Shashi poorti

I got to witness this special event of Shasthi poorti when I was in Goa few days back. The temple hosts many religious ceremonies and this was one.

Shasthi poorti is nothing but a 60th birthday celebration but what made this ceremony at the temple special was the fact that it was of a lady. Yes, unfortunately India is a patrichial society and people here consider men to be of importance. According to rituals when a man completes the first 60 years of his life, this ceremony is help to mark a milestone. Sadly, women's 60th birthday is not of any importance according to Hinduism.

What makes 60 so special. According to Hinduism, a lifespan of an individual is considered to be 120 years and 60 being the exact half is celebrated. Another reason to celebrate 60 is that Hinduism has 60 years with different names and when a person turns 60 it is believed that he has seen all those 60 years and is going to repeat the same for the second time.

Shasthi poorti is celebrated on the day when the zodiacs take the same position like it were during the birth of the person. It is said that this can happen only once in 60 years.

This lady broke the rules and hosted her own Shasthi poorti. Her husband expired around 17 years back which makes her ineligible to host any religious ceremony in her name, but with the support of her children she made the impossible possible and the temple priests had to oblige.

She stood there as a contended woman when her sons and their wives performed the ceremony for her.