Tuesday 10 April 2012

To What extent can an outsider viewing a religious festival or ceremony understand the concept of the religion

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Hinduism like many religions becomes a way of life for its followers. Individuals incorporate their beliefs into their daily routines. A non-Hindu person would view the daily ritual and worship as a method of prayer, but the reason behind the method of worship would be unknown. Viewing the methods of worship without any insight of the religion only gives a minimal understanding of the religion in question.


Durga Pooja is a Hindu festival that is celebrated all over India. The festival calls for vast celebrations and state holidays. It has significant meanings to its presence but to a person who is just observing without any prior knowledge it may seem like a festival such as Christmas, which is celebrated not solely for religious purposes. Preparations begin a month in advance, there is a lot shopping done, cards are bought and sent, and new idols of deities worshipped are bought.


There are different aspects to the festival that are carried out over the ten day period that would lead to constant questions being asked.


Bathing in the holy river is classed as an important aspect of the daily ritual of the worship. The bathing is done on a daily basis and a prayer is said to the sun god “Suriya”. The bathing is an act of spiritual cleansing but to a non-Hindu it would look like a lot of people just bathing in a river for no apparent reason. It could just be interpreted as a social event to get together, have a bath and a chat � similar to having a sauna.


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The bathing of a banana tree in the holy river is another activity carried out for Durga Pooja. The tree is carried down to the river with a lot of pomp and ceremony. Groups of people go down to the river together to carry out this ritual, the tree is bathed and then dressed up like a woman in a sari to resemble Durga (mother goddess). This to an outsider could be interpreted as ludricous � who would want to bathe a tree and then dress it up? But to a worshipper of Durga this is an important and meaning full process.


The worship in this festival is carried out over a ten day period. It a colourful and joyous event that brings together people of all walk of lives. It is a happy event, a time for families and friends to get together and pray as well as socialise. It shows community spirit and togetherness. This point would be picked up by an observer as it is a very visual point and understanding is not required to sense community involvement and participation.


The actual festival lasts ten days in which there is a lot of worship to the deities. There are certain prayers or practises that are carried out at certain times or on specific days. These all have significant meanings and reasons for being carried out. These reasons again would be alien to an outsider, but the acts of worship would be readily picked up on.


Another aspect that could cause confusion is the art of classical dance. This when carried out tells a story whether it be religious or fictional. The steps, movements and expressions evoke different meanings and emotions. Watching this dance without any knowledge of its meaning and significance could be classed as watching for purely entertainment, but no insight would be gained and the link between the dance and the Durga Pooja would not be made.


The festival lasts for ten days at the end of which the statue of Durga is returned to the holy river from which the clay to build her was taken. The reason for this is that Hindus believe her to have come to visit her mother town for a ten-day period and now she returns with her children to her husband. The statue is put into the river after a delayed farewell. Followers believe her to bring good luck, prosperity and well-being. Again an outsider would gain only a minimal insight to all these events, as it would be viewed that a huge ceremony had taken place, followed by a colourful and noisy procession with a lot of pomp and ceremony and then the statue that everyone has idolised, worshipped and regarded so highly over the past ten days is put to rest in the holy river.


A broad view of the festival would be gained as one can understand the worship and celebration but the ideologies and beliefs behind it could not be understood without a certain amount of knowledge about the religion and the activity being carried out.





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