== 2 of 3 ==
Date: Mon, Jan 14 2008 8:21 am
From: "a.c. lakshmana"
DEAR FRIENDS,
14 Th of January , is a day of an important festival in India. It
happens to be the day on which the Sun changes his axis from South
to North bringing sunshine and warmth to all of us.This is like an
alarm wake up call bringing back life to all hibernating animals and
plants. The whole universe wakes up rejuvenated after a cold resting
period. In India it is celebrated as a post harvest festival and is
called PONGAL/SANKRANTHI. Different parts of the country call it by
different names. It is called lodi in Punjab,Bihu in Bengal etc.
The harvest heap is religiously worshiped , so are the animals,sun
and land, and the BIO-DIVERSITY.
The harvest is shared by haves with have nots, not as alms, but
almost as their share.
Paddy or other grain bunches are hung in the front near the roof
tops for birds, cooked rice is strewn in the field both as food and
incidentally acts as natural pest control.
The domestic animals are washed, tied with ringing bells, horns
are painted mostly red and the animals are made to jump 3 rows of
paddy fire symbolizing successful crossing of hurdles in life.
Every country across the globe celebrates harvest festival in some
form or the other, but some of them
are becoming mere symbolic-traditions ,forgetting the original
philosophy that brought everybody happiness and peace. I felt that
we should revive this old spirit bearing in our minds
the philosophy of our ancestors. In India January 14 is fixed day
for celebrating sankranthi which is also called UTTARAYANAPUNYAKALA
in Mahbharath,which took place
3500 years ago. It was a thought that why should we not consider
this auspicious BIO-DIVERSITY day and improve over this philosophy.
and leave a glorious heritage for our children for a better
tomorrow.
This e-mail has bearing to one of our friends mentioning about some
good practices in the East.
I WISH ALL OF YOU A HAPPY,PROSPEROUS,PONGAL/BIO DIVERSITY DAY.
Yours sincerely,
A.C.LAKSHMANA.
== 3 of 3 ==
Date: Mon, Jan 14 2008 9:34 am
From: James Parton
ENTS,
This remids me of the Imbolc and Ostara Festivals of Celtic
Tradition.
Imbolc arrives in early February in what feels like the dead of
winter
in much of the Northern Hemisphere -- cold and white during the
days,
and with long bluish shadows falling over the snow as twilight
nears.
Nevertheless, this day marks the first seed of springtide (whose
midpoint will be celebrated later in March).
At this time, sacred pagan rituals were held across Europe. The
Celtic name, which is the most well known of many ancient names, is
Imbolc, a time to celebrate the goddess Brigid in her lively,
creative
maiden-aspect. In the Catholic Church, the feast is Candlemas
("Mass
of the Candles"), for in earlier times churches and monasteries
were
filled with tiers of burning candles to mark the end of the Yule
season with a celebration commemorating the Virgin Mary's ritual
purification forty days after giving birth.
http://www.worldspirituality.org/imbolc.html
Ostara occurs at the spring equinox which celebrates the sun
returning
to the northern sky. On the equinox the days and nights are of equal
length. Incedentally Christians adopted some of these celebration
activities into Easter, which gets its name from Ostara. The rabbit
and eggs are a symbol of fertility.
http://thunder.prohosting.com/~cbarstow/ostara.html
The Indian celebrations have a lot in common with Imbolc and Ostara.
James Parton
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