Day 6 My day off. I went to a nature park. More on that later. As I was leaving the park, I rode through a kid’s playground right near a river. There was a puja going on. There were lots of people gathered around tables praying to statues of Ganesh. The statues were garishly painted, and decorated with lots of sparkly stuff, and draped with garlands of orange flowers. The worshippers were chanting and shaking strings of cymbals. The people I was with told me about how the statues will all be taken down to the water and thrown in on the 9th day, 10th day or 11th day. The 10th day. No, 11th. 9th. I think it is the 10th. Anyway, next Tuesday.
A bunch of the guys walking back to their cars from the puja had red all over their shirts. One thing that people do is water throwing, hitting each other with water with dye in it. I think that people use water guns too. I am not sure what it means. Water is big with the Ganesh thing though.
Later, as I was walking home from the train station, I heard a big procession drumming and chanting through one of the neighborhoods.
That evening, I went to the Bandstand, a walkway by the sea near my house. I saw another puja going on at the end of the walkway. Lots of people were down by the water, chanting and singing to Ganesh, and several people were holding the plaster statues of Ganesh. The statues are not too big, you could hold one comfortably from hand to elbow, and then it would stand as high your neck. People were telling me that there is a huge one that costs a ton of money that gets thrown in at Jujopady(?) Beach, about two km from where I live.
Later, as I was sitting at a cafe, a car went by blaring music, with a few girls dancing along after it. Twenty minutes after that, a procession went by with loud drumming and a medium sized float featuring Ganesh.
Then, as I was walking home I saw another procession, a group of guys with drums marching down to the puja. Wow.
Last week there was a big article in the paper about how the major wanted to ban the Ganesh statues from being thrown into the water, because all that plaster and crap pollutes the water. Then a few days later there was an article about how the major had backed down from her(I think it was a her) plan. Nice try major. No dice.
I made a breakthrough with the “Cafe on the Corner,” one of the coffee shops near where I live. They now know that I order a vegan (wegan) shake and that I sometimes get sandwiches.
Further bulletins as events warrant
7 comments:
I must admit that based on visual appeal, ganesh is among my favourite images of a god w/ an appropriate sense of humour. Big elephant head, brightly coloured, lots of dancing, chanting and arm waving. What's not to like? It would be interesting to get the texts of their prayers and maybe sermons. It's always fun to hear the mantras of the righteous. Hard to imagine a people so unsophisticated that they would send money to a beckoning TV image.
It will be interesting to hear about what happens on day 10...or 11.
p.
cool - I'm thinking of a 10 day St. Patrick's day parade, we could throw live shamrocks in the Merrimack for the Atlantic salmon, sea lamprey, American shad, and river herring to enjoy. On day 5 we could throw green dye in some of brooks feeding the river. We could dance at Amoskeag Falls and wave snakes - maybe even grill them on day 10. Cassie
It looks like the kids are wearing Krocs! Cassie
Where do you see Crocs?
Maybe you could have a St. Pats parade with someone wearing a giant snake's head? Maybe a bunch of snake statues, and throw them into the river?
Do that with 100x the population density, and I will come visit that!
Sorry, Crocs not Krocs, looks like Disney Crocs on the feet. C
In the St Pat parade in NY last year, I did see several women marching with headdresses of entwined snakes. Scantily dressed too. Of course they (the snakes) are the species that migrated to US after the potato famine (along with the humans.)
let's start a st pat's 10 day festival!
people do where krocs here. i have seen them on sale.
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