Good Friday, Easter, and the Traditions We Grow Up With

Good Friday has always felt a little different from other days growing up. Quieter, slower, more reflective.

My father is Christian, from the Khasi tribe in Meghalaya, so this time of year carried its own set of traditions for us, different from what many around us followed, but never unfamiliar. 

A Khasi Home, A Different Way of Living

My father comes from the Khasi community in Meghalaya — one of the three main tribes there, alongside the Garo and Jaintia.

The Khasi society is matrilineal, which means lineage and inheritance pass through the women. Families are centred around the mother’s home, and it’s often the man who moves into the woman’s household.

I remember once, in a social studies class in school in Guwahati, this came up.

And people laughed.

The idea that a man would go and live in the woman’s house seemed strange, even amusing to them.

It’s funny to think about that now.

Because today, it feels like a complete non-issue.

Like… what’s the big deal?

At the time, it stood out — something different, something that needed explaining. But now, it just feels like another way of organising life. Another way of belonging.

And maybe that’s what growing up does.

It softens these differences. Or rather, it helps you see that they were never that big to begin with.

Traditions, Quietly Carried Forward

What stays with me from all of this isn’t just the festival or the rituals.

It’s the way traditions exist — sometimes loudly, sometimes quietly — shaping how we see the world without needing to announce themselves.

Going to church on Easter Sunday.
Watching my grandmother paint eggs.
Hearing stories of a place where homes are built around women.

None of it felt extraordinary at the time.

But together, they form something that feels grounding now.

It shifts, blends, adapts — especially when you grow up between different worlds.

And maybe that’s its strength.

That it allows space for all of it to exist:

• different beliefs
• different ways of living
• different ideas of what a home looks like

Without needing to choose one over the other.

A Thought for Today

Good Friday is often seen as a solemn day.

But for me, it also brings up these quieter memories — of family, of small rituals, of understanding where you come from a little more with time.

Not everything needs to be explained.

Some things are just… lived. 

Growing up around different traditions also shaped how I think about clothing — choosing pieces that feel rooted, made with intention and building a platform that would talk about Northeast Indian culture.

Wishing you all a blessed Easter!