Dancing for Durga, playing with fire

Last Friday, my yoga class came to an abrupt halt as my teacher entered with a picture of the goddess Durga, lit some incense, broke a coconut, threw some flowers and said a prayer.

“This is the day evil was destroyed and good prevailed,” he said. Then he handed out coconut pieces, banana slices and a sweet.

The class was oddly silent, but I leaned to the man on the mat next to mine and said, “Is that Durga?” He informed me that it was the time for Durga’s festival, called Dussehra. 

I went through the rest of the day as oblivious as I’d been before, but in the evening I was invited to a celebration. I didn’t really know what to expect, and only came to some understanding later.

I walked into the party, which was outdoors on a lawn. There were people of every age dressed in elaborate, decorated clothing dancing a dandiya, which is performed with two sticks that hit another person’s sticks as the steps are performed.

The dancing went on with or without the sticks to every type of music, from Bollywood to rock ’n’ roll. After some time, the music stopped, and in the same manner one might ask children to not touch fireworks on Independence Day, the hostess asked everyone to please back up from the demon.

At this point my confusion peaked. I turned to the lady next to me. “Did she say back up from the demon?” 

The lady pointed toward what looked like a 10-headed scarecrow and told me the story of Ram and the demon Ravana wherein Ram destroys the demon Ravana, who grows a new head each time his throat is slit.

“But I thought this holiday celebrated Durga,” I said. She explained that it does, but that it celebrated Ram too. Basically Dussehra celebrates good prevailing over evil – Durga and Ram destroying their respective demons.

The story concluded. Then everyone began to chant: “Kill Ravana, kill Ravana, kill Ravana.” And just like that, someone lit the 10-headed figure on fire and everyone cheered. 

As a general rule, I enjoy holidays where things are set on fire: fireworks on Independence Day, jack-o’-lanterns on Halloween – I even like those trick birthday candles that never seem to go out.

But this holiday is definitely a winner. There was dancing, singing and a fire show, complete with firecrackers afterward. In short, Dussehra is awesome.

It’s also possible that I enjoy holidays that I start out completely misunderstanding. Starting a day with the assumption of normality can lead to enjoying it even more when suddenly everyone is celebrating, having parties and handing out sweets.

I’ve decided that the best way to educate oneself about various religions, places and holidays is to participate and ask questions right about the time they start lighting things on fire.