Celebrating for Emotional Immunity

Published on: December 08, 2020

2020 might not feel like a year for extra celebrations but this mom shares the rituals that make the festive season special for her and how celebrating contributes to our wellbeing.

By Ashima Kapur  

Loy Krathong, Diwali, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the list goes on; living in Thailand allows us to experience a long list of celebrations. Different festivals but one common thing to all is the smile they bring to our face and a feeling of joy that spreads through our minds. It may be for a day or a few hours, but all these festivals bring happiness to us. This does not negate the joy we get from our kids’ birthdays, our wedding anniversaries, the academic and non-academic achievement of our kids. Celebrations bring cohesiveness in families, joy, togetherness. 

In my family we celebrate many festivals. For Diwali, the festival of lights, preparations start a few days before the festival. Being expats means we are mostly away from our family especially during celebrations as the school break is usually too short to visit our country. This year due to COVID-19 it’s even more important to not only restrict our international travel but also the local travel. But I didn’t want this to restrict our cheer. We still did festive things as a family like decorating and cooking. We bought Diwali candles, incense sticks, and rangoli pattern decorations to place at our house entrance. My 10-year-old son was excited about arranging things and we revisited our closets to see what things we could part with. It is believed in India and many other cultures too, that removing old/unused items from the house helps to bring positivity and good luck to the household and also the donated items bring joy to many in need of them. I even sort through my kitchen utensils and feel so festive and fresh when my family participates in deep cleanups. The whole house revibrates with joy and festive feelings.

Is it necessary that we do big things to get joy? No! Peace and joy come from each little activity we do together as a family. Celebrations are special enjoyable events that reinforce wellbeing and joy to all involved. We can let go of the differences we have and stand on a common platform where the only goal is joy, happiness, and cheer. A time when we can show our care, love, and affection to our nearest and dearest. The long-term effect of such actions results in the beautiful memories we create. Celebrations are a necessity right now. To break the long effects of COVID-19 we all need to celebrate each special day in a grander way which doesn’t mean a big party, but conceptually, an event when we spare time for our families.

So, let’s plan for each of our celebrations without sulking into the incapacities created due to the global pandemic. We all need to get up and consciously make efforts to celebrate.

Happiness will multiply and its ripples will be felt across the whole society. I am looking forward to the upcoming festivals, sharing the joy with my family and neighbors, and giving wishes to those who are far through electronic media. 

Every day becomes a blessing when we celebrate our life depicting our gratitude towards what we have rather than what we don’t.  

About the Author

Ashima is a stay-at-home parent of a 10-year-old boy. She has had an enriching professional career before when she was living in Thailand but now moved to Myanmar with her family. She is enjoying every bit of being part of the editorial team at BAMBI. Her mission is to be a lifelong learner, to learn from every situation and person, and continue to celebrate life.  

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