Significance of Swings in Indian Festivals

Significance of Swings in Indian Festivals

Indians love to swing. Tying up swings and swinging in swing mostly by children and women are significantly visible in most of the Indian Festival. In North India Teej also known as 'Festival of Swings' marks the advent of monsoon season. The words Teej, in invokes up the image of swings as people hang beautiful swings in gardens and outside their houses. People follow the age-old tradition of swinging in the rains and perform traditional dance. Not only women but small kids also enjoy the spirit of the festival by swinging. Teej swings are decorated with colored and fragrant flowers. Some swings are also decorated with leharia print fabric to highlight the Rajasthani culture. These swings are either hung in the locality parks or at various gardens where special Teej celebrations take place. In Orissa during Raja Sankranti Festival that comes in June month is a three-day period of Raja, women get their right to rest and merry-making. They are not supposed to work during these days. Swings are tied under branches of large trees so that women and girls could enjoy swinging while the husbands and other male-members in the family take care of cooking. It is customary to relish Poda Pitha during the festival. Women are strictly forbidden to perform puja of any kind either at home or in the temples during this period of three days. During Onam in Kerala swings are tied on to the branches of trees and beautifully decorated with flowers. The swings are a major attraction for the youngsters who just cannot have enough of it. In Northern Karnataka, it is during Naga Panchami swings are tied. Again, this comes during Sravana Month, equivalent to Savan in North India. The story behind is as Satyeshwari did not see Nagraj her brother, she then started roaming here and there in the jungle and while searching climbed the branches of the trees to look out for him. At that time Nagraj appeared before her in visible form and manifested as Satyeshwar. At that time she started swinging on the branches of the trees with joy. This is the reason for females to play swing on that day. The objective for playing swing on that day is, -'As the swing goes up so should the brother should progress towards the summit and as the swing goes down all the problems and sorrows in his life should go down'. Any sister who thinks and acts with this faith then her brother's spiritual benefit is 5% and worldly benefit 30%. During Ramadan Eid also swings are tied in market places and fairs. In Tamil Brahmin weddings the importance of swing is highlighted. Swing –Oonjal: After exchanging the garlands, the bride and the bridegroom are made to sit on a Jhoola/ Swing. The Married women of both the families give spoonful of milk and banana to both of them to eat. Then the women make rice balls in a circle, in anticlock direction. This procedure is supposed to ward away the evils.

Swing Swing Swing…

I enthralled seeing a little one
Sitting on a swing,
Tied in the midst of the threshold,
With scary laugh and cry
For every up and down move of the swing,
Swing me high, swing me low….
As a child I loved to swing,
Swinging high, Swinging low,
Swinging in woods and meadows,
I laughed, I sang, I screamed in Joy,
Making my friends to whirl around and enjoy.
Swing me high, Swing me low….

Troubled by mother often to tie a swing for me,
At times she smiled and grind at me,
Brothers rescued and tied swings for me,
With mothers sarees and fathers dhothis,
Happy to see swing, swing and swing everywhere.
Swing me high, Swing me low….

Awaited for Nag Panchami,
The festival of swings,
Me as a queen bee on the swing,
My friends as maids to push the swing
To and fro,
Swing me high, swing me low….

As the time passed by,
My mind lost the traces of my swing,
Now, I rarely find swings and swinging amusement,
Good were the days I was swinging and singing,
All to myself, all to my self,
Swinging high, swinging low…

With pleasure of being a child,
Enjoying the festivity,
With colourful clothes and jasmine flowers,
That adored my long tresses,
With less hassles,
Moving front and back,
With fun and frolic,
Sudden fall with a creek
And that ends that days swinging.
Swinging me high, swinging me low….



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