural predecessor of Athens in Greece and is the oldest city in the world with the longest-surviving civilization.

Goddess Meenakshi is believed to be the driving force behind this city, and the entire Madurai is built around the temple in perfect squares. The temple is renowned for its grandest architecture, with more than 33,000 sculptures.

The annual festival, Chithirai Tiruvizha, commences in the first week of April and lasts almost a month. This is even compared to the Kumbh mela in North India, where lakhs of people assemble in this city to be a part of this legendary festival.

It is estimated that at least a million people arrive here. Chithirai Tiruvizha aims to break the barriers between Saivism and Vaishnavism as Goddess Meenakshi, sister of Azhagar, who is an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, marries Lord Sundareswarar, an incarnation of Lord Shiva.

The one-line story of Chithirai Tiruvizha is “Meenakshi weds Sundareswarar."'. As she is considered a family deity for most families in the erstwhile Pandya Kingdom, the present region in and around Madurai, the entire region wears a festive look the day ahead.

A series of religious rituals and pujas take place in a well-organized manner. On the day of the celestial wedding, thousands of women volunteer to assist in cooking, as the massive cooking is to feed lakhs of people attending the wedding. As soon as the celestial wedding is over, it is also customary for all the women to exchange their old mangalsutras for new ones. One of the highlights of this festival is the Ethir Sevai, where Lord Azhagar, riding on a golden horse, brings a lot of gifts to his sister for her marriage, and the entire city assembles on the outskirts to welcome him.

There are other social events hosted throughout the month. Exhibitions, entertainment centres, restaurants, play areas, religious concerts, and spiritual discourses are arranged across the city.

It is clear from the rich history and tradition of India that such festivals are organized to boost the local economy of the people. Festivals indeed inculcate cultural harmony and rejuvenate the spirit of social living, which is in demand forever. Chithirai Tiruvizha is one such festival that has been celebrated pompously for centuries.