The time of harvest varies all over the world. When
I was growing up, I had a hard time understanding
why I was supposed to celebrate, harvests in
Springtime, "deep mid-winter" in raging heat, etc.
I also found in difficult to understand why I was not
automatically included in Jewish, Islamic, Hindu and
other festivals I saw going on round about me. My
mother attempted to pacify me with a mix of English,
Dutch and North German festivals, which I sadly
found "tame" compared to the sounding of the ram's
horn, an orange blossom festival and other, to my eyes,
"exotic" festivals.
I realize now how lucky I was, to be among the last
generation, of what was, for better or worse, called
"Children of Empire". It is with great joy I see the
wonderful mix of cultures around me again and I
sincerely hope we all can partake, with understanding,
in the many festivals that now take place in and around
Palo Alto.
When we celebrate the traditional Thanksgiving festival,
we think in terms of turkeys, corn, pumpkins, etc. In other
parts of the world, the harvest festivals are built around the
field and garden "gifts" of the neighborhoods. Two harvest
festivals that catch my eye, both occur in urban England.
The first takes place at St Mary-at-Hill, which is the parish
church of the old Billingsgate fish market, so a minimum of
39 varieties of fish are piled high for distribution to the poor.
The second occurs in Richmond, North Yorkshire, where the
Mayor, is also "Clerk of the Markplace", a title predating
that of Mayor. So after a full-dress civic procession to the
market place, the first person to produce "a respectable
sample of new season's corn" (originally barley), homegrown
obviously, is presented with 2 bottles of the best local wine - I
wonder what kind, elderberry(?). The recipient, opens one
bottle, so that all may drink the Mayor's health and retains the
other for personal use.
In our little corner of the world, the big harvest item was acorns!
All the villagers took part in the harvesting of hundreds of pounds
of acorns. Once beaten off the trees, the acorns were set out to
dry. Since this could take several weeks, the young men went off
and hunted - squirrels, woodrats, quail, etc. The women and old
men then ground up the acorns using various types of mortars and
pestles. After the acorns had been ground up, the rough meal was
washed and rewashed to get rid of the bitter tannins. Cold water
washing took longer than hot, therefore lucky the tribes that had hot
water springs!!! The meal was then dried and sifted into fine
grains and larger grains. Acorns from the various types of oak
tree were kept separate, since taste, texture and color was different.
The fine grain was used to make flat bread. The method was very
similar to that now used for tortillas. Whereas the larger grains were
made into a porridge with a consistency of thick custard. Probably,
an ancestor of our "Hush Puppies". The dried, ground acorn meal
was made into "cakes" and kept in special granaries. It could
remain useable for a couple of years, prior to being reground and
cooked.
JEWISH FESTIVAL OF HANUKKAH or CHANUKKAH
This is the Jewish Festival of Lights also called the
Festival of Dedication/Rededication. Although from
a religious point of view, this festival is considered
only to be a "semiholiday", it is a joyous family
celebration, with gifts being given to the children.
This festival is usually in late November or in December.
The eight days of Hanukkah, commemorate the victory
of the Maccabees (Hasmonaeans) over the Greco-
Syrian King Antiochus IV Epiphanes in 165 B.C. and
is a triumphant vindication of the principle of freedom
of religion. An increasing number of candles (one the
first evening, two the second, etc.) is lit each evening
to commemorate the rededication of the Temple by
Judas Maccabeus to the worship of the One God.
Symbolically it asserts that the light of faith will grow,
even if the number of faithful is few. The Talmud
dramatizes this further, with the story of blessed oil,
which although only enough for one evening, through
a miracle, lasts for eight nights. The lighted Hanukia
(nine-branched candelabrum) has become the
Jewish symbol of God's words to Zechariah, "Not by
might, not by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord
of hosts" (Zech. iv, 6). The normal Menorah is a seven-branched
candelabrum.
Some other Jewish holidays include:
Purim (Feast of Lots), another "semiholiday", which
commemorates the Jews of the Persian empire
being saved from destruction by Queen Esther -
usually in March.
Pesach (Passover) celebrates the Exodus from Egypt.
Several special foods are served at this time, including,
the exclusive use of unleaven bread. On the first
evening many special ceremonies are carried out to
commemorate, remind and teach Jewish history and
culture. In addition, there are many myths and legends
connected with the Exodus, including one, I am told,
that because the donkey was the first animal to walk,
without fear across the Red Sea, the Lord granted it
special privileges. The Passover is usually in late March or in
April.
Yom Ha-Shoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day) is in May.
Shavuot/Shabuoth ( Festival of Weeks or Festival of the First
Fruits) is celebrated in June and includes the
very important ceremonies commemorating the giving of the
Law (Torah) at Mount Sinai.
Rosh Hashana, (New Year) which is in September or in early October,
starts the 10 days of Penitence and ends
with:
Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), which is traditionally, devoted
to fasting, prayer and repentance.
Sukkot/Sukkoth (Feast of the Tabernacles or Harvest Festival)
is usually in October. On the ninth day after this festival,
the annual cycle of the reading of the Law is completed and
then restarts.
BUDDHIST FESTIVALS
Late in the year
many Buddhists celebrate Bodhi
Day, the day on which Prince Siddhartha Gautama, became
the Buddha, the Enlightened One.
Prince Siddhartha Gautama (563-483 B.C.) was born in
Kapilavista, on the Ganges Plain in India. He was the son
of King Suddodhana and Queen Maya and was a Hindu by
birth and upbringing. At 16, he married Princess Yosodhara,
and lead a traditional family life, but at 29, he gave up his rich
palace life and became a beggar-monk. The night of his
departure is called, the "Blessed Night of the Great Renunciation".
The Prince spent many years wandering over the lands of India,
studying the condition of the country and its peoples and hoping
for wisdom. This was eventually granted him, when traditionally,
he was said to have been seated under the sacred pipal tree or
Bodhi/Bo tree. Sitting under the Bo tree, Buddha taught his
monks that they should follow the Middle-Way, under which people
attempt to live according to the following 8 Rules of Life:
From the Middle-way of life, came the 5 Commandments of
Righteousness or Uprightness, which are:
The earliest Sacred Books of Buddhism are the Tripitaka (The 3
Baskets of Wisdom). The Buddhists are divided into the followers
of: Hanayana and those of Mahayana, roughly the Orthodox and
Reformed branches of other religions. In Tibet, Buddhism evolved
into Lamaism, whereas, in China and Japan it combined with Taoism,
Confucianism and Shintoism.
The most famous living Buddhist is the Dalai Lama. The best know
form of Buddhism, in the Bay Area, is Zen Buddhism.
Many of the Buddhist Festivals are combined with those originating
in the country celebrating the festival, but all do celebrate, at the
least,
the festival commemorating Buddha's Life. This is the Wesak festival,
which is usually celebrated on the full moon of the Hindu month of
Vishakha. The festival lasts for 3 days and includes distribution of
food and alms. The Wesak festival is usually in the late Spring.
SOLSTICE
In December, in the northern hemisphere, the winter solstice occurs,
whereas in the southern hemisphere it is the summer solstice.
The ancient Egyptians brought green date palms
into their houses, signifying the triumph of light (the sun)
over darkness and hence, life over death. Horus, the
god of the rising sun (day-god or the sun's path), the
son of Osiris and his sister-wife Isis, had his birthday
festival at this solstice. (Ra was the god of the
noon-day sun and Osiris the god of the setting sun).
Horus is usually depicted with a sparrow-hawk head.
The Romans trimmed their trees with toys and
trinkets, at this time and called their feast,
"Saturnalia". Originally it was celebrated on
17-19 December, but later extended to a full 7
days (17-23 December). No business was
transacted, law courts and schools were closed,
no war was commenced and no malefactor was
punished. Eventually this festival became a time
of licensed disorder and misrule.
Originally, the Druids and the Norse peoples honored
Odin (Woden) at this time, because his one eye,
was considered to be represented by the sun. (He
had given up his other eye in order to become "all
knowing"). One of the main methods of honoring
Odin, was to tie gilded apples and other choice
offerings on to local "sacred" trees. Later, a festival
to honor Freya, son of Odin and called Jul was held
about now. Even later, it seemed as if more of the
Norse gods wanted to become involved and Thor
and his goat joined the festivities. The goat remains
as the "Julebukk", a figure of fun and devilment to
increase the boisterous revelry of the solstice and
festivals round about it.
The Yule Log was a key symbol of the solstice for the
Norse, Celts and Teutons. "Yule" is supposed to
have started from "rol", a wheel that indicates the
changing of the seasons. The Druids selected their
Yule log from either a fruit-bearing tree, such as an
apple tree or an oak, which was their main "sacred"
tree. Generally a piece of the old log was kept to start
the fire the next year. In Serbia, Slovenia,Croatia and
Bulgaria there were many variations of the following
custom, in which the man of the house or a special
guest, approach the blazing log in the fireplace and
kept striking it (for the sparks to fly up the chimney)
and with each blow uttering a wish for good health
and increase in the stock, to the land and for a
bountiful harvest. Then later the ashes were carefully
gathered up and a coin hidden in them and buried
around the farm to assure a good harvest. In some
areas corn, wheat and wine were sprinkled on the
log for good luck. The log was kept burning all night
so as the keep the good luck with the family.
The Serbs and Croats sometimes planted wheat on a
plate early in December, so as to have a miniature
wheat field at this time. Whereas in the Scandinavian
countries a sheaf of grain was attached to a pole and
placed in the snow-covered yard to feed the birds and
hence bring good luck.
The word "Wassail" is derived from the Anglo-Saxon
"waes hael", meaning "Be in Health" or "Here's Health
to You". The Wassail Bowl originally, consisted of:
mulled ale, or cider or wine or even mead. (Note, the
mulling steams off the alcohol). In the colder Northlands,
eggs, cream and strong alcohol were used instead of
wine, cider, ale, beer, etc. to thaw out the guests and/or
give them "warmth" before their departure. In many
areas the Wassail Bowl has become linked with New
Year celebrations, but this was not originally so,
because the New Year began in March and Wassail is
for the solstice or mid-winter festival times. I wish the
Wassail Bowl would be used more, since it is easy to
prepare (from scratch) and can be made to be a "light"
or a "heavy" alcoholic or non-alcoholic drink by just
varying the ingredients and also the spices make the
home smell wonderful!!!
CHRISTIAN FESTIVAL OF THE NATIVITY
This is an interesting festival to consider, since
it probably did not take place in December, but either in the fall or the
spring and we
are not certain of the year, probably some time
between 4BC to 6AD. In addition, until recently,
the gift giving day, varied by country, for example,
St. Nicholas Eve (5 December) in Holland, St.
Lucia's Day (Festival of Lights, 13 December)
in Scandinavia, right up to Epiphany (Feast of
the Magi, 6 January) in Spain and many other
countries. In general, the Christmas season
could run from the beginning of Advent (which
usually is the Sunday closest to St. Andrew's
Day, patron Saint of Scotland, 30 November)
up to St. Knut's Day in Scandinavia (13 January).
That is for the so-called, Western Christian
Churches. For the Eastern, Armenian and
Coptic Christian Churches, the Feastival of
Christmas and also Epiphany, is celebrated 12
days later than in the Western Churches. Also
25 December is not a Public Holiday in many
countries, in our troubled world. So in the end,
how we and our families celebrate or not, the
so-called "Festive Season", should, one hopes,
be able to be a matter of personal choice.
I have for the most part, always wanted to know
the "why" behind traditions, be they, foods eaten,
say, on Christmas Eve or how songs (carols) and
customs changed from not-religious to religious
and back again, and always "what was the
straight historical scope". I soon found history
included much myth, legend, stories that sounded
good, and who was telling the story (politics).
When I was growing up, our Christmas Season
started (in honor of my Dutch grandfather) on
St. Nicholas Day and the tree got taken down on
the Festival of the Magi (the Wisemen). St.
Nicholas Day meant the start of baking season -
all the multitudes of spiced cookies of Holland and
North Germany (my grandmother) and the fruit pies
and cakes of England, my father's people. The
smells!!!!! I was told the legends of St. Nicholas,
including the "fact" that he was for several years a
political/religious prisoner working in the Roman
salt mines of North Africa.
My Christmas Day celebrations have been very
varied and I would like to just give a few vignettes.
The first, I remember, was in 1941, at a
"wood-and-iron" church on the edge of the Kalahari
Desert. If services finished later than 9am, you
would have had toasted/roasted congregation!!! - it was so hot.
After the service, "Father Christmas" arrived on one
of the police camels. The police chief, spoilt any
intended illusion I might have had
about that "Jolly Old Gent", when at the end of the
ceremony, he strolled over to my father and they
discussed, the lack of news on my brother, an
airforce pilot, who had been shot down in North
Africa the previous week. A reminder of wars!!!
Christmas 1944 was at a tiny farm church, at the base
of the Drakensberg Mountains in Natal (Terra Natalis),
named by the Portuguese Explorer, Vasco da Gama,
who sailed just off the coast on Christmas Day 1497.
What was memorable about that church service, was
that the live Nativity Scene *within* the church, included
two lambs, a calf and a restless donkey!!! "Joseph"
had his hands full and the sermon was *short*!!! We
kids were more than interested to see if tails were
going to be lifted. (No Wisemen that time, only 2
shepherds!).
The next memorable Christmas for me was in the late
1940s, when My Lord Bishop, at the end of morning
service, in *full regalia* did not stop at the door of his
cathedral, but took off down the High Street, cope flying,
to visit the City's beloved lady doctor (qualified in 1912).
He regally beat on her door and then announced, to the
rapidly gathering audience, that he had come to bless
her and all her good works, which he then did, with much
ceremony.
In 1962, I had the rare treat to attend the Festival of the
Nine Lessons at King's College, Cambridge. As we
waited in the quadrangle, it seemed as if it became the
cross-roads of the world, friends from all over appeared
and the hours slipped by until we went in to the service.
The lights get turned off and the single boy tenor's voice
starts, as the candlelight procession of the choir begins.
I was sitting opposite a large painting, which a couple of
years later was slashed to ribbons. Two days later, after
sitting for 18 hours at the old Gatwick (only one runway)
in snow, the airlines took us to a hotel and a Boar's Head
dinner. This traditional English dish is to commemorate
the legend of the student of Queen's College, Oxford, who
attacked by a wild boar on Christmas Day, choked the
animal with a copy of Aristotle and then cut off its head to
retrieve the book. Somehow I think his pals enjoyed the
meat more than the tall tale!
In 1992, while in Calcutta, I had the pleasure of going out
on my balcony and listening to a large choir performing
Christmas carols in the consulate garden next door, for
a huge official party. The carols were sung in English
and Latin (both with a lovely Bengali lilt) and a couple in
Bengali. Yes, we all belong to a world filled with many
religions, ideas and customs and concepts.
NEW YEAR - which began, we are often told, 1 January.
We forget that the New Year did not always start,
even in Europe, on 1 January. For many years and
in many countries the New Year began on 25 March.
In England and her colonies, including those in
North America, the year 1751, began on 25 March
and ended on 31 December. But there was an even
bigger out-cry in September 1752 when Wednesday
2 September was followed by Thursday 14 September,
this was the change from the Julian calendar to the
Gregorian calendar.
Thus, originally January was the 11th month of the year,
not the first, so the explanation of the two faces of Janus,
as one looking back to the last year and the other forward
to the new year can not be totally true. The Roman god,
Janus, was the god of beginnings and doorways. His
temple was open in times of war and closed in times of
peace.
Time has been traditionally measure as Greenwich Mean
Time (GMT) and this is now, also, to become the standard
time for e-commerce. Greenwich is a town on the south
bank of the river Thames, South-East of London. The two
names Greenwich and London are said to be derived from
Celtic words meaning City of the Sun and City of the Moon,
respectively. However, there is dispute over the latter
derivation.
Time measurement and the various calendars and their
years are a study on their own, but some of the ones
currently in use, are of interest:
The Chinese year of the Monkey 4702
begins in our year 2004.
The Hindu lunar year 2057 of the Vikrami era
begins in our year 2003, whereas
The Islamic year beginning in 2004 is 1425, and
The Jewish Year 5764 begins in the Fall of 2003.
I was amused by an advert that stated the millennium
came once in a generation!!! So for fun, I looked up
what had supposedly occurred in the year 1000AD,
in James Trager's, "The Peoples Chronology" and
came up with the the following three items:
While looking for a suitable wish for New Year,
I found John Boyle
O'Reilly's thoughtful piece, "What is the Key Word":
Order, said the law court;
ISLAMIC FESTIVAL OF RAMADAN
The Month of Ramadan (meaning "scorcher") is the
9th month of the Islamic lunar year. During the month of Ramadan
the devout fast from before dawn to just after dusk.
It is a month of Atonement.
The founder of the Islamic faith was Mohammed
ibn Abdullah (570-632AD). However, the date for
the beginning of the Islamic era is 622AD, the year
of Mohammed's flight by Mecca to Medina (Hegira,
the Night of the Flight was 16 July 622AD). Since
the Islamic year is based on a lunar calendar, their
New Year varies and may be celebrated in any month of our year.
The Islamic creed has 5 articles of faith:
to these five another was added later, namely:
In addition, Islam has 5 Pillars of Faith (or duties)
which are:
Mohammed summed up his teachings as follows:
"Allah is the One True God and
Mohammed is his Prophet;
Some other main Islamic festivals are:
Festival of Sacrifice
JAPANESE FESTIVALS
In late January of early February is the Setsubun (scattering of
the beans) Festival. This is the traditional beginning of Spring,
based on the old lunar calendar New Year.
My interest in Japanese festivals began as a preteenager,
when I was given Etsu Inagaki Sugimoto's books, Daughter
of the Samurai (Gentleman); Daughter of the Narikin
(Merchant) and Daughter of the Nohfu (Farmer). Although
written in the 1930s, I still enjoy dipping into them.
Many of the festivals in Japan incorporate attributes of the
three teachings of Shintoism, Buddhism and Confucianism.
It has been said that Shintoism gives a love of Nature,
Buddhism a love of Art and Beauty and Confucianism a
love of Learning.
The oldest of the three teachings is Shintoism, which is
sometimes thought of, as the way of the Kami, the infinite
ones. The ancient books in the Shinto temples often include,
the Kojiki (Records of the Ancients), the Nihongi (Chronicles
of Japan) and the more "recent" Yengihiki (Hymns and
Prayers).
The rules of conduct for the Samurai were based on the ten
main Confucian ideals for gentlemen (called the Bushido),
namely, that they should love Justice; have Courage; be
Benevolent; always be Polite; be Honorable; be Loyal; have
Self-Control; search for Wisdom and Love Learning.
The form of Buddhism practiced in Japan is mainly that of
Zen Buddhism, which has been greatly influenced by
Shintoism. The Zen Buddhists believe that one cannot learn
the truth just from books. The truth is in each of us and to
discover it, we must live simply and strive to do all things
with dignity and beauty. We need to accept both success
and adversity and seek enlightenment through intuition and
solutions to life's problems through deep thought which are
stated in sayings which appear often to be mystical
conundrums.
In addition to National holidays, many local traditional festivals
are celebrated. Below are listed some of the major Festivals.
Shogatsu (Official New Year's Day)
Setsuban (the bean scattering festival)
Hina Matsuri (Doll's Festival or Girl's Festival)
The Vernal equinox is an official
holiday in Japan.
Hana Matsuri (the Flower Festival) is the time for formal
Hanami (flower viewing) and Ikebana (formal flower
arrangements) and also it is often around the same time a the
wonderful Cherry Blossom and Plum Blossom Festival Time -
end of March to early April.
Kodomo no Hi (Children's Day)
Tanabata-Zu (the Tanabata Festival or Star Festival)
Urabon (the Obon Festival), ending with the Toro Nagashi (Floating
Lantern Festival) is the Buddhist (and Shinto)
memorial Festival for the dead. This and the Cherry Blossom festival
are the japanese Festivals best known in the US.
Kiku no Sekku (the Chrysanthemum Festival)
Tsukimi (Moon Viewing Day on the day of the full moon)
The Autumnal equinox is another official holiday.
Shichigosan Festival (7-5-3 Festival for all boy's aged 5 and girls
aged 3 and 7)
The Emperor's birthday is also celebrated. The Emperor, as was his
father, is a very learned man, with higher degrees in economics from
Oxford University, UK.
CHINESE NEW YEAR & OTHER FESTIVALS
In late January or early February
is the the beginning
of the Chinese Lunar New Year, with a 12-year cycle of zodiac symbols.
As with most secular and social events, many
of the customs have a folkloric or religious
origin.
Until the last century, Chinese ethical and
religious teachings was largely a mix of Taoist,
Confucian and Buddhist beliefs imposed on
local folk traditions. All these traditions have
had a profound influence on the popular festivals,
which are now celebrated as social selecular
events.
Taoism was founded by Lao Tze (604BC-
524BC), the Old Philosopher. Their sacred
book is Tao-Teh-King (The Way of Reason
and Virtue) and contains only 5,000 words.
One enjoyable English translation (Tao-Te-
Ching) is that by Stephen Mitchell and I have
been struck by how it contains the kernel of
ethics of all the great religions, very simply
stated.
Confucianism taught by Confucius (551BC-
479BC) originally called Ch'iu K'ung and then
K'ung Fu-tze (K'ung the Philosopher) is also
concerned with ethics rather than religion. His
key books are the Analects and the Five K'ing
(or Ching). The quintessence of Confucian
teachings are: Do not do to others what you
do not want them to do to you.
The great Chinese festivals are seasonal.
New Year is celebrated in late January or in
early Febuary.
The celebration
extends over several days, (in San Francisco,
this festival extends over a 2 weeks period) usually
culminating in a joyeous procession. This is
preceded by the expulsion of demons and
many theatrical performances. Originally
offerings were made to the gods of the hearth
and to the gods of good fortune (good luck) to
give wealth and also to ones ancestors.
The spring festival (Ch'ing-ming/Quingming -
Festival of pure brightness) was observed with
sweeping and cleaning of family graves and the
rekindling of the hearth fires. Ceremonial meals
were eaten at ancestral tombs and family reunions
marked this festival.
At the beginning of June, there
are the exciting and highly skilled, Dragon Boat
Race Festivals up and down the coasts and rivers
(5th day of the 5th month).
In earlier times, there was a Feast for All Souls in
August and a winter festival in November to
commemorate the dead. The Chung Yeung Festival
(9th day of the 9th month) is a family remembrance day.
The midautumnal festival to the Moon god is very
lively and joyous in character. This is a family
festival, with the role of women predominating.
Poems are written and recited to the moon, moon
cakes are eaten, etc. This festival originated in
an agrarian society as the Harvest Festival as well as
the Moon Festival, hence becoming the Harvest Moon
Festival. It was celebrated on the 15th day of the
8th month.
HINDU FESTIVALS
Early in the year, the Hindus
celebrated the festival of Sarsvati, the goddess
of knowledge, learning and the arts!
The Hindu religion is very ancient and has
undergone many changes over its history.
There are many sects and also localized
beliefs. Two aspects are common to all
Hindus, namely, reincarnation (Samsara)
and the final freeing of the soul (Nirvana).
There are 3 sets of books sacred to the Hindus.
The best known to the Hindus themselves, are
the Vedas (including the Rigvedas with their
1028 hymns), the Brahmanas and the
Upanishads. However, the best known in
the West is the Bhagavad-Gita, which is
from the epic poem Mahabharata, honoring
the Lord Krishna. The other famous epic
poem is the Ramayana, the story of Rama.
It was widely believed that there were 4 main
castes - the Brahmans (learned or priestly
class), the Kshatriyas or Rajputs (warrior class),
the Vaishyas (merchant and craftsmen class)
and the Shudras (agricultural workers and
menials) and then the Untouchables, called by
Gandhi "the Harijans" (people of God).
Many of the gods of the early Rigvedas (circa
1500BC), such as Indra, Agni and Varuna, have
to a large extent, been "transformed" into aspects
of the better known medieval and "modern" gods.
The three most widely known gods in the West, are
Brahma (the ultimate creator), Vishnu (the preserver)
and Shiva (the destoyer and renewer). In addition,
there is the revered goddess, "The Divine Mother",
often called Durga or Shakti (but identified at times,
with aspects of other goddess consorts of Shiva,
such as Parvati and also Kali, the dark consort).
The first ten days of the lunar month of Ashvina are
sacred to the Mother Goddess. This festival is
sometimes called Durga-puja and
is celebrated in the Fall.
The wife of Brahma, the ultimate creator, was Sarasvati,
the goddess of knowledge, learning and arts. She was
also traditionally, the creator of the Sanskrit alphabet.
Sanskrit is considered the forerunner of most Indo-
European languages. Sarasvati's festival is
in late winter.
The great god Vishnu, the preserver and protector,
also existed in his many incarnations - first as a fish
(Matsya); second as a tortoise (Kurma); third as a
boar (Varaha); fourth as a man-lion (Narasimha);
fifth as a dwarf (Vamana); sixth as Rama with an
axe (Parasu-Rama), son of Jamadagni; seventh as
Rama-Chandra, son of Dasaratha, King of Ayodhya;
eighth as the Lord Krishna; ninth as Buddha and the
tenth will be as Kalki. The birthday of Rama is
in Spring, and that of Krishna in late Summer.
Lakshmi is the spouse of Vishnu,
and she is the patron of wealth and fortune.
The great god Shiva is the destroyer and renewer,
and as such does not incarnate himself, but takes on
many forms. His consorts include, his first wife Sati;
Parvati or Parbutti; Kali and Uma. His festival is the
14th day of each lunar month, the main one being in
the lunar month of Magha, the Mahashivaratri (or
Shivarati - Great Shiva's Night) festival, often
during early Spring. Shiva is often
accompanied by his bull, Nandi. Shiva is not only
widely portrayed as Natarai, the Lord of the Dance,
but also as the lingam (the phallic symbol) and as
symbols of energy, fertility and potency and his emblem
is the emblem for fire. His son Ganesha, the elephant-
headed god is petitioned for success before all new
enterprises are undertaken. Ganesha's birthday is
celebrated in early Fall.
There are many legends and stories about multitudes
of gods, goddesses, heroes and heroines. Two of my
favorites are Hanuman, god of the monkey people,
associated with the divine hero Rama and Manasha, the
snake goddess, who helps ensures general prosperity.
The sacred trees of India, include the multirooted banyan
and the pipal trees. Tulsi, a wild basil, is sacred to Vishnu.
There are many other holidays and festivals and many of
them vary by region. Some important festivals are:
The Spring Festival of Holi, held at the whole moon of the
month of Phalguna, is associated with fertility,
the destruction of evil and demons by Narasimha (the
half-lion, half-man incarnation of Vishnu) and also
Vishnu's incarnation as the Lord Krishna (a Spring festival)
Varsha Pratipada (1st Day of Chaitra, the 1st month of the
New Lunar year 2060 of the Vikrami era) - Spring 2004.
The Festival of Lights, the renewal festival (of the triumph
of light over darkness) and the beginning of the New
Commercial Year, also called the Festival of Deepavali or
Divali or Diwali, which is a 5 day festival (again on a lunar
calendar), celebrated in the Fall.
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FESTIVALS OF HARVEST & THANKSGIVING
Festivals are wonderful occasions!!! Eons ago
there were always, at least, 4 main festivals in a
year - Springtime, the rebirth of the earth;
Mid-summer; Fall, the time of harvest and
Mid-Winter, the sun starting to reclaiming the
earth from the long hours of dark nights.
Knowledge, said the school,
Truth, said the wise man,
Pleasure, said the fool,
Love, said the maiden,
Beauty, said the page,
Freedom, said the dreamer,
Home, said the sage,
Fame, said the soldier,
Equity, said the seer.
Spake my heart full sadly,
The answer is not here -
KINDNESS is the word!
Give up idolatry;
Do not steal;
Do not lie;
Do not slander;
Never become intoxicated;
Follow these teachings, and you follow Islam".
New Year
Birthday of the Prophet
Ascension of the Prophet
The Month of Ramadan
At midnight the bells of the temples are rung 108 times, since
humans are traditionally plagued by 108 earthly desires and
one always hopes for a new start at the turn of the year. This is
a family festival, as well as a National one, so often the families
will include visits to Budhist temples and Shinto shrines at this
time. As with all festivals, special foods are served, including
salted herring roe (kazunoko).
This is the beginning of Spring and a time for planting.
This is the lovely festival in which the girls put on their festive
attire and traditionally dressed dolls are placed on tiered
platforms to represent the Emperor, the Empress and the
whole nation. This is also sometimes called the Peach
Festival. The peach is the symbol of courage and feminine
beauty.
This was until 1948 the Boy's Festival. The symbol for this festival
is the Iris, meaning courage and strength (traditionally also a
symbol for a sword blade). On this day, koinobori streamers are
flown, which are symbols of success.
The star lovers, the Weaver star and the Cowherd star can only
meet once per year on the 7th night of the 7th month and the stars
must be visible. So the people wish for a good meeting for the
lovers and write down their own wishes and aspirations on long
streamers, which they hang out on trees. This is a festival
particularly for all lovers.
This is another lovely flower festival, with traditional links to the
Emperor and through him to the nation and hence, National Pride.
This is a Harvest Moon Festival. It is a time to
write poems to the Moon, praise the Moon and tell all the traditional
myths and legends about the folks associated with the Moon. It is
also harvest time and thus a time for celebration on this account too.
The children of these ages are
taken to the local shrines to pray for their safety and health. However,
everyone joins in and has a wonderful festive time.