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Month: October 2023

Unique Dussehra Celebrations In India

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Dussehra is celebrated throughout India with different rituals and activities. The Dussehra festivities involve lights, decorations, food, and colourful clothes. However, the celebrations vary across the different regions of the country.

Also Read, Everything You Need to Know About Diwali and Its Celebration Across India

Kullu, Himachal Pradesh

The Kullu Dussehra, which is well-known all over the world, is held in the Kullu Valley of Himachal Pradesh. Around 200 local deities from nearby villages are brought to participate in a religious procession. Another unique aspect is that these celebrations in Kullu begin on Vijayadashami, the day when Dussehra festivities end in India. Further, on the last day of the celebration, a pile of thorn bushes is burnt to depict the burning of Lanka.

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Kolkata, West Bengal

The Bengali community celebrates Dussehra with Durga Puja, which transforms entire state into a dynamic and lively hub of culture. Vijayadashami is celebrated on the tenth day of the famous Durga Puja. On this day, married women offer vermilion and sweets to the goddess. They also put vermilion on each other’s cheeks. At night, the idols of the goddess are taken to nearby rivers or water bodies to be immersed.

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Bastar, Chhattisgarh

Dussehra is devoted to tribal deities and has nothing to do with the defeat of Ravana. The festival is celebrated for 75 days and is believed to be the longest festival in the world. The festival is held in honour of Goddess Danteshwari (the guardian deity of the tribal belt of Bastar in Chhattisgarh) other divinities. There are many rituals associated with this festival, including chariot processions, the tribal chieftains’ conference, and the thanks. of Lanka.

thewirehindi.com

Mysore, Karnataka

The Mysore Dasara has been celebrated for more than 400 years. The Mysore Palace is decorated magnificently and there are many cultural performances that take place during the Dussehra festivities. A procession with 12 trained elephants adorned with colourful attire are taken around the streets. One of them carries the idol of the Goddess Chamundeshwar atop a golden mandap. The  procession starts from the mysore palace to Bannimantap.

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Almora, Uttarakhand

Almora celebrates Dussehra with a parade of demons. The mountain streets of this small town in Uttarakhand are filled with various villains from The Ramayana. They’re made by local people and are paraded across the town before burning them. A total of 33 effigies of Ravana’s family members are burned to celebrate Dussehra.

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Kulasekarapattinam, Tamil Nadu

The Dussehra celebrations at a 300-year-old temple of Goddess Kali, in the village Kulasekarapattinam are very unique. People are required to dress up as gods and goddesses. The people dance holding flaming clay pots throughout the night and end the festival with an enactment of slaying of Mahishasura on the beach.

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Did You Know?

Ravana is a symbol of evil for most people across India. However, in Mandore, Rajasthan, people celebrate him as a deity. It is believed that Ravana’s wife Mandodari is from this town. While people remember Ravana for his evil deeds, here he is celebrated for his genius achievements in the field of astrology and ayurveda.

There are some temples in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Andra Pradesh that worship Ravana as a deity.

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Fun Facts About Dussehra

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1. Dussehra comes from the Sanskrit word Dash Hara, which means “the defeat of the Sun” in English. Vijayadashami, means victory on the tenth day.

2. Dussehra is celebrated in Ashwin, the 10th month of the Hindu Calendar. It falls sometime around October or November.

3. Dussehra marks the end of the summer season and the start of the winter season.

4. Dussehra marks the harvesting of Kharif Crops and sowing of Rabi crops. It’s an important occasion for farmers of all beliefs.

5. Dussehra also marks the homecoming of Pandavas from their exile of 13 years. When the Pandavas had lost their kingdom, they were in exile for 12 years. It was said that if they were discovered in the 13th year, they would have to start their exile all over again. So, on the commencement of the final year, they hid all their weapons inside the hole of a Shami Tree. After the end of the 13th year on the sacred day of Vijaydashmi, they retrieved their weapons to worship them along with the tree. Thus, the Shami Tree is considered to be a symbol of goodwill.

6. In Kerala, Dussehra is considered an auspicious day for introducing children to the world of letters. Children between three and five years of age are initiated into learning by making them write a mantra on a tray of rice grains. After the ceremony, study materials such as slates and pencils are distributed by those children. The ceremony is called Ezhuthiniruthu in Malayalam.

7. In northern India, barley seeds are sown on the first day of Navaratri. These sprouts are used and considered a good omen for good fortune and wealth on the day of Dussehra.

8. According to a popular legend, Goddess Durga, along with her children, Lakshmi, Ganesha, Kartik, and Saraswati came to her birth place on Earth to stay for some time. On the day of Dussehra, she returned to her husband Lord Shiva.

9. Dussehra is also believed to be the day when Emperor Asoka had converted to Buddhism.

10. The burning effigies signify the killing of all evils of the soul, which are represented by the ten heads of Ravana.

Also Read, Dussehra : A Celebration Of Victory!

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Word Check

Kharif crops are typically sown at the beginning of the first monsoon rains and are usually harvested between October and November. Examples are rice, cotton and maize.

Rabi crops are harvested in the spring season while it is sown in winter. Examples are wheat, gram, and barley.

Mahabharata is a major Hindu Mythological epic. This great epic narrates the great war between the Kauravas and Pandavas. The Pandavas were the five brothers Yudhishtira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula, and Sahadeva, who are the main characters of the Hindu epic Mahabharata.

Watch Full Video On, India’s First Sun Mission | All You Need To Know About India’s Mission to the Sun

The Story Of Dussehra

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This year Dussehra will be celebrated on October 24, 2023. Dussehra is one of the major Hindu festivals that marks the end of Navaratri (9 nights). Navaratri lasts for nine nights and Dussehra is celebrated on the tenth night of the festivities. Dussehra is also known as Vijayadashami or Durgotsav.

Also read, Everything You Need To Know About Halloween

What Does Dussehra Celebrate?

Dussehra celebrates the conquest of good over evil, light over darkness and wisdom over ignorance. The festival celebrates two victories, one, Goddess Durga over the demon king Mahishasura and the other of Lord Rama over the evil king Ravana.

The Legend Of Goddess Durga And Mahishasura

Mahishasura was a demon who invaded heaven defeating Indra and driving the devas out of heaven. The gods decided to combine all their powers to create a powerful being that would be able to destroy Mahishasura. The powerful being they created was called Goddess Durga and they bestowed upon her their super-weapons. Navaratri is said to be the 9 days of battle between Goddess Durga and Mahishasura where the goddess finally destroyed the demon on the 10th day.

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Lord Rama And Demon King Ravana

Lord Rama was a great warrior and noble king. The demon Ravana had ten heads. The demon Ravana kidnapped Rama’s wife, Sita and wanted her as his own wife. Lord Rama and the demon Ravana were equally strong and brave. After a fierce and mighty battle, lord Rama defeated and killed Ravana.

hinduamerican.org

Watch full video on, Haunted History – Fun Facts About Halloween

Everything You Need To Know About Halloween

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Where Did Halloween Come From?

Halloween originated from an ancient harvest festival. Over 2,000 years ago, the Celts celebrated a Celtic festival called Samhain (pronounced “sow-in”).

Samhain signified the end of the summer and the beginning of winter. The Celts celebrated Samhain to make their gods happy so that the gods would protect them and their crops during the long and hard winter. Celts also celebrated New Year’s Day on November 1. They believed that the night before the New Year (October 31) was a time when the spirits visited the Earth. The Celts were worried that the evil spirits would cause them harm and damage their crops.

thefairytaletraveler.com

Also read, What Is Halloween & Why Do We Celebrate It?

Traditions Of The Ancient Celts

The Celts lit huge bonfires to keep unwanted spirits away from their homes and villag-es. The bones of dead cattle and sheep were cast into these fires.

The Celts asked their gods to protect cattle and food stores during the long, hard winter. They prepared huge feasts for both the living and the dead. The Celts ate the food that they had collected during the harvest, so the feast would consist of things like: nuts, berries, carrots, apples, and turnips. They also prepared offerings that were left outside villages, for the spirits of the deceased and for other beings such as fairies During the celebration, the Celts enjoyed storytelling around bonfires.

incmedia.org

How Halloween Got Its Name

Over one thousand years ago, the Christian church named November 1st as ‘All Saints’ Day, also called ‘All Hallows’, which was a traditional English term. This was a holy day to commemorate the saints. The night before All Hallows was named Hallows’ Eve Many years later, the name was changed to Halloween.

Halloween Spreads To The US

During 1845 and the years that followed, over a million people left Ireland due to a famine. As a result, the US had many new Irish im-migrants. These immigrants brought the Celtic traditions of Samhain to the US, which would eventually become Halloween.

insider.com

Word Check

The Celtic religion was polytheistic, meaning they worshipped more than one God. In fact, the Celtic religion is thought to have had over 300 gods. The Celts would sacrifice animals to their gods, and they believed in an afterlife.

The Celts were a group of people who spoke Celtic languages. They lived during the Bronze and Iron Age periods. The Celts were spread across Europe, living in areas including France, Italy, Germany, Poland, Spain, Britain, and Ireland.

Dressing Up On Halloween

The Celts also believed that the ghosts would walk among the living on Earth. They were worried that the evil spirits would cause problems. hurt or even kill them. So on Halloween night people wore costumes of ghosts or other wicked creatures. They believed if they dressed in frightening cos-tumes, their disguise would confuse the spirits and they would think they were also dead and not hurt them.

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Trick-Or-Treating On Halloween

To keep the ghosts away from their homes, people started keeping bowls of food outside their doors. Over time, people started eating these nice treats themselves. Some say this was the start of trick-or-treating. Some other stories claim that trick-or treating started when people started giving out cakes in return for prayers for their dead relatives.

lehifreepress.com

Carving Jack-O’-Lanterns 

According to legend, Jack was a very mean person who played tricks on peo-ple. When he died, he was not allowed into heaven or hell. So he had to walk the Earth and he used a hallowed turnip with a light inside it to guide him. This is how “Jack of the Lantern” started, which is now popularly known as “Jack-o’-Lantern”. When the Europeans came to the US, they started using pumpkins instead of turnips to carve their Jack-o’ Lanterns.

scotsman.com

Watch Full Video On, #Halloween : Haunted History – Fun Facts About Halloween

Asian Games 2023

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The 19th Asian Games 2023 were held in Hangzhou, China from September 23 to October 8. India reached an unprecedented milestone of 107 medals (28 gold, 38 silver, and 41 bronze) at the Asian Games 2023. India finished 4th in the overall medal’s tally.

indiatodayne.in

Also Read, Indian Athletes Dazzle At The World Stage

This is the first time in history, India has achieved this remarkable feat. Team India’s previous best was set at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta. China topped the list with 383 medals.

Take a look at the full list of India’s medallists:

Archery

  1. Compound Men’s Individual: Gold – Ojas Deotale, Silver – Abhishek Verma
  2. Compound Women’s Individual: Gold – Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Bronze – Aditi Swami
  3. Compound Men’s Team: Gold
  4. Compound Women’s Team: Gold
  5. Compound Mixed Team: Gold
  6. Recurve Men’s Team: Silver
  7. Recurve Women’s Team: Bronze

Athletics

  1. Men’s 3000m Steeplechase: Gold – Avinash Sable
  2. Men’s 4 x 400m Relay: Gold
  3. Men’s Javelin Throw: Gold – Neeraj Chopra
  4. Men’s Shot Put: Gold – Tajinderpal Singh Toor
  5. Women’s 5000m: Gold – Parul Chaudhary
  6. Women’s Javelin Throw: Gold – Annu Rani
  7. Men’s 10000m: Silver – Kartik Kumar
  8. Men’s 1500m: Silver – Ajay Kumar
  9. Men’s 5000m: Silver – Avinash Sable
  10. Men’s 800m: Silver – Mohammed Afsal
  11. Men’s Decathlon: Silver – Tejaswin Shankar
  12. Men’s Javelin Throw: Silver – Kishore Jena
  13. Men’s Long Jump: Silver – Sreeshankar
  14. Women’s 100m Hurdles: Silver – Jyothi Yarraji
  15. Women’s 1500m: Silver – Harmilan Bains
  16. Women’s 3000m Steeplechase: Silver – Parul Chaudhary
  17. Women’s 4x400m relay: Silver
  18. Women’s 800m: Silver – Harmilan Bains
  19. Women’s Long Jump: Silver – Ancy Sojan
  20. 4x400m Mixed relay: Silver
  21. Men’s 10000m: Bronze – Gulveer Singh
  22. Men’s 1500m: Bronze – Jinson Johnson
  23. Men’s Triple Jump: Bronze – Praveen Chithravel
  24. Women’s 3000m Steeplechase: Bronze – Priti Lamba
  25. Women’s 400m Hurdles: Bronze – Vithya Ramraj
  26. Women’s Discus Throw: Bronze – Seema Punia
  27. Women’s Heptathlon: Bronze – Nandini Agasara
  28. Women’s Shot Put: Bronze – Kiran Baliyan
  29. 35km Race Walk Mixed Team: Bronze

Badminton

  1. Men’s Doubles: Gold – Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty
  2. Men’s team: Silver
  3. Men’s Singles: Bronze – Prannoy

Boxing

  1. Women’s 75kg: Bronze – Lovlina
  2. Men’s +92kg: Bronze – Narender
  3. Women’s 45-50kg: Bronze – Nikhat Zareen
  4. Women’s 50-54kg: Bronze – Preeti
  5. Women’s 54-57kg: Bronze – Parveen

Bridge

  1. Men’s Team: Silver

Canoe Sprint

  1. Men’s Canoe Double 1000m: Bronze

Chess

  1. Men’s Team: Silver
  2. Women’s Team: Silver

Cricket

  1. Men’s Team: Gold
  2. Women’s Team: Gold

Equestrian

  1. Dressage Team: Gold
  2. Dressage: Bronze – Anush Agarwalla

Golf

  1. Women’s individual: Silver – Aditi Ashok

Hockey

  1. Men’s Team: Gold
  2. Women’s Team: Bronze

Kabaddi

  1. Men’s Team: Gold
  2. Women’s Team: Gold

Roller Skating

  1. Women’s Speed Skating 3000m Relay Race: Bronze
  2. Men’s Speed Skating 3000m Relay Race: Bronze

Rowing

  1. Lightweight Men’s Double Sculls: Silver
  2. Men’s Eight: Silver
  3. Men’s Four: Bronze
  4. Men’s Pair: Bronze
  5. Men’s Quadruple Sculls: Bronze

Sailing

  1. Girl’s Dinghy ILCA 4: Silver – Neha Thakur
  2. Men’s Dinghy ILCA 7: Bronze – Vishnu Saravanan
  3. Men’s Windsurfer RS – X: Bronze – Eabad Ali

Sepaktakraw

  1. Women’s Regu: Bronze

Shooting

  1. 10m Air Pistol Team Men: Gold
  2. 10m Air Rifle Team Men: Gold
  3. 50m Rifle 3 Positions Team Men: Gold
  4. Trap Team Men: Gold
  5. 10m Air Pistol Women: Gold – Palak
  6. 25m Pistol Team Women: Gold
  7. 50m Rifle 3 Positions Women: Gold – Sift Kaur Samra
  8. 50m Rifle 3 Positions Men: Silver – Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar
  9. Skeet Men: Silver – Anant Jeet Singh
  10. 10m Air Pistol Team Women: Silver
  11. 10m Air Pistol Women: Silver – Esha Singh
  12. 10m Air Rifle Team Women: Silver
  13. 25m Pistol Women: Silver – Esha Singh
  14. 50m Rifle 3 Positions Team Women: Silver
  15. Trap Team Women: Silver
  16. 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team: Silver
  17. 10m Air Rifle Men: Bronze – Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar
  18. 25m Rapid Fire Pistol Team Men: Bronze
  19. Skeet Men’s Team: Bronze
  20. Trap Men: Bronze – Chenai KD
  21. 10m Air Rifle Women: Bronze – Ramita
  22. 50m Rifle 3 Positions: Bronze – Ashi Chouskey

Squash

  1. Men’s Team: Gold
  2. Mixed Doubles: Gold
  3. Men’s Singles: Silver – Saurav Ghosal
  4. Women’s Team: Bronze
  5. Mixed Doubles: Bronze

Table Tennis

  1. Women’s Doubles: Bronze

Tennis

  1. Mixed Doubles: Gold
  2. Men’s Doubles: Silver

Wrestling

  1. Men’s Freestyle 86kg: Silver – Deepak Punia
  2. Men’s Freestyle 57kg: Bronze – Aman
  3. Men’s Greco-Roman 87kg: Bronze – Sunil Kumar
  4. Women’s Freestyle 53kg: Bronze – Antim Panghal
  5. Women’s Freestyle 62kg: Bronze – Sonam
  6. Women’s Freestyle 76kg: Bronze – Kiran

Wushu

  1. Women’s 60kg: Silver – Roshibina Devi

Fun Fact

The mascot of the Asian Games 2023 is a group of robots titled ‘Memories of Jiangnan’.

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