Sham S. Misri
On the Nav-Reh of 23rd March, 2012, Mom (Sarla) and Dad (Bairaj) are at London and celebrate the festival here. With us are our daughter, son-in-law and our grand children. We being Kashmiri Pandits recall how we used to celebrate the day. Nav Reh is harbinger of peace and prosperity for us all. It is celebrated in every Kashmiri Pandits home on Amavasi, the last day of the year gone by. The day is celebrated with traditional gaiety and faith. We try to continue our tradition.
One day earlier to Nav-reh a thali or plate or any vessel is filled with paddy or rice. The New Year’s Panchang along with one of the pictures of any god or goddess (Maha Maya) is placed on the holy vessel. The vessel is decorated with spring flowers, Vhy (an herb), walnuts, inkpot, pen, salt, curds, cooked rice, and some currency. On the next day i.e. Nav-reh the eldest lady of the family gets up early in the morning and picks up the vessel in her hands and ensures that each and every member of the family first sees the ‘decorated thali' or the vessel with all the things, before their eyes catch sight of anything else on that day. This she does by entering all the rooms, early morning hours, where the family members are asleep. The family members on seeing the vessel carefully look at all the decorated items, kiss the pen, the picture of god or goddess, eat a grain of rice and put some money on the vessel. They prey to goddess to shower choicest blessings on mankind during the New Year. On this day we used to go to Hari Parbat, and to some gardens to enjoy almond blossoms. Whole day would be fun.
The Brahma Purana has mentioned that Brahma Ji created his universe under the supreme command of Maha Maya, hence the sanctity of the day is established and is celebrated in the whole of Bharat by Hindus.
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