I was invited to a lovely Gollu by a friend over the weekend. Growing up, I’d never heard of Gollu or a doll display ceremony, but in the last few years, I have come to understand that it is a very prevalent custom amongst people from Southern India. When you think about it, you realize that this is the time when various parts of India have their own unique ceremonies- Gollu in the South, Haldi-kumkum in the West, Karva Chauth and Kanjak in the North.

The Gollu that I attended was an all female affair- only women and their daughters, making it even more special. I was aware that Gollu is a display of dolls during Navarathris, but I didn’t know that it originated with a display of the three forms of the Great Goddess: Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati as well as other Gods and Goddesses. Navarathri is the time when the Goddess descends and is worshiped in her three forms over nine days and nights.

The custom is to buy at least one doll every year so the collection grows over the years. After the Navratri, these dolls are wrapped up carefully and put away for the rest  of the year. The dolls are usually displayed in a particular fashion but there is plenty of creativity around the “dolls” being displayed today: a friend’s kids make a very enticing display of all their toy farm animals; yet another has intricate vehicles made out of small legos while another proudly displays a mini version of a soccer field!

The Gollu that I attended was more of a traditional display. The women were dolled up (pun intended) in sarees or churidars, while the little girls wore gorgeous lehngas/cholis and the like. The food was a special highlight: delicious lemon vermicelli, ‘sambhar rice’, tiny dal vadas, curd rice, halwa, mithai, fruit,chickpea sundal and lots more that I can’t even remember. It was on the first day of Navratri. A lovely evening ceremony, it was just the right note to kick start the festival season.