Friday, October 21, 2011

The Month of October in India=FESTIVALS GALORE - Dandiya Raas

 I 've come to realize that living in a host family is superficially all nicieties while  underneath stress and life "for real"  can be repressed.   I didn't see this in Chennai where I was an only-child in a home with 50 something parents who were more conservative, strict....everything was monotone, or as an expression...black & white.   My family here with parents, grandparent, siblings is more similar to what I am used to in the USA...traditional but hectic/busy.    Drama of life related to parental disagreement with each other or my siblings is likely to occur.  I had a taste of a dispute  this week which scared me.  I wasn't prepared to see emotion & rage overheat / bubble up.  By talking through in my family and with AFS counselors, we move on .      I stop and think ...perhaps the noisy celebrations of the festivals contribute to the stress, just like in the USA around holiday season,  right ?       So onto the next festival we enjoyed: 


Dandiya Raas
There are several forms of Raas, but "Dandiya Raas", performed during Navaratri in Gujarat is the most popular form. The Dandiya Raas dance originated as devotional Garba dances, which were performed in Goddess Durga’s honor. This dance form is actually the staging of a mock-fight between Goddess Durga and Mahishasura, the mighty demon-king. This dance is also nicknamed ‘The Sword Dance’. The sticks of the dance represent the sword of Goddess Durga.











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