My brother just turned 17 this past week, and in my family especially, birthdays are a big deal. I don’t think it’s a cultural thing at this point, my mom might just really like birthdays to begin with. I don’t blame her; I also like a day commemorated to me. 

With that being said, the Ghoshal family birthday festivities started at the crack of dawn. I’m not joking; my mom woke up at 4:00 am to make Payesh, a type of pudding, for him (and just the way he likes it). For him, she added raisins and almonds and made it sweet to his liking. I believe everybody in my family appreciates when my mother makes Payesh for our birthdays the way we like it, compared to how it’s typically made; it’s like a special treat to start the birthday off. 

Afterwards, my family cleaned the house so my brother can wake up to a fresh slate. My brother was brought doughnuts by his friends, and sat through school. My dad brought him flowers, bought him a new wallet, and a cake as well in one of his favorite flavors. When the evening came, my mom, my brother, and I held a special puja for him for his birthday. Normally we would go to a temple nearby, but because of the pandemic we had to do it from home. My mom prayed for his good fortune, everlasting intelligence and a good year overall for him. To make things better, my sister even stopped by to celebrate with him. 

The entire day is filled with us running around to make a perfect day for him with his favorite dishes. It’s the day he really is treated like a king. Happy birthday!