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Dusserah: (September/October)
Dusserah,
also known as Vijayadashmi, is celebrated on the tenth day
of the rising moon of the Hindu month of Ashwin, which
follows nine days of Durga Pooja, some time in September /October.
Rama
destroyed Ravana on this day and hence it is celebrated as the day
of victory. Rama invoked the blessings of the divine mother,
Goddess Durga, before actually going out to battle.
In
the Kulu valley in Himachal Pradesh, the hill-folk celebrate
Dussehra with a grand mass ceremony wherein village deities are
taken out in elaborate processions.
The
Dussehra of Mysore is also quite famous where caparisoned
elephants lead a colourful procession through the gaily-decorated
streets of the city.
One
of the significant Hindu festivals it is celebrated with much joie
de vivre in the entire
country.
Brilliantly decorated tableaux and processions depicting various
facets of Rama's life are taken out and scenes from his life
enacted out in a popular form of drama called Ramlila. In
northern India, Ramlila's are very popular.On
Vijayadashmi
day, colossal effigies of Ravana, his brother Kumbhkarna and son
Meghnath are burnt in vast open spaces by Rama (usually the actor
who plays Rama in Ramlila). His consort Sita and his brother
Lakshmana, who shoots arrows of fire at the effigies, which are
stuffed with crackers and fireworks,
accompany him.
In
burning the effigies the people are asked to symbolically burn the evil within them, and thus follow the path of
virtue and goodness, bearing in mind the instance of Ravana, who
despite all his might and majesty was destroyed for his evil ways.
In
Tamil Nadu, Lakshmi, the Goddess of wealth and prosperity,
Saraswati, Goddess of
learning and arts and Shakti (Durga) are worshipped. Here, as in
Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, families
arrange
dolls (Bommai Kolu) on artificially constructed steps and prepare
an elaborate spread of lamps and flowers. After the Saraswati
pooja on the ninth day, the whole set up is taken
down dismantled on Vijayadashmi. It is an auspicious occasion for children
to commence their education in classical
dance
and music, and to pay homage to their teachers.
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