Golu Festivities

Golu is the festive display of dolls and figurines in South India during the autumn festive season, particularly around Navratri (Dussehra, Dasara) festival of Hinduism. These displays are typically thematic, narrating a legend from a Hindu text or a secular cultural issue. Each displayed item in a golu display is sometimes called golu doll or equivalent. They are generally arranged in an odd number of padis (tiers) to tell a story. During the golu display season, families visit each other with gifts to view and chit-chat over the golu display, share festive foods, and sometimes play music or sing devotional songs together. Below are few experiences of our readers about their Golu celebrations.

 

 SUGAR LAND: The Navrathri event at Subha and Venkat’s house in Sugar Land was very creative and colorful. Each area in their house was decorated meticulously by Subha Venkat, her sister Priya Chandru, and mother Vijayalakshmi Chandrasekaran. Mrs. Chandrasekaran’s display of handmade dolls made from recycled products (AirWick bottles, plastic water bottles, egg shells, egg cartons, paper towel rolls) and the 3 different rangolis (tanjore painting rangoli, desiccated coconut rangoli and rangoli on water) were so artistic and intricate. The hospitality of Mr. Chandrasekaran and Mr. Venkat and the catered food from Annam was an added bonus to a festive evening on Friday, October 12.

  

STAFFORD: Luckmi Pawa, a long time Stafford resident has been keeping Golu in her house for the last 28 years. This year everyone visited her home on Wednesday, October 17. She explained, “The festival of Navaratri, and the keeping of Golu is especially significant to me, as it serves as a way of preserving and propagating an ancient culture.  Being a second-generation immigrant, and having a daughter, it is important for me to try to hold on to the traditions and practices that were passed on in my family. The golu dolls that were so lovingly displayed in my family home each Navaratri while growing up, reminded my parents of ‘home’, and of their own childhood experiences.  Those very same dolls now occupy the golu steps in my home, and will someday find a place in my daugther’s.”

 

 

SUGAR LAND: Sandhya Ayyar shared, “Golu to me represents a beautiful tradition that I grew up with. This was my 4th year of keeping golu. I started in 2014 with a few dolls given to me by my mom and since then I have been adding a few dolls every year that I buy when I visit India. Golu is a heartwarming cultural experience for my family and it’s such a joy to have people from all cultures visit our home for Haldi Kumkum during Navratri.”