CHINA. Moon Festival. In Chinese cosmology, the moon
represents the female principle, yin, and has been venerated for
more than 2,000 years. The Moon Goddess is Chang E. Only women participate
in this festival, which occurs on the night of the full moon. (Chinese
communities worldwide)
INDIA. Batukamma Panduga (Festival of Flowers). Seven-day
festival celebrated by women who make a bell-shaped floral representation
of the Goddess Uma (an incarnation of Gauri), then sing, dance and pray
for the health and prosperity of their homes. Thousands of women dressed
in silk finery converge at Bhadrakali Lake carrying floral “mountains”
in every imaginable color, then immerse them in the water. (Warangal,
Telangana region, Andhra Pradesh)
INDIA. Chhattha Festival. Women make vows to the Sun
God, Surya, saying that they will fast if he improves their families’
conditions. They carry sugarcane shrines to a river and stand in the
water as sun rises, making offerings. (Bihar)
*INDIA. Ka Pomglang Nongkrem.
The High Priestess oversees the proceedings as the matrilineal Khasi
people celebrate the harvest with the sacrifice of goats and cocks,
the music of flutes and drums, and dancing by the virgins and men of
the tribe. (Smit, near Shillong, Meghalaya)
INDIA. Karva Choth. At dawn, Hindu married women eat
selected grains and fruit, then fast until the moon rises. When it does,
they go outside to pray for their husbands’ prosperity, well-being
and longevity, and offer water and flowers to Shiva and Parvati. *INDIA.
Navaratri. This nine-day festival, which overlaps with Diwali (Dipawali)
and Durga Puja, is dedicated to The Mother Goddess, Shakti, in her forms
as Durga (the warrior goddess), Lakshmi (goddess of wealth and abundance)
and Saraswati (goddess of learning, music and the arts). In Udaipur,
20,000 devotees crawl through a low temple arch. In Calcutta,
clay Durga images are worshipped at marquees and at home, then immersed
in the river on final day. In Delhi and Mumbai, there are performances
of the epic, Ram Lila; in Mysore, pageantry reminiscent of medieval
times. Diwali is celebrated with lamps, candles, fireworks and sweets
made from milk, rock sugar, cardomon; businesses open books for the
new fiscal year. In Orissa, women paint designs on their houses. In
Gujarat, women dance the Garba, a line dance performed with percussion
sticks and in Rajasthan, they braid rope as they dance the Goph Guntan.
In Tamil Nadu, women decorate their doorsteps with elaborate designs
and start Diwali day with an oil bath.
JAPAN. Memorial Service for Dolls. Priests in temples
recite sutra, burn old dolls and dedicate the ashes to a doll mound
in the temple courtyard. (Hongakuji Temple, Kamakura; Kaneiji Temple,
Tokyo) NEPAL. Ghatasthapana-Purmina. Two-week festival honoring
Goddess Durga. Every household sets up a Durga shrine and on the ninth
day, devotees visit important Durga temples. On the tenth day, sword-wielding
men parade with bands playing traditional music. There are many blood
sacrifices of buffalos, goats, chickens, ducks. (Thamel in Kathmandu;
Mangal Bazaar in Patan.)
THAILAND. Loy Kratong Festival. Pays homage to
Phra Mae Khongkha, goddess of rivers and waterways. This festival began
in the thirteenth century when Nang Noppamas sent a small boat with
a candle and incense downstream past a pavilion where her husband, the
King, was entertaining friends. Today, Thai women fill floral floats
with candles and incense so the goddess will erase their sins and bless
their love affairs. (Chiang Mai, Arruthaya, Sukhothai, Thailand; Penang,
Malaysia)
UNITED STATES. Emma Crawford Coffin Festival. In the
1800’s, spiritualist Emma Crawford was buried at the top of the
7,200 foot Red Mountain. In the 1900’s, heavy summer rains washed
her coffin into the canyon below. Reburied in a cemetery, she’s
remembered with a race of coffins on wheels. Each five-member team builds
its own; one rides while four push. (Manitou Springs, Colorado)
UNITED STATES. Eö e Emalani i Alaka’i Festival.
In 1871, Hawaii’s Queen Emma, wife of King Kamehameha IV, braved
the Alakai Swamp to see some of the world most unusual plants. Today,
celebrants pack picnics, take nature walks, and watch the festival’s
royal procession as well as music, hula, and crafts demonstrations.
(Kok’e State Park, Kauai, Hawaii)
VIETNAM. Ka Te Festival. The Cham ethnic group celebrates
yin/yang, sky/earth, mother/father. A woman psychic presents offerings.
Young women compete at weaving (the winner produces the most beautiful,
longest piece of fabric in an hour). There are costumed processions,
religious rituals, sacred dancing, and feasting. (Ninh Thuan and central
region)