Dussehra 2012

I reconnected with the fact that I live in India yesterday. What an experience to be at a local celebration of a holiday. Fireworks going off right above your head, some spinning scarily close to your face. Three giant effigies burning down to the ground. Multiple actors dressed up with masks and costumes. A band playing as they parade in. A collection of speeches, most of which I didn't understand. A recounting, in yells, of the story of good defeating evil. It made me happy I had done some research last year, otherwise I wouldn't have had a clue what was going on. A man shot an arrow into the foot of the effigy to set it alight (never mind that there was no fire on the arrow, ignore the man standing on the other side). More fireworks explode and there is a whoosh of fire. Less than 30 seconds later the 20 foot tall effigy is only a small bonfire on the ground. But it was impressive to watch burn. To see the fire climb up and engulf the face until there is nothing left to support the structure. Yes, I experienced a piece of India last night and it reminded me of why I like living overseas with all the inexplicable, uncomfortable and sometimes incomprehensible experiences it brings. Happy Dussehra. Celebrate good triumphing over evil.

Add color to your life

Add some color to your life

Celebrate Holi!
Let them spray you with water
Drop colored powder on your head
Shoot water through the window of your taxi
Create a splash of color on your white clothes.
Say goodbye to winter
Welcome spring to the world
Add some color to your life
Celebrate Holi!

Mom arrived just in time to celebrate Holi with me. Rather than take her directly to the streets of New Delhi on what is one of the craziest day we decided to participate in the smaller celebration going on at school. That didn't keep us from getting blasted through the taxi window on our drive home, but it did mean we got a ton of smiles from locals when they realized that we had "played Holi." Thanks to following some of the suggestions I received (put oil in your hair, make sure to slather on the sunscreen, wear old clothes) we managed to escape without much long term coloring. Mom has a single purple spot on her toe nail she has been enjoying as a memory. I'm just glad my hair is still blonde and not a mixture of yellow, red and purple like many of my fair students. This is definitely a colorful, light-hearted and fun holiday.

Diwali

The season of Diwali is alive and well in Delhi, and I feel as if I'm getting a bit of a Christmas season without it being Christmas. There was a large celebration at school, with the field lit up with more lights then I thought they could hang, an Indian dance performance, two guys wandering around on stilts who scarily would pick up little kids and dangle them above their parents, a chance to get a bit of henna done, and of course a good meal with friends. Then there are the decorations that have popped up in unexpected places. School is all dressed up for the holiday, even though we're actually going to be gone next week when Diwali occurs, with some more of the colored rice patterns which continue to amaze me and a multitude of golden clay lanterns and some small figurines of Hindi gods. There are even some melas going on that vaguely remind me of the Christmas markets in Prague and Germany. Vaguely....after all it isn't cold, and there is a whole different set of crafts (and cheap junk) that is available here. I even got to exchange a small gift with my maid who seems happy that I'm leaving so that she'll get the whole week off. It is a holiday season and I'm happy to take whatever type of celebration I can get...hopefully we'll get to experience a bit more of the lights that are supposed to accompany this holiday in Goa.

Dussehra Holiday

I looked out our office window last Monday to see this giant statue had been erected on the elementary field and maintenance workers were hosing down the field with water. Huh? Asking around a bit I gathered it had something to do with the holiday which was approaching on Thursday, Dussehra. I figured the watering of the ground meant somehow fire was going to be involved, but I was still a bit surprised when during second period I heard some fireworks going on, giving me just enough warning to look out my classroom window and see the statue being enveloped in fire. Okay...clearly I need to do a little research on this holiday if I'm going to understand anything!

Turns out that Dussehra is the end of a 10 day holiday which culminates in a celebration of good triumphing over evil. More specifically, celebrating the victory of Rama (the 7th incarnation of Vishnu) who killed the demon Ravana who had abducted his wife. Of course it required some secret knowledge and the blessing of Durga for Rama to succeed (it also considered a celebration of the Goddess Durga's victory over the buffalo demon Mahishasura). During the previous nine days numerous reenactments of Rama's life are performed and on the final day (Dussehra) the victory over evil is symbolized by the burning of the effigy of Ravana (sometimes along with his son and brother) and people are encouraged to similarly burn the evil within themselves and turn to follow a path of truth and goodness. 


I still feel like I'm missing a good portion of what this holiday is really about, and perhaps next year I'll manage to see a bit more than at school, or the random trucks of costumed individuals driving by. In the mean time at least I now know that the Diwali festival of lights which is coming up is also tied to this as the celebration of Rama's return to his home after this victory. I have a feeling there is plenty more for me to figure out though.