The people of India spend a long time in anticipation of Durga Puja. Many preparations are made that require some people devoting a large part of their life to this festival alone. The statue makers are a fine example of this. All year, they are employed to create the many statues needed for the long-lasting festival. This work provides their livelihood, and great care is taken over the responsibility of the images.
The Brahmin caste are another example of people devoting their lives to the religious festival. These are seen as the highest form of Hinduism, and people can only be born into this class of priests. Their duties include spreading the sacred text of the Veda, ’the doctrinal and philosophical dimension’, and performing ancient Vedic rituals. They have the occupation of praying for people.
Many people celebrate the festival in different ways. It is possible to encounter some people involved in communal worship among lots of singing and dancing, some more people who are consulting astrologers to determine the outcome of the day, or perhaps a person worshipping an animal, or listening to the teachings of Hindu philosophy. All of these activities show a great devotion to Hinduism, at the same time being typical, everyday occurrences in their lives. This range of goings-on also shows the diversity of Hinduism, making it difficult to draw a line around the religion. Making it difficult to know who is ‘right’.
The daily activities of Hindus are very specific, and play a big role in their lives. They get up before sunrise, and before they eat breakfast they must complete ritual washings, and pay homage to the family deity. This quite clearly shows that their religion has a big influence over their lives. They will then spend ten-fifteen minutes praying, meditating and reciting from the scriptures. Throughout the day they carry out their jobs with complete devotion, sincerity and honesty for the maintenance of their family. This is what Smart refers to as ‘the practical and ritual dimension’, the practices and rituals to which a religion adheres. Most other religions, regardless of their morning prayers or rituals, leave the house and their mind leaves their religion to focus on other, more pressing tasks. Hindus however, execute their day in accordance to their beliefs. In the evening, group prayers are performed in the family shrine, which is followed by supper and further homage to the family deity before retiring to bed.
On top of the daily routine, an ideal Hindu is instructed to visit the nearest Hindu Temple from time to time, although regular visits are not mandatory, as God is seen as sacred everyday, not just one particular day. In Britain, Sunday is a popular day to visit the temple out of convenience, and to fit into the British regime. A model Hindu is also expected to go on a few pilgrimages in his lifetime. All of these daily requirements quite obviously show that religion does indeed play a very important role in the lives of these people and their communities.
On the other hand, just because Hindus follow a ‘way of life’, doesn’t mean that all religions play a big part in their followers’ lives. Christians, for example, may go to church devotedly every week, but very few of them think about if what they are doing during the week reflects their faith. Very few will give thanks before every meal, or say daily prayers. Therefore, we may see them participating in a visible religious activity every Sunday at church, or every Christmas or Easter but this doesn’t show us the part religion plays in their lives generally.
While observing religious activity, such as a festival, can help us to understand the role religion plays in the life of a person or community, we must be careful not to jump to conclusions. Some festivals have deviated away from their original religious meaning. The perfect example of this is Christmas - once a religious festival to celebrate the life and birth of Jesus Christ, it is now very much commercialised, and many people have lost sight of the true meaning of Christmas. This brings me back to my earlier point, that it doesn’t always mean that because someone is taking part in a religious activity that religion plays an important part in their life. Another example of a festival that has strayed from its original meaning is Durga Puja. It was originally a very expensive holiday reserved for Lords, Rajas and businessmen. It involved venerable conch shells and drums, many animals were sacrificed, and Durga was the only deity worshipped. These days it has become a community festival, with a very diverse atmosphere. It’s an excuse for extravaganza, with loud popular songs and the faces of the Goddess modelled on actresses. Most animal sacrifices have been abolished now, and Durga is now worshipped along with her family: Ganesha, Kartikeya and Shiva. This point of religious festivals deviating from their original meaning also ties in with my view that because a person is observed partaking in such an activity, one shouldn’t jump to the conclusion that religion evidently plays a part in their life.
Looking at all the evidence, it is very helpful to observe religious activities when trying to determine the part religion plays in the life of an individual or a community. However, making this observation doesn’t always mean that religion plays a big role in their life. In conclusion, often, especially during a festival, it is the excitement of the situation and not the religion itself that is exhibited. Therefore observing such an activity isn’t necessarily a direct reflection of the role religion plays in the lives of its followers.
Bibliography
- Religion and Science in Context, Block 4, An Introduction to the Humanities (2005), The Open University
- Resource Book 3, An Introduction to the Humanities (2005), The Open University
- DVD 2, Track 6, An Introduction to the Humanities (2005), The Open University
- DVD 2, Track 7, An Introduction to the Humanities (2005), The Open University
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Hindu activities, , 13.02.08
