Buttering Up The Spooks

I understand and sympathize ( Though you do not need it) your angst!
I do not believe that dead souls come to check on you, but believe that it is nice to remember them once a year.
I do not feed Brahmins but give money to charitable organizations to feed poor. And Yes! My son loved non veg, so my DIL feeds someone Chicken Biriyani!
This is just a remembrance day for us with no religious connotations.

 

Dear Balajee,
We were so busy with Navarathri.I just read your snippet.It was quite interesting.Mahalaya Shraddha and souls visiting etc are questions of faith .They not be explained well scientifically but has a 'psychological and emotional base, another phase of science and Theory of Evolution.

When only animals existed on this planet, it was all about survival, eating, sleeping, reproduction and dying one day. Then slowly, this animal which knew only survival, started evolving. From being horizontal, it started standing up; the brain started growing, and this animal’s ability to do things suddenly started multiplying.
Now, human beings started structuring lives so that we could live a little better than animals. Shelters came up, buildings came up, clothes came – so many things happened on this planet because of human beings. From simple things like making fire to discovering the wheel and innumerable other things, this legacy has been passed on from generation to generation. We are who we are today only because of all the things that have been given to us. Let us say, human beings had never worn clothes, and suppose you were the first person who had to stitch a shirt, it would not be easy; it would take many years to figure out how to stitch a shirt.

We have taken all the things that we have today for granted. But without the generations that came before us, firstly we would not exist here; secondly, without their contribution we would not have all the things that we have today. So instead of taking them for granted, today is a day when we express our gratitude to all of them. It is done as a ritual to pay homage to one’s dead parents, but is actually an expression of gratitude for all those generations of ancestors who lived before us.
Any event in life whether the first birth day, commencement of education, wedding or death influence us better if done in a pattern or colurful way.
it is not only Hindus but people of all religions throughout the word have some such celebrations as 'All souls' Day or All ghosts' Day distributing some presents or gifts to others.
Faith is unquestionable.Any amount of arguments, any number of reformers cannot have any impact and these celebrations are gaining momentum day by day and no doubt pundits thrive.

Jayasala 42

 

Hilarious Balajee. Loved the description of ghosts in Indian movies. Reminded me of Madhubala in the movie Mahal - aayega aayega aanewala....

The concept behind Shraddha is that if we remember them and do feed the needy - Crows, Poor, etc. then they will get unexpected treat or gift where ever they are. If they are born as a cow, for example, they will get fresh grass. So other way to think about it is if we get something unexpected, it means our descendants of previous birth did some shraddha.

Shraddha has its own process and if we follow the process, it reaches our ancestors. Just like if we follow the process of mailing a letter. The letter should have the proper address, proper stamp and should be dumped in the Red/Blue letter box. If we don't follow the process, the letter is not delivered. Just as we follow the process and believe that Post Office will take care of it, people do the Shraddha and believe that God takes care of the rest.

Some rituals may seem to be ridiculous but there are people who have had bad experience for not following them. A relative of mine with progressive thoughts didn't do the death rituals after his father passed away. For years, his life became miserable. One elder relative asked him to do the rituals later on. He did and his problems went away and things started working for him. It could be coincidence or interrelated. Who knows? Isn't it better to be safe than sorry?

Worshiping ancestors is common in many south eastern countries. They don't worship God but worship ancestors. So there must be some truth to it. After all they are not mad people.