Hadaka Masturi in Japan

Hadaka Masturi when translated in English means “naked festival”. If the word “naked” conjures all sorts of indecent images in your mind then you are in for a big disappointment. The naked festival in Japan has mostly male participants that too in loincloths. The festival takes place on the third Saturday in February in the Kannon-in Temple located in Saidai-Ji in Japan.

It is a kind of a religious festival in which thousands of men dressed to the minimum wrestle with each other in the freezing temperature for a pair of tiny sacred sticks called “Shingi”.

The local men gather in groups in garages. The groups of men consume large amount of Saki (Japanese wine) and jump up and down to keep themselves warm chanting “washoi”. They then jog around the neighborhood and are doused with ice cold water which is supposed to purify them. Chanting washoi, they proceed towards the main temple. When all of them gather at the shrine, two pieces of Shingi wood are dropped from the temple and men push, shove and trample each other to get to these Shingi. It is believed that anyone who catches the Shingi will be favored by the lady luck for the rest of the year. Another highlight of this festival is the food stalls and the taiko drumming.

This festival is mostly restricted to adult males; but separate events for young men and very rarely for women is also held.

The Amazing Abu Simbel Festival

The Abu Simbel Temple in Egypt is a remarkable specimen of human intelligence. It was constructed during the reign of Ramses the second in the sandstone cliffs facing east. The temple was designed so that twice a year the inner sanctum was illuminated by the rays of the rising sun making the three statues inside to light up creating a life like image. The three statues are those of Ra, Amun and Ramses himself. The statue of Ptah, the God of darkness however remains unlit.

The two occasions on which the sun rays align with these magnificent statues to create the magical moment are Ramses accession to the throne (22nd February) and his birthday (22nd October).

The temple becomes crowded with tourists both local and foreign who gather before Dawn to watch this spectacular event which is worth waiting for. Music, dancing and food follows this spellbinding event but is no match for the mesmerizing scene witnessed inside the temple.

The construction of the Aswan Dam threatened the existence of the temple so the temple was dismantled and shifted 60 meters above its height and then put to gather again in the same relation with itself and the sun. This has caused the phenomenon to occur a day after it was actually planned.

The Abu Simbel festival celebrates human ingenuity and nature.

Sangha Day

The Sangha Day is also known as the Magha Puja Day and is the second most important event of the Buddhist calendar. The Sangha Day is celebrated to commemorate the unplanned gathering of around 1250 monks on a full moon night in Veluvana Vihara. Here the Buddha delivered a sermon in which he outlined a code of conduct for the monks.

Although widely believed that Sangha Day is mostly meant for monks and nuns, the Buddhist people all over the world celebrate it to reaffirm their obligations towards Buddhist beliefs and practices. The festival is given more importance in the west than in the east. It is celebrated on the full moon in November. The festivities include exchanging of gifts, lighting oil lamps, chanting, and meditations. Religious discussions and talks from senior citizens are also a feature of this festival. All of these are ways to reconfirm their Buddhist faith which is the essence of the festival.

Eid-ul-Fitr

Eid ul Fitr is the most awaited festival of the country. It is celebrated on the 1st of Shawal the 10th month of the Islamic lunar calendar. Eid ul Fitr is celebrated to commemorate the end of Ramadan. Ramadan the 9th Islamic month is the month of fasting. Muslims are directed not only to abstain from food and drink but also from sex, carnal thoughts, anger, lies, betrayal, deception and other weaknesses. Fasting is mainly to purify a person physically and spiritually. On the 29th of Ramadan, people gather on their roof tops to sight the moon. The sighting of the moon is followed by a burst of joy and festivity which lasts for three days. The cries of “Eid Mubarak” (Happy Eid) fill the air.

The night prior to Eid is called “chand raat”. It is specially enjoyed by the young people who rush to the malls for last minute shopping. Girls adorn their hands with beautiful henna patterns and buy glass bangles which match with their suits.

On Eid morning, men go to the mosques to offer special Eid prayers. The women say their prayers at home. The women prepare special dishes like sweet vermicelli cooked in milk and dry fruits and spicy chick peas etc. Everybody dresses up in new clothes. The elders give eiddie a sum of money to the younger ones. Relatives, friends and neighbors visit each other.

The poor are not ignored on this joyful day. Most of the families give new clothes to their servants. The servants are also given eiddie. Money is given as charity through out the month of Ramadan to help the poor and the needy.

Eid ul Fitr is a very important day which brings happiness to all and is celebrated with fervor by all.

Kathina Day

Kathina Day is an important and auspicious day in the Buddhist calendar. On this day, the Buddhist people assemble in the temples and offer robes and other gifts to the monks.

Kathina is a Pali word used for the wooden frame on which the monks used to sew the scraps of clothes to make their robes. Although the robes today are made of new cloth, they are made from fourteen patches to keep the tradition alive.

Kathina was initiated by Lord Buddha for the benefit of the monks who had observed the Vassa retreat. The Vassa retreat begins from the full moon of July till the full moon of October. As this is also the rainy season, it is also known as the rainy retreat. During this period a Sangha community (group of 5 or more monks) is supposed to stay in a temple (Vihara) continuously to meditate and practice self discipline.

When the monks come out of retreat which is somewhere in November, the Kathina Ceremony is held in which common people donate robe cloth and other basic necessities to the monks as gifts. This is followed by a feast. In the evening, the special Kathina robe known as the Kathina Cheevera is presented to the most suitable monk who has observed the Vassa Retreat. The Sangha chooses the monk who deserves the robe. The monk the carries the robe with him for three months where ever he goes.

Kathina originated when a group of monks came to visit Buddha. Their robes were muddy and drenched as they did not have an extra set to change. On the suggestion of a common devotee, Buddha allowed the common people to provide robes to the monks thus initiating Kathina.

Nowadays ready made robes are offered but back in the days of Buddha, white cloth, was collected by the common people, which was then cut, dyed and sewn into robes by the Sangha within one day. On Kathina Day itself, there’s a special Kathina robe (called Kathina Cheevera) which is offered to the most suitable monk who has observed Vassa. The monk must then take it along everywhere with him for three months.

Kathina ceremony promotes generosity and selflessness. It also provides an opportunity to the people to gain spirituality.

Festa Della Madonna Della

The Festa Della Madonna Della Salute is a major religious festival in Venice, Italy. La Salute is one of the biggest churches of Venice. It was constructed to honor a promise made to Virgin Mary by the Venetian Senate. In the early 1600s a plague broke out in Europe which also hit Venice badly. Around one third of the Venetian population was wiped out by the plague. Troubled by the situation, the Senate vowed that if the city was rid of the deadly plague, a church would be built and dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The plague receded and keeping the promise a church was built at the junction of the Grand Canal and Bacino di San Marco. Architects were invited to submit their designs and the design of a young architect Baldassare Longhena was chosen. The design of the church is unique and is regarded as a master piece in the world of architecture.

Since 1687, a festival is held on 21st November in remembrance of the event.

The celebrations involve a grand parade from the San Marco to the church. Every year a bridge especially constructed fort the event is used to cross the canal. Even today, thousands of people go to the church to light candles. Small stalls are set up which sell hand made toys, delicious pastries and candles.

El Dia De Los Muertos

The Mexicans remember and pay respect to their deceased relatives and friends on the El Dia de los Muertos or the Day of the Dead. The celebrations take place on the 1st and 2nd November corresponding with the Catholic festivals on All Saint’s Day and All Soul’s Day. The Mexicans have always believed that every year the souls of the departed visit their living relatives and enjoy the food and drinks offered to them. The day is not a sad occasion but a happy lively one where spirits join the people in celebrations. The origins of this festival can be traced back to the ancient Aztec times.

Skull is the main symbol of this day. Skull shaped candies and sweets are especially made. Another specialty is the “pan de muerto” it is a coffee cake with meringues in the shape of bones. Decorations and ornaments in the form of skeletons and skulls are seen everywhere.

The rituals and traditions vary throughout Mexico. Most Mexicans honor their deceased children on 1st November (El Dia de los Innocentes: Day of the Innocent). The graves of the children are cleaned and decorated with toys and balloons. The next day, homage is paid to the adult deceased. The main rituals involve cleaning of the graves and adorning them with “ofrendas”.

Ofrendas are offerings which include beautiful arrangements of flowers predominantly marigold, favorite food and drinks of the dead and personal items and favorite ornaments of the dead. Candles are also lit and placed on the graves. Bells begin to ring at 6:00 PM at every 30 seconds to call the dead. The ringing continues till sunrise. At sunrise the vigil is over and the relatives head home.

Day of the Dead in Ecuador

Ecuador is a country of colors and celebrations, fun and fiesta. In this predominant Roman Catholic country, a monthly festival or a long weekend is a regular feature. In Ecuador, the All Souls Day is celebrated with religious fervor on 2nd November each year. If the 2nd of November falls on Sunday then the All Souls Day is celebrated on 3rd November.

The people of Ecuador celebrate the All Souls Day in a unique fashion. The celebrations are strongly influenced by the Incas traditions. People visit memorial parks and graveyards to commemorate their dead. They often take their favorite dishes which they consume at the graves of the dead. This is regarded as sharing food with the dead. Visiting families also exchange food at the cemeteries.

In Ecuador, people believe that all the souls pass through a stage called “purgatory” where they are cleansed before they can enter heaven. To lessen the hardships of purgatory, the people perform certain rituals like ringing bells. The sound of bells is supposed to free the souls from purgatory. Another way is to light candles and put them in pitchers of blessed water. In this way the flames that burn the souls are put out. Water is also sprinkled on the floor of the graveyards to refresh the souls.

The traditional food and beverage of the occasion are “Guaguas de Pan” and “Colada Morada”. Guaguas is bread baked in the shape of a child and colada morada is a purple colored cocktail of assorted berries and other fruits.

Eid-ul-Azha

Eid-ul-Azha or the greater Eid is celebrated on the 10th of Zilhaj, the last month of the Islamic lunar calendar. It is a three day festival. It is celebrated to commemorate the obedience of Abraham who readily agreed to sacrifice his son Ismail for Allah’s pleasure.

A cattle market is set up outside the city premises from where people can buy goats, sheep, cows and camels. Cows and camels have seven shares so those who cannot afford to sacrifice a whole animal can have a share. The animal has to be free of any physical deformities and injuries. It must not be too young as well. People generally buy animals a week or ten days prior to Eid. Different stalls selling fodder are set up through out the city. Children love to take care of the animals and are often seen roaming in the streets with the animals.

The Eid day begins with special prayers offered in open places and mosques. Then animals are slaughtered as soon as the butcher arrives. The meat is divided into three parts, one is kept for home, the second part is distributed among relatives and the third portion is given to the poor people. The hides are donated to charity organizations. Animals can be sacrificed till 12 noon of the third day.

In the evenings families hold barbecues and enjoy themselves. The T.V channels in Pakistan telecast special Eid programs.

Eid-ul-Azha is more than sacrificing animals and having barbecues. It is about sharing. While meat is the main dish in Pakistani households but sadly this cannot be said for all. There are many families who get to eat meat only on special occasions and festivals. Islam teaches us benevolence by sharing sacrificial meat with the poor, the spirit of brotherhood is rekindled. Some affluent families do not keep a share for themselves but distribute it among the poor and the needy.

Festivals like Eid are celebrated to infuse a spirit of brotherhood and compassion and to bring joy to all. Above all it is a way to thank the Almighty for his numerous blessings.

Guru Nanak’s Birthday

Guru Nanak was born in 1469 in Nankana a small village some 40 miles from Lahore the provincial capital of Punjab, Pakistan. Although according to the Hindu calendar his birthday falls on 14th April, it is celebrated in November in accordance with the Gregorian calendar.

Sikhism is based on the teachings of Guru Nanak and the 9 other gurus that followed him. The Sikh festivals mostly revolve around the birth celebrations of its gurus and are known as GurPurabs. Basically the birthdays of all the Gurus are celebrated in the same way only the hymns are different. These birth celebrations last for three days.

Millions of Sikhs all over the world celebrate the GurPurab with religious fervor. The celebrations begin with Akhand Path the continuous recitation of Guru Granth the Sikh Holy Book. The recitation occurs without break for 48 hours. A team of men and women carry out the recitations for 2-3 hours each and so the process continues for till the dawn of the birthday itself. A day prior to the birthday, a procession is taken out in which the Guru Granth is carried over a float bedecked with flowers. Five men representing the Panj Piaray (the five beloved) lead the procession carrying the Sikh flag the Nishan Sahib. They are accompanied by musicians and singers singing religious songs. During the festivals the worship places of the Sikhs the Gurdwaras are illuminated and adorned with flowers, flags and banners. The big day commences with the sinning of the morning hymns known as the Asadi Var. These are followed by the Keertas the musical recital of the hymns from Guru Granth. In the end lectures on Sikhism called Kathas are delivered and poems praising Guru Nanak are also recited.

A lunch organized by volunteers is served in the afternoon. The recitation of hymns continues till evening and the festivities usually end with a display of fireworks.

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