Monday, April 14, 2014

New Year Celebration at the India House


Today at the India House:

 

New Year Celebration!

4:00-6:00 pm

The India House

825 E. 8th Street

 

Join us at India House and help bring in the New Year! On Monday, April 14th the Dhar India Studies Program

will mark the beginning of the New Year for most traditional calendars in India including Assam, Bengal,

Keral4 Manipur, Mithila Odisha Punjab, Tripura, and Tamil Nadu as well as in portions ofNepal, Bangladesh,

Burma, Cambodi& Laos, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysiq and Thailand. The 60-year cycle is related to the five

revolutions of Jupiter, or to 60-year orbit of Nokshatras (stars) as described in the Surya Siddhanta (a Hindu

text on astronomy). In Bengali communities Pohela Boishakh or Bengali New Year is an auspicious day for

marriages and often feted with witnessing the sun, cultural festivals, special foods, new clothis, and family

gatherings. In Dhaka, Bangladesh an integral part of the festivities isthe Mongot Shobhajatra, atraditional

colorful procession organized by the students of the Faculty of Fine Arts at Dhaka University. Tamil

communities colnmemorate Puthaandu or Tamil New Year with a feast, neem flowers and raw mangoes to

symbolize growth and prosperity, and entrances are decorated elaborately with kolam (a kind of painting done

outside the home in rice flour meant to bring prosperity). Our celebration will feature snacks, henna, flowers,

music, and a cultural program featuring traditional elements of bringing in the New Year. We would like to

thank the Asian Cultural Center and the Indian Student Association for co-sponsoring this event.

 

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