Festival of Lights

These days Diwali (or Dīpāvali) is celebrated all over India, today is the third day and Monday it is the last day of a total of five days of celebrations. Huge amounts of fireworks are continously filling the sky. It is a big and important festival, for that you should compare it with Christmas and New Year celebrations in Europe.

Today is a day off (I have to work the odd Saturdays of every month!), Monday as well.

Jodhpur

This weekend Ivone and I stay in Jodhpur - Radjastan. IDBI Fortis organizes a conference here. Yesterday we arrived and made a tour to the palace - fort on top of the hill overlooking the "Blue City" as Jodhpur is called. Radjastan is famous for this kind of palaces, Jodhpur's is a jewel.

The movers started their job

On Tuesday the movers came, at noon as in our neighbourhood trucks are not allowed to drive before noon (and after 6pm). First the whole content of the container was brought into the house, after that the unpacking started. But where do you leave the clothes if the wardrobes are not out together yet? After moving the sofa three times around it finaly ended at the place where it was meant to be and they started with the wardrobes. And, yes, after three days it is ready and it looks very nice!

Dussehra - An auspicious day for moving

Last Monday was a very auspicous day to move; the last and most important day of the festival. When I told at work that it would not be possible to move, because all the movers have a like anyone else a holiday, my colleagues were happy to help with a solution. By moving in a statue of Lord Ganesh (the most important of the most important of the Hindu Gods) in fact we would have moved in. So, problem solved, Lord Ganesh has got its place and the move was done!

This text came with the "Happy Dussehra" offering of the hotel:

Dussehra is celebrated after Navratri or "The Festival of Nine Nights", in the month of Ashwin (September - October). Navaratri is dedicated to the worship of Mother Goddess or Shakti and her nine forms. This season is considered to be auspicious one as it is generally associated with the sowing of seeds.

In Northern India, the festival of Dussehra commemorates the victory of Lord Rama over Ravana, the ruler of Lanka who had abducted Rama's wife, Sita Devi. The Ramlila - an abridged dramatization of Ramayanan - is enacted on the period of festivities. It concludes with the burning of the effigy of Ravana on Vijayadashami day signifying the victory of good over evil.

In Southern India, Eastern India and Western India, the festival of Navaratri which culminates with Vijayadashami commemorates the legend in which the Goddess vanquishes the demon Mahishasura.