Rituals and Festivals as a Cultural Markers in Monica Ali's Novel Brick Lane

Journal of Research and Development Peer Reviewed International, Open Access Journal. ISSN : 2230-9578 | Website: https://jrdrvb.org Volume-17, Issue-10(II)| October2025 143 Rituals and Festivals as a Cultural Markers in Monica Ali’s Novel Brick Lane Jyoti Janardan Buwa Research Scholar, Shivaji University, Kolhapur Email - buwa.jyo[email protected] Manuscript ID: JRD -2025-171033 ISSN: 2230-9578 Volume 17 Issue 10(II) Pp. 143-145 October 2025 Submitted: 11 Oct. 2025 Revised: 22 Oct. 2025 Accepted: 27 Oct. 2025 Published: 31 Oct. 2025 AbstractFestival and rituals plays vital role in the human being’s life. Festivals usually perform as a part of celebration for so many reasons like worship of God, nature, seasons and ancestors etc. They help us to preserve and protect our culture. Monica Ali in her novel Brick Lane portrays the life of Nazneen and her efforts to preserve and protect culture in foreign by celebrating festivals. In Brick Lane, festivals and rituals are used as a symbol of cultural continuity, cultural marker and identity cohesion. Present paper through lights on how various festivals and rituals influences the life of immigrant lady. Novel not only highlights the value of festival in the life of human being but also focuses on how festival and rituals helps to maintain unity in group of the society. Monica Ali portrayed emigrant’s food habits, religious celebration, customs and everyday practices which gradually becomes the process of cultural adaptation and formation of hybrid identity. Theories of great theorist like Homi K. Bhabha and Stuart Hall are applied to the novel to understand the role of festival and rituals in human life. Keywords: Rituals, Festivals, Cultural Identity, Diaspora, Multiculturalism, Monica Ali. Introduction Monica Ali is a British novelist and short story writer of Bangladeshi descent. She was born in Bangladesh and at the age of three her family shifted and settled in England. This early experience of migration and cross cultural identity became the prominent themes of her some literary works. She is the receiver of the Granta’s Best of Young British Novelists of the year 2003. Brick Lane (2003) is the debut novel of Monica Ali. It was short listed for Booker Prize. Nazneena Bangladeshi immigrant woman is the protagonist of the novel who is living in London East End. Nazneen presents the tension of culturally trapped person between the choices of traditions and modernity. Novel begins in rural area of Bangladesh where Nazneen born as premature baby. Her mother Rupban took so many efforts for the survival of this baby. Nazneen’s mother told her, that it was Nazneen’s fate so that she survived in this critical situation. Further she said, always believe in destiny and accept everything happily without any complain. At the age of 18 her father fixed her marriage to much older educated man who was living in London. So she shifted to London to explore completely new world.Monica Ali’s novel Brick Lane mainly divided into main three parts, consisting 20 chapters. Nazneen is presenting her life in London and with the letters of Nazneen’s sister Hasina we are getting information about Bangladesh. Structure of the novel is chronological which presents the gradual growth of Nazneen from immature wife to independent women. Rationale of the Study Monica Ali’s Brick Lane is one of the noteworthy novel that portrays the identity crisis, problem of migrated people, cultural displacement and cultural clashes of South Asian people. This novel is received appreciation from both critics and readers. The study of rituals and festivals as cultural markers in this text is important because it reveals how cultural practices act as living symbols of belonging and negotiation within multicultural societies. Quick Response Code: Website: https://jrdrvb.org/ DOI: Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) This is an open access journal, and articles are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International Public License, which allows others to remix, tweak, and build upon the work noncommercially, as long as appropriate credit is given and the new creations ae licensed under the idential terms. Address for correspondence: Jyoti Janardan Buwa,Research Scholar,Shivaji University,Kolhapur How to cite this article: Jyoti Janardan Buwa,(2025 ), Rituals and Festivals as a Cultural Markers in Monica Ali’s Novel Brick Lane Journal of Research & Development, 17(10(II)),143-145 Original Article Journal of Research and Development Peer Reviewed International, Open Access Journal. ISSN : 2230-9578 | Website: https://jrdrvb.org Volume-17, Issue-10(II)| October2025 144 Many researchers studied novel Brick Lane through the lenses of various themes like feminism and immigration but very less studies have examined how rituals and festivals plays vital role in cultural identity.The rationale behind this study lies in its attempt to connect the dots between literary analysis and cultural study. By exploring various rituals like prayer, food preparation, marriage customs, and festivals like Eid and Ramadan, Monica Ali uses these cultural markers to express the dilemma of character between memories of homeland and new experience in foreign country. Cultural markers helps emigrants to feel homely vibes in alien country. In the novel Bangladeshi woman is trying to search emotional stability and warmth by practicing religious festivals and rituals. Exploration of these aspects will deepen our understanding about how immigrants preserve their heritage in alien country. Further this study focuses on study of multiculturalism, hybridity and postcolonial identity. This research is significant because it focuses on the character of Nazneen, who became voice of marginalized immigrant women. In short rationale of this study is to understand the role of cultural markers like festivals and rituals in the psychological, emotional, economic, social and political development of migrated people. Objectives of study: The specific objectives of the study are as follows: 1. To examine the representation of rituals and festivals in Brick Lane and how they represents the traditions and customs of Bangladesh. 2. To explore how cultural practices serve as identity marker. 3. To study the journey of festivals and rituals from traditional form to modernism. 4. To study the role of women in the preservation and performance of festivals. 5. To examine Monica Ali’s use of festivals and rituals as a symbolic tool for addressing broader issues of hybridity and multiculturalism. Hypothesis The select novel of Monica Ali Portrays that rituals and festivals are not only the part of cultural celebration but they are markers of cultural identity, belongingness, negotiation and transformation in the foreign land. Research Methodology The analytical and interpretative methods are used for present study. The focus of the study is on literary and cultural analysis. Present research paper interpret Monica Ali’s Brick Lane through the lenses of postcolonial theory, diaspora study and multicultural study. The study is focusing on close reading of primary and secondary data. Data Collection The primary data source is Monica Ali’s novel Brick Lane (2003). Secondary sources include: 1. Various articles, books and theses related to Monica Ali’s work. 2. Critical material on multiculturalism and diaspora Data Analysis Presentations of Bangladeshi rituals in alien country In the opening chapter of the novel we see the early life of protagonist Nazneen in the Bangladesh. Her whole childhood revolve around many rituals which presents her community as well as patriarchal control of her family. Further when she moved to London same rituals became sweet memories of homeland. She was observing Islamic rituals in London like participation in Ramadan fasting and Eid Prayers. These rituals helped her to survive in foreign land. It was giving emotional satisfaction to Nazneen so she said “When they fasted, they felt clean. When they prayed, they felt pure. When they gave charity, they felt strong.” (Brick Lane, p. 67) These rituals not only preserved her identity but also gave her homely feeling in London. In the beginning of the novel Nazneen was following these ritual as a dutiful wife but as novel develops it became source of inner energy. Even initially she was working on sewing machine as it is routine work of Indian women. Later on it became source of income of Nazneen which made her independent. Role of Festivals Festivals have a symbolic meaning in the novel Brick Lane. Monica Ali portrayed Celebration of Eid festival beautifully. Community get together for Ramadan feast in London , dance, music and festive wears of characters shows that how Bangadeshi has created their own space on foreign land. This festivals helps individual to be connected with each other also preserves the heritage of rich culture in London. Moreover Ali presents tension between families during these festivals which highlights the generation gap and cultural gap between family members. Nazneen’s daughters Shahana and Bibi unwillingly celebrate festivals. They born and brought up in western culture so celebration of such festival seem outdated and boring for them. This conflict presents the hybrid form of culture which became bridge between eastern culture and western culture. Journal of Research and Development Peer Reviewed International, Open Access Journal. ISSN : 2230-9578 | Website: https://jrdrvb.org Volume-17, Issue-10(II)| October2025 145 Gender role in rituals and festivals Monica Ali placed woman at the center of the rituals and festivals. Nazneen was performing all rituals as a religious duty which she learnt from her mother. At the time of celebration she met her huge community in London. She started her small case business of sewing clothes for these community people. This small incident changed her life. She started her own business and became independent. This confidence gave new shape to the identity of Nazneen. Very passionately she was doing her work so Ali said that: “She sewed until her eyes blurred, until her fingers pricked and bled. She sewed herself into being.”(Brick Lane, p. 314) She became opinionated. When her husband took decision to return to Bangladesh she refused to return with him as her business well settled in London. It shows that how rituals plays vital role in building of independent identity in foreign land. On contrary Hasina – Nazneen’s sister spoke about tragic condition of women who are trapped in rituals and tradition in Bangladesh. Hasina’s own life became hell due to socials conditions and rituals. She wrote in letters about her forced marriage then divorce, social restrictions and life without freedom. Ali has presented various dimensions of festivals in the novel. At one point Nazneen saw festivals as an opportunity to build her new business at another side her sister felt these rituals and traditions are cause of her misery. Minor character Chanu feels that these festivals are like opportunities to teach, preserve and forward our own culture and traditions to new generations. So he commented that; “You can spread your roots in the ground or you can spread them in the air, but you cannot spread them in both.”(Brick Lane, p. 233) At another side Karim feels it is best time to prove Muslim identity after post 9/11 Britain incident. Food, dress and domestic rituals as cultural markers: Ali’s novel enriched with symbolism. Characters were preparing delicious food for Ramadan feast. It was not just a religious preparation but it creats emotional attachment between people. Nazneen wore saree and hijab at the time of Eid it also presents attire as a visible cultural marker. But her daughters prefer to wear western clothes it shows their cultural assimilation in western country. “Shahana hated her Bengali clothes, her parents’ accents, the food they ate, the way they prayed.”(Brick Lane, p. 259)It shows her extreme hate and rejection for old traditions and rituals. Conclusion In the novel Brick Lane rituals and festivals plays role a cultural markers. Monica Ali presents them as preserver of traditions. Nazneen’s journey presents transformation of submissive lady to independent women. Reference: 1. Ali, Monica. Brick Lane. London: Doubleday, 2003. 2. Bhabha, Homi K. The Location of Culture. Routledge, 1994. 3. Hall, Stuart. “Cultural Identity and Diaspora.” Colonial Discourse and Postcolonial Theory, edited by Patrick Williams and Laura Chrisman, Routledge, 1993, pp. 392–403. 4. Brah, Avtar. Cartographies of Diaspora: Contesting Identities. Routledge, 1996. 5. Said, Edward W. Culture and Imperialism. Vintage, 1993. 6. Rushdie, Salman. Imaginary Homelands: Essays and Criticism 1981–1991. Granta, 1991. 7. Ahmed, Leila. Women and Gender in Islam: Historical Roots of a Modern Debate. Yale UP, 1992.