Dussehra

Monday was a holiday here and we went to witness one of many Dussehra festivals taking place across the country. It is a big deal in India – apparently one of the bigger holidays. It is an event that celebrates the victory of good over evil; the slaying of a demon King Ravana (and his brother and son) by Lord Rama (one of the gods-who comes to earth as a man to fight). The celebration involves a large field and three huge effigies (Ravana, his brother and son), actors, fireworks and fans. A re-enactment occurs with first a blessing given to Lord Rama by the goddess Durga (divine mother) and then the battle, and finally the shooting of arrows to kill the three men.
What we saw when we arrived was tons of kids play fighting with toy bows and arrow and swords. There was loud music , never-ending fireworks and a lot of excitement. The children were clearly enjoying it. It is an Indian holiday but many Tibetan children were present (embracing the culture of their host home land). The actors arrived amongst many cheers and engaged in the re-enactment . This was taking place close to the fireworks and we were situated well back for safety, so it was difficult for us to see all of the action. Once the fighting finished, the hero pretended to fire arrows into the effigies. Each one exploded, caught on fire and burned to the ground (this we could see clearly). It was loud! The explosives in the effigies created deafening blasts (I plugged my ears). Once it was all done, cheers from the crowds filled the area and more fireworks were set off.