What’s a cultural tradition from your country that you love?
If you ask me about a cultural tradition from India that I love, I honestly wouldn’t know where to begin.
India is practically a treasure chest of traditions. Open one drawer and you’ll find festivals. Open another and there’s a puja. Then come the flowers, mehendi, pattu sarees, family gatherings, elaborate feasts, banana leaves, sweets, prayers—and enough food to make you wonder whether we came to pray or attend a royal banquet. 😄
One tradition very close to my heart is Varalakshmi Vratam, which I celebrate with my family.
There is something beautiful about getting ready for it. I wear a traditional pattu saree, decorate with flowers, prepare for the pooja, and slowly the house begins to feel different. More festive. More alive. More… Indian.
But my favourite part of this tradition comes with a little story.
The first time I performed Varalakshmi Vratam after my marriage, my mother-in-law lovingly prepared 11 different kinds of naivedyam for Lakshmi Maa.
She was so happy doing it, and I simply assumed, Okay, this is how it is done.
The following year, however, my mother-in-law was visiting the US and spending some time there.
And suddenly, I had an extremely important question.
“How many naivedyams am I supposed to make—9 or 11?”
So, naturally, I called my mother.
Her response?
“That is between you and your in-laws. Don’t involve me.” 😂
Thank you, Mumma. Very helpful.
It was nighttime in the US, so I couldn’t call my mother-in-law either.
And there I was—standing in the kitchen, facing a serious spiritual dilemma.
Nine?
Eleven?
Apparently, divine blessings come with a little bit of mathematical uncertainty too. 😁
Finally, I decided to play safe.
I made 11.
Later, I discovered that the first year had 11 because it was my first Varalakshmi Vratam, and the following years were supposed to have 9.
Oops.
But by then, it was too late.
The mistake had already become a tradition.
And now?
I still make 11.
At this point, I have decided that if Lakshmi Maa has been happily accepting 11 all these years, I am not going to be the one questioning the arrangement. 😂
And then comes my favourite part—the feast.
Every year, after the pooja, we serve the meal traditionally on a banana leaf.
And this is where the entire family suddenly develops extraordinary patience.
Everyone waits.
Quietly.
Politely.
Respectfully.
Until the bhog is offered.
And the moment the food is blessed, the transformation is remarkable.
The same people who were patiently waiting a few minutes ago suddenly become extremely efficient.
One by one, things begin disappearing from the banana leaf.
A little rice vanishes.
Then the curry.
Then the sweet.
Then something else that I was quite sure I had just served.
And before I know it, the beautifully arranged feast has become a very convincing piece of evidence that good food should never be left unattended. 😄
But beyond the sarees, flowers, mehendi, pooja and food, what I truly love about this tradition is the togetherness.
It brings everyone into the same space.
We dress up.
We pray.
We laugh.
We eat together.
We wait for the bhog.
We tell old stories.
And somehow, in the middle of all these rituals, ordinary moments become memories.
Perhaps that is what I love most about Indian traditions.
They are not merely rituals passed down through generations.
They are little threads that quietly connect one generation to another—
from a mother teaching her daughter,
a mother-in-law welcoming a new daughter into an old tradition,
to children growing up watching these rituals and someday carrying a few of them forward in their own way.
Somewhere along the way, a saree, a flower, a prayer, a recipe, or a meal served on a banana leaf becomes more than a tradition.
It becomes a memory.
And then, without us even realising it, the memory becomes part of who we are.
And perhaps that is why I still make eleven.
Not because I forgot the correct number…
but because, after all these years, those eleven offerings have become a little piece of my own story. ❤️
Traditions are not just rituals; they are memories wrapped in love, passed from one generation to another. 🦋🌸
I would love to hear your story too…
What’s a cultural tradition from your country that you deeply love?
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Until The Next Whisper,
—Rajeshwari 🧿💕
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READ MORE : A Tradition Woven With Love: Our Tirupati Story
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