Celebrating Nature

Somewhere amidst the gleeful pyrotechnics and the vibrant revelries, Mother Nature stands neglected and beat.

Even as our leaders are signing conventions to save the planet, we're indulging in festivities that are constantly scarring our environment. So what can we do about it? Quite a lot, actually. One attractive solution is to encourage and participate in festivals that are aimed at appreciating and caring for nature.

One such festival that has gained global recognition is the Hanami festival of Japan. Every spring, parks across the island nation transform as the Cherry Blossom (Sakura) trees begin to bloom with their iconic pink flowers. Locals and tourists alike throng to Sakura-viewing hot spots in April to imbibe the enchanting atmosphere propagated by the trees in full bloom. The parks are packed with picnic mats as entire communities get together for 'Hanami parties'. The blossoms last for only a couple of weeks so locals often spend entire days at the parks, basking in the pink-filtered sunlight. People adorn themselves with ornaments made out of the fallen petals. Often, night festivals are organized so that the celebrators can make the most of the ephemeral beauty of the Sakura season.

The term 'Hanami' translates to 'flower-viewing' and this itself shows that the essence of the festival lies in appreciation of nature. Hence, Hanami celebrates nature without compromising on the usual bonhomie and merrymaking. Now that's what I call a responsible and sustainable festival.

Moving a bit to the West on the globe and one season back in time, you'll find yourself in the Chinese city of Harbin. And winter is the perfect time to be there courtesy of the Harbin Ice Festival. This festival celebrates ice, snow and winter in general and is again an internationally renowned fiesta. Although, the official period for this festival is from 5 Jan - 25 Feb, the festivities often commence in December itself and culminate as late as March. The flagship feature of this fete is the Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival wherein participants compete to create and exhibit larger-than-life sculptures carved from ice blocks of the frozen Songhua river. Life-size buildings are built out of ice to supplement the grandiose. These sculptures are illuminated at night to create a mesmerizing effect upon onlookers. Apart from this, partakers come together and enjoy the festival via alpine skiing, river-swimming and dog-sledding. Many other events are also organized - from the traditional ice-lantern art fair to a mock Siberian tiger safari.
This festival has been celebrated since the 1960s; but as global warming aggregates and the mercury rises with every successive year, we can only pray that mankind will succeed in protecting our ice and  the festival will continue to grace Harbin.

Moving down to our very own India, the story is complicated. Living in the birthplace of a myriad cultures we celebrate a wide range of festivals, many of them heavily criticized for harming nature. Although innovations such as Eco-friendly Ganesha idols and bird-friendly kite manjas are gaining popularity, how many of us actually do something for nature via our celebrations? Everybody eagerly awaits Diwali but have you ever been excited for Van Mahotsav in July - our homegrown nature fiesta? The Festival of Trees - as it translates - is a week-long annual celebration promoted by our government since 1950. Every citizen is meant to plant a sapling during this week and consequently nurture it. But do we? We'll do it if our school or company tells us to. But where is the personal initiative that is always so active when we wish to burst noxious fireworks and immerse toxic idols into the sea?
That being said, Van Mahotsav has been a great boon to the country in its fight to match the green cover growth to the alarming increase in its humans. Awareness campaigns, planting drives and cultural events have fueled the festival into becoming a full blown movement.

Hanami has been reciprocated in most countries where the Sakura blossoms. Japan and China also hold moon-observance and autumn leaf viewing festivals. Ice festivals have been successful in cities around the world such as Sapporo in Japan, Quebec in Canada and Holmenkollen in Norway. Can India do something similar? Apart from making Van Mahotsav a little more 'fun',  I believe that our various harvest festivals can be transformed to a grander scale so as to incorporate mirth alongside nature appreciation. A billion trees would surely do more good than a billion fireworks. 

                          -Rtr Aman Vasavada
                  Rotaract Club Of NM College