In Caribbean Shaktism, Aadi is the most important month of the Tamil Calendar. It carries two extremely important celebrations, the Karagam Puja (Aka Big Puja) and the Pal Kaddam (Paal Kudam) procession. Lets talk about what this month entails!
Since untold centuries, even long before villages sprang up, the people of South India have been worshiping the Goddess in Her fierce, Ma Kali like form of Marieamman. Mother Marieammen embodies the sacred energies and evolutionary forces of Mother Earth. She is related to the Kundalini fire rising up from the Muladhara Chakra. However, She is infinitely more than just that. Great saints worshiped Her as an integral aspect of Aathi Para Sakthi, the Mother of the entire cosmic manifestation. For Her truly surrendered devotees, She shatters all their attachments and preconceived notions of reality. If Mother Kali is looked upon as the awakening force of death, Mother Marieammen is related to diseases and fevers, especially to the lethal affliction of feverish clinging to the illusions of an ego-oriented way of life. The concept of Mother Worship has existed since time immemorial. Mother Sakthi (her original name is Mother Sati), the Divine Mother, is portrayed as cosmic energy in its dynamic form. Being the Mother of the Universe She is ever ready to heed to the call of her devotees. At such as instance did the force manifest as Muthu Mariamman.
Muthu – Pearl
Mari – Rain
Amman – Mother
Thus being titled as the mother of rain. One of the grandest festivals of the Caribbean Tamil community, the Marieammen prayer, is observed every year during the Aadi Madham.
This year it falls between 16th July - 15th August
In a time of great drought, a time when people were plagued with measles, chicken pox, small pox, mumps, and so forth, they sought help from the Divine Mother. This Mother ever willing to help her children, manifested in the form of a women garbed in a yellow sari, descended on the state of Samayapuram in the district of Thiruvekardu, South India. Here she fed the ill with porridge (kanji) and nursed them with mixture of neem leaves and turmeric paste (this water being called thani potutal). She continued healing the sick and when her work was done she retired to her abode. Mother Marieammen is all-powerful and her vehicle is the lion, which we know as her Vaghanam. The lion is all-powerful and changes instantly according to his duty and purpose. Mother is also in control of the soil of the earth, hence her appearance as the Puttru (Puthu). Her presence can be strongly felt not only during the month of Aadi Madham, but throughout the year. The people who Mother Marieammen had cured sought her and wanted to know the identity of this mysterious Mari Attal. They found her seated under a Neem tree. They asked her to reveal her identity and wanted to know how she could be thanked for saving the lives of so many. She disclosed herself as the Mother of the Universe and asked only that every year in the time that she appeared, her devotees gather in great numbers, and worship the Lord and she promised to be their guiding and protecting force. She then disappeared leaving torrents of rain to bathe the earth and aid the growth of all floras. She then became known as Samayapuram Mariaathal and her scripture is the Marieammen Thalattu. It is therefore; in this great month of Aadi that Mother Marieammen is venerated as the protector and curer of all miseries. The Kargum symbolizing her crown is carried honouring her as the Queen of the Universe. This prayer is now the thanks giving prayer to Mother Marieammen.
How to perform one's Marieammen prayers
Now the two most popular ways to pray to Mother Marieammen is to firstly performing a havan and then offer to Ma her special food preparations. You can perform Ma’s prayers at any time of the Aadi Month (16th July - 15th August) and many perform Ma’s prayers on a Saturday due to time, place and circumstance constraints. But my humble suggestion is to perform Ma’s prayers on Fridays in the Aadi month.
These are the most auspicious times to perform the Amma’s puja:
Fridays in Aadi Month: 19th July, 26th July, 2nd August, 9th August
Saturdays in Aadi Month: 20th July, 27th July, 3rd August,10th August
It’s best to visit your local Marieammen temple to perform Ma’s prayers but if this is not possible then it can be performed in your house (if you live in a flat) or outside your house. After having a bath and wearing clean clothes you must arrange for a clean place to perform the havan and then to offer Ma the delicious food preparations that you have so lovingly cooked for her.
I have already explained in a previous post what Karagam Puja is, but let's talk about the Paal Kudam Procession:
Paal in Tamil means "milk", and Kudam, or in Caribbean Tamil "Kaddam", is a lota, a pot, a vessel. This is another type of Puja, similar to a Karagam Puja yet the pots are less adorned
This procession is done on the 5th Friday of Aadi, kind of as a way to close off the month. Some fast during this month, only eating vegetarian food but in most Caribbean Shakta temples, the fast is only done three days prior to visiting the temple.
You may ask, what are done to these pots? Well, they are eventually used in a Thirumanjalam or Abhishekam of the Goddess's Murti. Sometimes this can be a specific amount of Paal Kudamkal, such as 108 or 1,008 or other auspicious numbers.
If you do not have a Mariamman or Kali temple near you, here is a puja vidhanam you could do (also remember, anything you don't have access to is replaced by Akshat, or rice grains), this is according to how it is done in Kali temples:
The prayers start with several fruits being laid out infront of the mother. Coconuts, of both Green and Dark skin, are very much appreciated by her alongside limes, nutmegs, but any fruits are loved. I always like offering seasonal fruits of summer, such as mangos, papayas, cantaloupes, watermelons, pineapples, bananas, etc. On a banana leaf, a scooping of sweet pongal is laid out (this is known as Sweet Rice or Kheer most commonly), and is topped with a peeled, usually green or unripe, banana and marked with three dots of sindoor. An offering of paan, with a sooparie and money, is also offered. Several flowers, and malas of said flowers are also offered, such as Oleander, Jasmine, Hibiscus, Parijat Jasmine, Neem flowers, etc. but any flowers work really. As you make these offerings, the invocations are sung, with several of her mantras and also Tamil "Arul Paadalka" or Tamil invocations. These are done in the Caribbean Tamil dialect, which has heavy influence from Caribbean Hindustani, and, in the French Caribbean, Creole influence. Here are some sung by Pujarie Jamsie Naidoo:
Om kali tirisuli kali sakthi kali amman kali jovedi, parvati spadi pariamman thaiye
Yenai gangurya, ye alangaiye ye, warum ammaa
Along these, the Mariamman Thalattu verses dedicated to her are sung alongside the drumming of Thappu/Parai drums. A plate with camphor and a pan with hot coals are placed infront the mother. The camphor is lit and powdered lobani is sprinkled on top of the hot coals. The devotee then brings the plates out and circles it back in a clockwise manner and does this about three times before doing the same thing turning around clockwise. If you didn't understand that cause I am horrible at wording lmao, just make sure to circle it around her three times and then turn around clockwise slowly doing the same. The koruval, or machete, is consecrated by turning it around the smoke and fire 7 times. Then, the devotee washes each coconut or fruit to be opened in Thani Potutal or Turmeric Neem water, and then they circle each coconut around the burning lobani and camphor seven times before cracking it open. Any coconut water is put into the bucket with the Thani potutal, and a lit camphor is placed in each lit coconut, and they are marked with sindoor. Perfume, some spilled water, and incense is then offered.
In a temple, the pujarie would do Udukkai Arul Paadalka, or invocations via the Udukai drums. He sings verses of the Mariamman Thalattu facing the Marlo pujari (or the person who is to receive the Goddess in a trance state) and the devotees, after he sings the verse, they repeat "Om Shakti". This chant brings down the energy to the Marlo pujari's body. Another priest usually also does the following:
A lime is crushed with the right foot and then split in half, the juice is squeezed around the medium three times. They are then sprayed with perfume three times, and finally are marked with sindoor and their forehead is pressed till the goddess fully takes over.
This could also depend on the temple, but this is usually how it is done. I hope you enjoyed, and I hope this was very educative for you. Love u all, Om Shakti and Jai Maa Kali <3
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