So yesterday dawned with that air of anticipation (and a little dread) because this was the day of the ‘housewarming party’ Actually, this term is a little misleading because the event of the day to which I have been invited, and for which I have helped my Droitwich friend prepare is actually a Puja (Griha Pravesh). This a Hindu religious housewarming ceremony to bless a new home, inviting positive energy with prayers, rituals (like boiling milk, breaking coconut), and offerings to deities like Lord Ganesha, while a housewarming party is the broader social celebration, often incorporating these sacred traditions to share the joy and seek blessings for prosperity and happiness in the new space, with the puja being the spiritual core. So there are a lot of preparations to be done within the house before the arrival of the ‘pandits’ (Hindu priests) who will perform all of the ceremonies within the house. So the evening before last, I joined with my friend to do some last minute shopping (mainly fruit and flowers that really need buying at the last moment). We made a trip to a specialised Asian shop in Birmingham to by some particular delicacies which are the required food for such occasions and we sat down at a little table in the shop to try some other delicacies. Then we needed to make last minute trips to both Waitrose and to Lidl which are local supermarkets in Droitwich and there were various last minute preparations to be undertaken such as table setting. I even helped with constructing some garlands out of fresh flowers which must be a first for me. I must say that my friend and I really enjoyed doing this together and she had been involved in last minute cooking, apart from other things. There are various social conventions to be observed and as this is the first (and maybe the only) of these events to which I have been invited and have learnt what these are. My friend will evidently be dressed in her finest, traditional clothing whereas for males the convention is to wear white if possible. Now when I dashed into town the other day, I ventured into the Salvation Army store and actually found a pair of white cotton trousers which was fortunate indeed. The minute I got home, I tried them on and they were a perfect fit and my domestic help who is very knowledgeable about clothing affairs thought they were perfect. I know I have a pristine white shirt (last worn on the occasion of Meg’s funeral) but have also hunted out some white socks to complete the ensemble. This later is quite important because shoes are never worn in such ceremonies but left at the door so my good fortune with my white clothing attire has continued – is this auspicious, I ask myself. At the last moment, the timings have all changed so after an urgent text I need to be ready by mid-morning (which I will be) rather than midday. Now another quite extraordinary thing has occurred. One of my favourite tracks of music, much played on ClassicFM, is from Brahms ‘How wonderful is thy dwelling place’ and of course, although a different musical tradition, the words are so appropriate to the occasion. So I have put a link to it on my phone so it can be played one a suitable occasion such as before the Hindu pandits arrive.
So I arrived at my friends house just after 11.00am and the Hindu pundits had already arrived and were setting out all the things started for an elaborate ceremony which started at about 11.30. Much attention was paid initially to Ganesha who is one of the most revered and popular deities in Hinduism, easily recognised by his elephant head and human body. He is primarily worshipped as the Remover of Obstacles (Vighnaharta), the patron of arts and sciences, and the deva of intellect and wisdom. Ganesha is the son of Lord Shiva and their close relationship parallels that of ‘God the Father, God the Son..’ in Christian theology. The ceremonies involved seeking divine approval by the offering of incense, sounds (a tinkling bell) and a variety of foodstuffs. Eventually, a sacred fire is started and then the family members add grains of rice, ghee (clarified butter), milk and flower petals to the flames while the priests intone some sacred mantras. After the main ceremony had concluded, there was a quick procession through the major rooms of the house with more invocations to Hare Krishna and then a final and probably quite important blessing of the family car which given the state of today’s traffic is probably sorely needed. After we had partaken of some lunch my friend took her eldest son to a school football match I which he was committed to play. Whilst they were out of the house, the younger son and I did a certain amount of clearing up and washed up what we could. Then after the tidying up, we spent quite a lot of time talking about cricket and then rounded after the afternoon with one of these programmes, much beloved of Channel 5, on the best adverts in place during the 7190’s and 1980’s Then when my friend and her eldest son returned it was time for me to leave but I had been at the house-cum-ceremonies for a good eight hours.
The situation in Greenland continues to evolve a Trump is threatening 10% (growing to 25% in June) on some of the major European economies and the Baltic stated. Several European states, including the UK, are sending some troops to Greenland perhaps not to engage in any real military conflict as to send a symbolic message to Donald Trump. Some analysts are arguing that supplying troops to Greenland is indicating to Trump that a military conflict would be a disaster and therefore he using the imposition of tariffs as a political weapon to force other countries to comply with his wishes. But it does appear that Starmer has found some backbone and is now not averse to telling the US what a mistake the imposition of heavy tariffs would mean for the alliance. As Trump only understands and responds to the threat of force in international affairs, it is more important than ever that Europe as a whole if prepared to take on rump even it comes to European states being prepared to confront USA militarily.