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Diwali is one of the largest festivals found within Hindu tradition. Jains, Sikhs, and Buddhists also celebrate this festival (Dilwali). It is a festival of happiness celebrated by Hindus all around the world. It is five continuous days, each day having an ideal or thought and being based on a legend. The legends differ based on what part of the world Diwali is being celebrated in (Festival). It is the harmony between these five ideas that makes Diwali such a special festival for Hindus (Diwali: Festival). New clothes are worn, gifts are exchanged, and sweets are baked (Festival). Diwali translates into “row of lamps” and involves the lighting of small oil lamps, which signifies the victory of good over evil. Diwali is the Festival of Lights. It is known as the Festival of Lights because of the many lamps that are lit throughout its entirety (Festival).
Diwali is usually celebrated in October or November. It began as a harvest festival, thanking God for the crops they were given, and marking the last harvest before winter. In India, the blessing of Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, is sought for agriculture. Hindus would pray for the success at the beginning of a new fiscal year. The day after the ending of Diwali marks the beginning of the new fiscal year. Today, this is performed by Hindus and the residents on India (Diwali—National).
The first day is Dhanteras and marks the beginning of Diwali. The root word, ‘Dhan,’ means wealth. Hindus worship the goddess Lakshmi this day for prosperity. Because of this, this day has become very significant for Hindu businesses. Houses and business are decorated to welcome Lakshmi. Using rice flour, small foot prints are drawn around the homes to exemplify her long antici...
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...ithin Christmas. From the star that guided the shepherds to the manger to the lights hung on homes throughout the season, light is everywhere. Being in darkness has been associated with ignorance and fear, while being full of lights has been associated with understanding the true meaning of life. At this time, Christians are called to live in God’s light and spread his light and message to others (Festivals).
Works Cited
"Diwali Festival." Diwali Festival. Souledout, 2014. Web. 30 Apr. 2014.
"Diwali: Festival of Lights." Diwali Festival. Society for the Conference of Festivals in India,
2014. Web. 16 Apr. 2014.
"Diwali -- National Geographic Kids." National Geographic. National Geographic, 2014. Web.
01 May 2014.
"Festival of Lights." BBC News. BBC, 2014. Web. 01 May 2014.
"Festivals Of Light." Festivals of Lights. SouledOut, 1 Jan. 2014. Web. 1 May 2014.
The Jewish religious tradition of Rosh Hashanah celebrates the birthday of the world and a time of divine judgment. It is then followed by another holiday, called Yom Kippur ten days later. These two traditions are called the High Holidays. Rosh Hashanah encapsulates four major and interconnected themes, which are: The Jewish New Year, The Day of Shofar Blowing, The Day of Remembrance, and The Day of Judgment (Layton, 2014). This is the most significant time in the Jewish year, as it marks the chance for repentance and forgiveness in the eyes of God. During the High Holidays, Jews cleanse their soul and get the chance to start fresh with an unburdened conscience and the intention of doing better in the coming year (Layton, 2014).
Mardi Gras: Mardi Gras mean the ‘Fat Tuesday’. This festival marks the end of the carnival and the beginning of Lent period. The annual celebration starts in 1870. Some colorful dresses, ornaments, toys and the peoples are the main
"Mardi Gras Indians." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 02 Dec. 2009. Web. 02 Dec. 2009 Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.
It is a holiday with a complex history, and therefore its observance varies quite a bit by region and by degree of urbanization.
'What were the functions of popular festivals, etc. in Early Modern Europe? And why did the authorities, civil and ecclesiastical seek to control or suppress them?'
...as a very important day. Diwali; the word itself meaning “row of lights,” is another prominent Hindu holiday and occurs on what we know as New Year Eve—December 31st. It is a festival lights in which last for a five days. The lighting of candles signifies the welcoming of Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth. Gambling is a norm on Diwali as it is seen as a way of assuring good luck for the upcoming year. The fourth day of Diwali is especially significant as it is the beginning of the lunar month of Karttika. On this particular day many celebrate religious customs to signify the New Year according to the Vikrama calendar (“Religion Facts,”n.p).
All of these characters’ narrations, which can appear incoherent, are, connected through the distorted image of the wooden cross. The posts and other symbols link Christmas and the Testaments together. Light in August functions as a fluid novel though structured distortion of the Gospels.
This holiday is an annual event meant to celebrate and commemorate the departed. Day of the Dead is celebrated on first two days of November and is a day in which the dead spirits return to Earth to visit their loved
...tovah tikateiv veteichateim,” “May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year.” c) Tashlich, a special prayer said near a body of water (an ocean, river, pond, etc.), in evocation of the verse, “And You shall cast their sins into the depths of the sea.” And as with every major Jewish holiday, after candle lighting and prayers Jews recite kiddush and make a blessing on the challah. Both in Judaism and Hinduism the New Year is a time of celebration. A time where all people but the past behind them and enter the New Year with a clean slate, where God had forgiven all people for all there sins from the previous year.
The Celts took part in many religious festivals that included Imbolc, Beltaine, Lugansa, and Samhain. The Imbolc festival celebrated fertility and growth. . This celebration was held in February. The Beltaine, held in May, was associated with the fertility of cattle and crops, which honored the Druids. During the Beltaine, the Celtic tribes drove herds between bonfires to purify and protect themselves against the evil spirits. The third festival that the Celts took part in is known as the Lugansa. Lugansa honored the gods and the harvest. The Lugansa also known as the harvest festival, celebrated from mid July to mid August. (Pierce Online) Lastly, the Samhain is the start of the New Year. The Samhain in the present day is known as Halloween. “During this celebration the division between this world and the other world dissolved and the spirits roamed the earth” (Pierce Online). According to Druidism, the spirits of the deceased roamed the earth on Samhain evening (Encarta Online). The four festivals were similar to the seasons and the important transitions.
Out of the 365 days in a year, Diwali, known as the “festival of lights,” is by far the most important day to celebrate for every Indian. Like much of Indian and Hindu tradition, this holiday comes with a historical background framing its significance. The history of Diwali reflects the memory of Ram shooting an arrow through Raven’s stomach because Raven kidnapped Sita. In Hinduism, ladies are highly regarded because following that event, Ram doubted Sita for her purity and gave her the Agni pariksha (the fire test). Although the test proved her purity and bravery, Sita became upset and appealed to mother earth to conceal her within. Mother earth, understanding her sorrow, accepted her. This event from the time of the gods forecasted the biggest factor to tear apart marriage in Hindu culture by investigating the theme of doubt. The profound religious meaning behind this is opaque and is further formed by uniting family and friends together to celebrate the festival of lights. Another important holiday is Holi, the festival of color, which occurs around the season of harvest. Today, it is celebrated by spreading many colorful powders on everyone participating. The deeper significance behind Holi is between the power of truth, honesty, and good karma versus evil. Lord Krishna was born with a darker skin color and his love, Radha, was born with a fairer skin tone. Once Lord Krishna had a blue skin color
...ind of festivals and holidays, of-course one does not have weekend off in India. But as similar to here India also has the day to celebrate LORD KRISHNA’s birthday similar to CHRISTMAS which is JESUS CHRIST’s birthday. Moreover there is a New Year day which the next day of ‘DIWALI” the festival of lights. Indians also have an independence day that falls on August, 15 similar to American Independence day that is on July, 4. Also both these though being among the largest democracies of the world had housed various cultures, given home to different types of people but still maintained unity in diversity.
Hinduism is currently followed by one fifth of humankind. (A Michaels, 2004: 12) It is a religious tradition of Indian origin, embracing the beliefs and practices of Hindus. Hinduism is a religion of diverse gods and goddesses. It comprises elaborate ritual and a striking tolerance for diversity, or the possibility of different spiritual paths for many different people and at different times in their lives. (P.F Lurquin & L Stone, 2007: 25) Our Hindu festivals tend to be vibrant and lively, and are celebrated with much devotion and purity.
This festival falls in the month of February and signifies the beginning of the lunar year. This ten day festival is also known as the 'Phousnyi" among the local people. The foremost ritual of the festival is Kizie, in which they take a few drops of the rice water from Zumho (top of the Jug) and carefully put them into the leaves and place them at the three main points of the post of the house by a women. Next morning all the young men of the village get up early in the morning and take a bath in the village after which they adorn themselves with the new shawls. This ceremony is known as "Dzuseva". The main charisma of this festival is that the Thekra Hie, in which the youngsters of the village gather together for singing and dancing to the tunes of the traditional music and the participants make fun and enjoy themselves with the rice balls and plates of meat. Haunting is an another important excitement of thia festival. The major part of the ceremony falls on the eighth day when the gate pulling or the bride pulling is performed. This festival also includes beer drinking and merry making. All these works ceases during the ten days of feasting and song. It is no wonder that Nagaland is called as the ‘land of
Every country in the world has its own festival and celebration. People all around the world love joining together and sharing good time through the festivals and celebrations. Festivals are great way to experience local culture. Sometime they even offer a glimpse into past. There are hundreds of festivals across the world. So are you ready to experience of fun and colorful festivals? Below are some of festivals from Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America.