Currently we are
celebrating the festival 'Dasara' in India, and also Jack's 8th birthday.
What is Dasara, I hear you ask ? Well, there are thousands of
Indian Gods that are followed and festivals celebrated for here in India but
there is one main God, Brahma who is the creator of all living things. Then
there are different gods for different things - Lakshmi for wealth, Durga for
the Dasara festival, Ganesha who removes obstacles, Shiva the destroyer, and
the list goes on.
In Karnataka, the state
where we live, the ninth day of Mysore Dasara, is
celebrated with the worship of implements used in daily life such as cars,
scooters, computers, books, vehicles, or kitchen tools. Followers are asked to see the divine in the tools and objects they use in daily life, so it includes all tools that help you to earn your livelihood. So
office workers will celebrate books, computers etc, farmers will choose
ploughs, shovels etc, Drivers will focus on their cars, buses, scooters etc.
All are decorated with flowers and other Puja items and worshiped on this
day invoking God's blessing for success in coming years. It is believed that
any new venture such as starting of business or purchasing of new household
items on this day is bound to bring success and prosperity. In Mysore
this weekend and early next week it is a HUGE festival with large parades and
decorated elephants and horses. It is near impossible to get tickets
and accommodation - you have to book a long time in advance.
So, this morning after Jack
had opened all his presents and had pancakes for breakie (very spoilt boy) we
headed out around the streets of Palm Meadows to see the many Indian
families celebrating this unusual festival and to look at all
the Puja's on the cars, etc. Even the air conditioners at the Clubhouse
were decorated, the back-up generators and power supply boxes. It all
seems very odd to us westerners but the Hindus follow this very
closely and really believe in it. We spoke to a couple
of families conducting the ceremony with incense burning and lemons
under their car wheels and they truly believe that by completing this process
on this day, that bad luck will not come to them. I find it fascinating to see the efforts they go to and the dedication and strong beliefs they have. However, I also think they are quite bonkers. Hopefully,
tomorrow we will see some of the gardens worshiping there garden scissors -
that would be fabulous !!
Jack has had a great birthday and I will write tomorrow about their party - it was a big hit. xxxx
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Cars are probably the most common item
decorated and worshiped |
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| Even the front gate got some decorating |
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| Fruits are placed at the items and have red dye applied |
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This is the power plant near our house
decorated with banana leaves and fruit |
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| One of the Guards Jeeps |
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| These are the AC machines at the clubhouse |
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| Our neighbours car |
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| More car Puja's |
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| Banana leaves are very commonly used |
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this is the back-up generator - lets hope
they placed enough puja at this one so
we have constant power in the near future !! |
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| A beautiful Rangoli outside one home |
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This man had even opened the hood and
placed flowers on the actual engine for good luck |
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Lemons were placed under the wheels and
the owner will drive over them to remove
bad spirits from the car |
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This bike had been immaculetly cleaned
and then flowers and chillies adorned. |
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The power fuse boxes - I know it looks like
bird poop but it is acutally paint to bless
the item. |
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| Our handsome 8 year old |
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| Max turns 6 |
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