Two dinners apart

I seem to get easily intimidated when I come across journals. The language and the fluidity with which some people write can make me a little nervous. What am I achieving by writing? I wonder. But then I realize that this is no competition. We all have our strengths and weaknesses, and it is unfair that we judge ourselves by the same measure as do others. While most like to write as and when they have something worth penning down, mine is an everyday journal. So my writings may come out either too personal or too general. This entry today is about how I celebrated Losoong.

Losoong or Sikkimese New Year is celebrated at the end of the harvest season. It marks the end of the tenth month of the Lunar calendar. Our family has never celebrated Losoong with the fanfare that majority of the Bhutia families do. My father had a very simple logic. Since we wore good clothes and ate a hearty meal on a daily basis, everyday was Losoong for us. How could we possibly argue against this thought? He was right. This festival is a celebration for the farmers and their families who toil all year round. What did we ever do to deserve this merriment? As a result, when Losoong arrived, apart from preparing traditional snacks like the Khabzey and Zhero, it was merely another day for us.

However, in the last few years I have started to feel a bit different. Nowadays, I like to do something special to mark this important festival in our lives. After all if a Sikkimese doesn't follow this tradition then who will?? Therefore, a special meal together fits the bill perfectly. This year, dinner included a rather surprising group -- Dengyal and I along with my close friends from college, a newly engaged couple. Although the night was momentarily ruined by an episode involving what-was-supposed-to-be a cup of hot chocolate, the rest of the dinner progressed smoothly. I spent the night at my friend's place and returned pretty late today. Now I am sitting in my room after a cleaning session, ready to eat my dinner of two samosas and a small bowl of aloo sabzi. It is a stark contrast to the dinner last night and the lunch earlier today but I promise you it is equal in terms of taste.

On this note, I wish you a very happy Losoong. Cheers to another year of good health and lasting happiness.