It’s the night before Indian Independence Day and all I can say, is that nobody does holidays better than India, or even in quite the same way. Actually, tonight is the culmination of two holidays, which highlight the melting pot of traditions that is Kodaikanal, India. On this eve of the largest national holiday of the year, the Christian (and predominantly Catholic) citizens of this little town on top of the hill also celebrate the start of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
In order to celebrate the festivities in a truly unique Indian style, the center of town has been strung with long strands of palm fronds strings and blinking colored lights, all culminating around one very large image of the Virgin herself, surrounded in auspicious red lights and two enormous speakers, which, coincidentally enough have been blaring a lovely mix of Tamil music for the whole week. Things like these remind me that although I am living in a seemingly Western part of an Indian world, I am still in India. And for this, I feel truly blessed.
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