Celebrations

Life is a blessing, it should be celebrated. And when we share happiness, it gets multiplied and when we share our sorrows, it somehow decreases it. That is a general principle all over the world. Why, when, where and how to celebrate is totally different everywhere. Especially the people around you matters a lot.

I recently saw a page on facebook and some viral pictures that define happiness. And the amount of people liking these kinds of comics and pages is massive. That made me write about the different type of celebrations I have witnessed in my life.

If I do a little brainstorming the time to leave school was one of the happiest times of my childhood. Now it feels different, but the teachers that were kind of stress for you, if they were a little late in class or were absent due to some reasons used to make your day. A public holiday or a surprise off from school was more than a blessing. I still remember the enthusiasm when the school bell used to ring for a break or leaving school, we all used to run really fast towards the play ground or out of school. That feeling or experience is something that you cannot have after you grow up. In our illusion we used to think that we are prisoner inside the walls of the school and there is a life waiting for us outside these boundaries. But after the summer vacations or a school year we used to wait for the time to go to the school again. The feeling of first day was always amazing. Since everyone was controlling us, so we were celebrating a little freedom between the class hours, when the teacher is not looking at you, playing time, visiting other cities or a family for dinner, wedding ceremonies, when the parents were not at home or they were sleeping,  were the events we used to celebrate a lot.  In all those celebration the major partners were your friends from school or the ones living nearby and your siblings because we were all going through the same situation.

Besides these small celebrations there were some religious and national celebrations. In Pakistan there are two Eid’s celebrations. Normally it is celebrated with families and relatives. The national days like Independence Day, defense day and national days were celebrated mostly with a patriotic spirit and reminding of the history. These celebrations were all big because everyone used to celebrate it with you. On television so many programs were telecasted during these days. There were special ceremonies in the schools and the places around you. But in the childhood these celebrations had much more excitement for us and with time the meaning and way of celebrations changed a lot.

In Scandinavia the celebrations are quite different. Christmas and New Year’s evening are the biggest celebrations. Easter and midsummer are also celebrated.  National day is just another holiday for Swedish people. But for Norwegians it is a really big day. Everyone wear the traditional national dress of and sing and dance. As it is the graduation day as well so it makes it even more fun. So if you are in Norway on 17^th May, you will really enjoy it. Besides these Halloween is also a big day in Scandinavia.

The biggest difference in celebration of academic is that in Pakistan we celebrate the secondary school graduation a lot and then we celebrate our bachelor’s degree. These two celebrations are one of the greatest celebrations of anyone’s life in Pakistan. Everyone is greeting you and your family and friends are really proud of you in these moments. In Scandinavia the biggest celebration is graduation from college. The month of May is worth watching these kids enjoying it like crazy. Dancing here and there and spending most of their time outdoors. In the end they have their proms in first week of June.

Wedding is one of the most important celebrations in Pakistan. We spend a major part of our income in attending wedding ceremonies. And if someone in your family is getting married then the cost and the celebration is very much high. All close relatives gather for at least a week at the houses of girl and the guy. A lot of food and sweets is eaten, a lot decorations are done, music dance and so many things happens in the days of the weddings. There are so many customs that has to be followed by both of the families. And your relatives from all over the country come and share the happiness with you. Weddings in Scandinavia do not have that big budget. I have not witnessed any wedding in Scandinavia so far, therefore I should not comment on it.

The other social celebrations are very different. In Pakistan we celebrate every small thing that happens around us. For example I have got an A in a small test in the class. Then I have to give a small treat. Any of my siblings have some small achievement, we celebrate that. Once I remember one of our friends joined a gym, we celebrated it. Once his brother got admission in a university we celebrated it. One of our friend joined university after being sick we celebrated it. Writing a small assignment together is celebrated. If Pakistan wins a cricket match or it rains, or summer holidays or something unusual happens and we celebrate it like something really big has happened. Sometimes you have to pay for the tea of everyone if you buy a new jacket. These small celebrations are a part of daily life.

 In Sweden and Norway the modesty is at its peak. Everyone here has done something really great in their life but they still do not tell other about it. They have always been taught that you are not better than anyone else. Therefore one of the major mistakes foreigners do here is talking about their achievements. It does not impress them at all. Therefore these small celebrations do not exist in Sweden or Norway. They celebrate weekends really hard. Some theme parties are announced and people dress up according to the theme and they get drunk. This is a typical way of celebration in Scandinavia.

Being happy is an important part of everyone’s life. And celebrations are a booster for it. So celebrate your happiness with others.