Teej and Onam festivals are two of the most admired festivals in India and are celebrated with great fanfare and gusto.
Teej is a festival celebrated mainly by women up north and it marks the arrival of the monsoon season. On the other hand, Onam is the ten-day harvest festival of Kerala and is observed with great splendor.
India is a land of festivals. We may have different names or occasions for these celebrations, but it all boils down to the same values and traditions. Festivals are all about community, where everyone can have fun, dress up in ethnic attire, and feel good about themselves.
Traditional raiment expresses more than just a story about the origin of the wearer and their ethnic heritage. They help reinforce cultural identity by encouraging values that go with the festivals, such as respect for the elders, community spirit, and acknowledging our roots. Traditional clothing reminds us of those things that are important to us: our family and community connections, traditional wisdom, knowledge, and culture.
It is worth noticing that festivals and sustainable clothing go together. India has always been in sync with sustainable living, and so is the celebration of festivals. All our traditional clothes are essentially made in sustainable fabrics and are handmade where each piece is lovingly made with care and attention to detail, be it the Kanjivaram sarees from the south or the bandhej and leheriya with gota work in the north. Over and above that, these festive clothes never go out of fashion.
As a generation of off-the-rack shoppers, we are all too familiar and okay with the degradation of natural fabrics in the name of fashion, even for festive clothing. It’s time for people and festivals to see the positives of wearing sustainable and eco-friendly clothes that could be used long into the future. They can be handed down to the next generation.
The tradition of handing down precious ensembles has been a time-honored tradition for centuries now. It is a viable way to keep the fabric alive; as it means that the fabric is used over and over again, and is not discarded after just a few uses. Over time, these vintage hand downs become assets that hold much more than just emotional attachment.
Hence, this festive season, make an effort to try an eco-friendly and sustainable way to celebrate your special occasion—consider Magique. Not only will you be creating a beautiful heirloom, but you will also be doing your part to reduce textile waste while preserving your rich Indian heritage.