Dussehra,
also known as Vijaya Dashami, is an Indian festival that celebrates good forces
over evil forces. It spans for 10 days and is celebrated in varied traditions
across India.
Note: During
a gazetted holiday, government offices and most businesses are closed so people
have a day off work.
Dussehra
(Vijaya Dashami, Dasara, or Dashain) is a Hindu festival that celebrates the
victory of good over evil. It is a gazetted holiday in India, which is marked
on the 10th day of the bright half (Shukla Paksha) of the month of Ashvin
(Ashwayuja), according to the Hindu calendar.
What do
people do?
Many people
of the Hindu faith observe Dussehra through special prayer meetings and food
offerings to the gods at home or in temples throughout India. They also hold
outdoor fairs (melas) and large parades with effigies of Ravana (a mythical
king of ancient Sri Lanka). The effigies are burnt on bonfires in the evening.
Dussehra is the culmination of the Navaratri festival.
There are
many local celebrations in some areas in India that can last for up to 10 days.
Local events include:
Performances
of the Ramlila (a short version of the epic Ramayana) in Northern India.
A large
festival and procession including the goddess Chamundeshwari on a throne
mounted on elephants in the town of Mysore in the state of Karnataka.
The blessing
of household and work-related tools, such as books, computers, cooking pans and
vehicles in the state of Karnataka.
The
preparation of special foods, including luchi (deep fried flat bread) and alur
dom (deep fried spiced potato snacks), in Bengal.
Many Hindus
also believe that it is lucky to start a new venture, project or journey on
Dussehra. They may also exchange gifts of leaves from the Shami tree (Prosopis
spicigera) as a symbol of the story of the Pandavas brothers' exile in the
Mahabharata stories.
Public life
Government
offices, post offices and banks are closed in India on Dussehra. Stores and
other businesses and organizations may be closed or have reduced opening hours.
Those wishing to use public transport on the day may need to contact the local
transport authorities to check on timetables.
Background
Dussehra
celebrates the Hindu god Rama's victory over the demon king Ravana and the
triumph of good over evil. The epic Ramayana tells the mythical story of the
Lord Rama who wins the lovely Sita for his wife, only to have her carried off
by Ravana, the demon king of Lanka.
Ravana plays
an important role in the Ramayana. Ravana had a sister known as Shoorpanakha.
She fell in love with the brothers Rama and Lakshamana and wanted to marry one
of them. Lakshamana refused to marry her and Rama could not as he was already
married to Sita.
Shoorpanakha
threatened to kill Sita, so that she could marry Rama. This angered Lakshamana
who cut off Shoorpanakha's nose and ears. Ravana then kidnapped Sita to avenge
his sister's injuries. Rama and Lakshamana later fought a battle to rescue
Sita. The monkey god Hanuman and a huge army of monkeys helped them.
The
Mahabharata is another series of Hindu myths that play a role in the Dussehra
festival. The Pandavas were five brothers who fought evil forces with a set of
distinctive weapons. They abandoned their weapons and went into exile for one
year. They hid their weapons in a Shami tree and found them at the same place
when they returned from exile. They then worshipped the tree before going to a
battle, which they won. This epic is also commemorated during Dussehra.
Symbols
Symbols seen
throughout the Dussehra/Vijaya Dashami celebrations include:
Bonfires and
fireworks
Paper and
wood effigies of Ravana.
Red spots
(tika) painted on people's foreheads.
The effigies
of Ravana are often burnt on the bonfires.
No comments:
Post a Comment