Indian culture explained

By admin · Sunday, August 29th, 2010 · No Comments »

Diwali – Nights Of Lights.

First impressions hint at a magical kind of night. It’s a night when flickering flames from countless earthenware oil lamps mingle with the steady glow of electric light bulbs. A night when freshly-whitened houses are awash with this lambent light.

It’s Diwali or Deepawali night in India: the Hindu Festival of Light Tonight is a celebration of the beginning of autumn and, in most regions, of the Indian New Year. It’s a time of food, fireworks and family reunions. Symbolising rejuvenation and renewal, the day-long festivities are also a carnival time for children.

Origins

The name Deepawali comes from the Sanskrit language – ‘deep’ meaning light and ‘avali’ meaning a row, ie, a row of lights. Spiritually, Diwali marks the day of the ultimate victory of good over evil, light over darkness.

Some communities, especially in northern India, look upon it as commemorating the triumphant return of Prince Rama, along with Sita and Lakshman, who, while in exile for 14 years, successfully vanquished the demon-king of Lanka, Ravana. In joyous celebration of the return of their king, the people of Ayodhya, Rama’s capital, illuminated the kingdom with earthen diyas or oil lamps and let off crackers.

Many Hindus believe that in the period of Rama’s rule, darkness was banished from the world. Thus, the illumination of homes with lights and the skies with firecrackers is meant as an expression of reverence and thanks to the heavens for all people’s health, wealth and knowledge. The sound of fire-crackers was, and is, an indication of the people’s happiness at living on Earth, making the gods aware of their plentiful state.

Another given reason appeals more to the rationalists: the fumes produced by the crackers kill the insects, especially mosquitoes, found inplenty during and after the monsoon season.

East and West

In much of the west of India, Diwali is when old commercial accounts are reconciled and new ones opened. This is partly because of New Year observance but also because it is the special day of Lakshmi, goddess of wealth and the spiritual embodiment of the entrpreneurial spirit.

For the people of the central state of Maharashtra, however, this is a day when meditations on mortality and the metaphysical are on everyone’s mind. To the Marathis, Diwali is an opportunity to appease and deflect the attentions of King Bali, dread and dour lord of the underworld.

Eastern Indians take a different tack again. For them, Diwali is a far more convivial affair, celebrating the black-faced god, Kali. Here, it is seen as a night to rejoice with this fierce and vibrant spirit of female energy and primal strength in her celebration of life’s cycles of creation and destruction.

The Story of Each Day

The Diwali festival runs for four days. Each day of Diwali has its own tale to tell.

The first day of the festival, called Naraka Chaturdasi, marks the defeat of demon Naraka by Krishna and his wife Satyabhama.The second day, Amavasya, is the day of worship for followers of Lakshmi. Amavasya also tells the story of Vishnu, who in his dwarf incarnation vanquished the tyrant Bali, and banished him to hell.

Bali returns once a year on the third day, Kartika Shudda Padyami, to light millions of lamps, dispelling darkness and ignorance and spreading the radiance of love and wisdom. This could be called

Diwali Day ‘proper’.The fourth day is referred to as Yama Dvitiya or Bhai Dooj; today, sisters will invite their brothers to their homes.

In India, such a busy time of year as Diwali and the day following are, naturally public holidays.

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Acupuncture: Ancient Chinese Healing Method For Stress And Disease

By admin · Friday, August 27th, 2010 · No Comments »

Acupuncture, as an alternative medical practice, is now making headway in the Western world. It is now accepted as a drug-free treatment and method of stress relief. Practiced in China for more than 2,000 years, acupuncture is a therapeutic system that makes use of sterilized needles for the purpose of restoring the body’s equilibrium. The needles are inserted on specific vital points that correspond to a specific internal organ. The light insertion of the needle into a vital point is supposed to free the flow of internal energy or “chi.” According to Chinese medical theory, any blockage in the flow of chi in the body’s “energy streams” or meridians can an imbalance in the body — resulting to an illness. The natural flow of chi ensures a person’s general state of health. The focus of acupuncture is on restoring harmony in the flow of the chi throughout the body and, in the process, balancing the metaphysical concepts of yin and yang.

Acupuncture is used to treat a wide range of ailments such as nausea, sinusitis, migraine headaches, lower back pain, knee pain, and chronic pain. Ancient Chinese texts also claim that the acupuncture can be used to treat minor mental and emotional problem such as anxiety disorder. For this reason, some even compare the Traditional Chinese Medicine method of acupuncture to the Western medical discipline of psychology. Both are seen as similar disciplines or therapy methods that have a positive effect on the mental health of patients.

The true benefits of acupuncture are found in its efficacy as a non-invasive, drug-free means of alleviating a number of physical ailments. It is also used in conjunction with traditional Chinese herbal cures that are perceived to be as effective as modern pills and medication. Acupuncture is concerned not only with providing cure to specific ailments. It is also used to determine the causes of physical discomforts and illnesses. Acupuncture practitioners make use of body charts that show the meridians or channels where internal energy flows to different parts of the body. These meridians correspond to the Western medicine layout of the central nervous system and circulatory system.

Studies are still being made by Western doctors and other scientists to determine the efficacy of this Eastern alternative form of healing. Even if acupuncture already accepted in different parts of the world as an alternative healing method, some quarters are still skeptical about its long-term effects.

While there are still no research findings that make the curative claims about acupuncture absolutely undisputable, it is interesting to note the depth of understanding that the Chinese had about the inner workings of the human body thousands of years before the formal organization and practice of Western medicine. Perhaps, one day, scientists will finally prove that the differences between Eastern and Western medicine is found mostly in culture and terminology; and that both systems are actually alike in terms of philosophy and theory in the use of the needle as a tool for healing.

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