I usually write about feminism from my own point of view, based on my culture. But as feminism is all about looking beyond one’s own nose, I’ll try a different approach today. The Indian Diwali is taking place on November 4 this year. And, as I learned from fellow students, this is the closure to an ongoing fest of worship celebrating the triumph of good over evil, and the Navratri is a 10-day celebration of female empowerment (I‘m simplifying here, please bear with me) just before Diwali takes place.
I was just amazed that in another culture there is actually a celebration on being female and that females are getting honoured for their strength and all the fights they have done and are still doing.
Also I don’t know why I hadn’t heard of it yet and that made me think about how important it is to look past my own headaches. And isn’t that feminism? To finally look beyond all the troubles that are assigned with gender and try to eliminate these.
Hearing of other cultures’ festivals usually interests me, but I don’t always question what the other culture is actually celebrating. This is a shame, because we all are connected and we all can learn way more from each other than we think we can.
In Navratri, the female fights against the evil in her many ways of appearance and the different appearances get nine special days of celebration. It’s like a focus on all the good sides of a female being, from mild to wild.
The essence of the celebration goes back to Shiva and Shakti, which are the masculine and feminine energies in all of us; they are considered as equal and opposite forces that can’t exist without each other. It’s not about rebellion, it’s about seeing us as one.
Western feminism fights for equality; equality is already anchored in some other cultures, but the fight for equity is still very present there. Right here we can see what unites us. There are no borders over cultures; we want the same things. Some of us are already a bit more into the game and this is the good news: we can learn from each other. I certainly did a little bit here, but there is still a lot to learn, and I’m happy to hear all the stories and get the word out to all our future feminists. Because being united is what the future has to offer.