Main Piece: The night before Holi, bonfires are lit in a ceremony known as Holika Dahan. The legend goes: The was once a young prince (he was a kid), the son of a tyrant king, who prayed to Rama (a deity in the Hinduism religion). The king thought himself to be a God and… Continue Reading »
Text: RB: Okay, so it goes like this. It’s in Hindi by the way. Okay, so it goes, “lakadi ki kaathi kaathi pe ghoda ghode ki dum pe jo maara hathauda dauda dauda dauda ghoda dum utha ke dauda” AT: What does that translate to? RB: So what it means is that there’s a cart made… Continue Reading »
Text: RB: Navratri is an Indian Festival, it’s like celebrated in India. It happens every November, and I think you know, it’s like whenever I wear those really fancy dresses and I’m like, “I’m gonna go dance.” I feel like you know that. But anyways it’s basically just a celebration of dancing and fasting, like a… Continue Reading »
Context/Background: The Informant is an Indian-American who has witnessed wedding customs tailored to suit an astrological calendar in order to promote success and prosperity of Indian Marriages. Informant: “When you get married and you’re supposed to check like… the person’s astrological sign or something- or when they were born and then you like compare the two…. Continue Reading »
My informant is half Indian and Caucasian. She considers herself not “very Indian” but explained to me one Indian festival that her family used to celebrate every year: “So in India we have a holiday called Raksha bandhan where it’s basically just celebrating the brother and sister bond. Or basically any male or female bond—it… Continue Reading »