Splendour of Worship

The chapters of the book correspond to the festivals and are organised chronologically according to the Hindu festival cycle; an outline of the customs associated with each festival is followed by the stories told during that festival. It is difficult to capture the flavor of Indian daily life without experiencing the richness of the traditions which permeate people’s lives. Daily worship of household deities, local shrines, the tulsi plant, mother earth, the rising sun, God’s names, ceremonies of the human life cycle, festivals of the Hindu year, pilgrimages, visiting sadhus and folk theater, keep life varied and colorful and raise spirits despite a physically hard existence. This book, informed by actual fieldwork, contains folk stories that are an inseparable part of Hindu feasts and festivals. Festivals studied are those which are celebrated solely or mainly by women and in which stories and paintings are important.