An Overview of the Popular Festival of India, Diwali

An Overview of the Popular Festival of India, Diwali India is a country of festivals. People, in India, celebrate festivals from all religions such as Hindu, Muslim, Christian, and Sikh. Therefore, it is like there is at least one festival to celebrate every month. Each festival is celebrated with exhibition and happiness, and each of them has religious or mythological significance behind them. One of the most celebrated of all festivals is Diwali- The festival of lights. It is known as `the festival of light because during this festival each street, house, mall, and store are decorated with colorful lights. It usually comes in October or November. The date is not fixed because it is celebrated according to Hindu calendar. People start the preparations for Diwali about a month before it comes. They clean their houses; and they also decorate their houses with good-looking and decorative things. In addition, they also make some traditional sweets and snacks. Diwali is a five day long festival, and each day has its own tradition and impor tance. First day of Diwali is called `Dhanteras in which `Dhan means wealth and `teras means thirteenth because it falls on the thirteenth day of the month of the Hindu calendar. On this day people worship Lord Yamraj, the God of death. They offer prayers to him to bless them with prosperity, well being, and protection. They also purchase a new utensil, a silver or gold coin or some other precious metal as a sign of good luck on the day of `Dhanteras. The story behind this day is about a 16 years old son of king Hima. His horoscope predicted his death by snake-bite on the fourth day of his marriage, so his newly wedded wife did not let him to sleep. She laid out all her ornaments and lots of gold and silver coins in a stack at the entrance of the sleeping chamber and lit lamps all over the place. Later that night, she narrated stories and sang songs to keep her husband from falling asleep. When Yama, the god of Death, arrived at the princes doorstep in the appearance of a Serpent, his eye s were dazzled and blinded by the brightness of the lamps and the jewelry. Yama could not enter in the princes chamber and went away. Thus, the young prince was saved from the clutches of death by the cleverness of his new bride, and the day came to be celebrated as `Dhanteras. The second day is `Choti Diwali. Choti means `small, and thus Choti Diwali is celebrates just like Diwali only on a smaller scale with lesser lights and lesser fireworks. It is also known as the `Narak Chaturdashi. According to Hindu mythology Lord Krishna destroyed the demon Narakasura on this day. The demon Narakasura was the evil king of Pragjyotishapura, near present-day Assam in India. Narkasuras power made him arrogant, and he became dangerous to everyone and even to the Gods. He empowered the kingdom of Lord Indra, and he imprisoned sixteen thousand daughters of the gods and snatched the earrings of Mother Goddess Aditi, who was also the relative of Satyabhama, Lord Krishnas wife. Satyabhama was really angry about what Narakasur did, so after her request Lord Krishna empowered Satyabhama, and she was able to murder Narakasur by beheading him. She then rescued the sixteen thousand women prisoners from the clutches of Narakasur and even found Mother Goddess Aditis earrings. In order to save the women from embarrassment, Lord Krishna married all the sixteen thousand women and accepted them as His wife. Lord Krishna smeared his forehead with blood as a sign of victory over Narakasur and returned home with his wives on the morning of Choti Diwali. The next day is known as `Diwali. `Laxmi Pooja is one of the most important things in Diwali. Laxmi, the Goddess of light, beauty, good fortune and wealth is worshipped on the occasion of Diwali to bring prosperity in the family. She is also worshiped to achieve success and fortune. Business men also do `Chopda Pujan meaning worshiping of the account books on this day. According to the columnist Deepak Verma from Times of India in some states like Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan, Diwali represents the new business year so all businesses close their accounts and present them to Lakshmi and Ganesh during Chopda Pujan. Moreover, people light up beautiful `diyas (candles) inside and outside of their houses, and everyone enjoys fireworks. The reason behind the celebration of Diwali is because Lord Ram came back to Ayodhya, a town in India and also his home town. He returned on this day after 14 years of exile after his victory against evil Ravan. The king of Lanka (Sri Lanka) Ravan, kidnapped Lord Rams wife (Sita) from the forest, where they were staying as per the instructions of King Dashratha, father of Lord Ram. After then, Ram attacked Lanka and killed Ravan and released Sita from his custody. He returned to Ayodhya with his wife Sita and younger brother Lakshamana after fourteen years. Therefore, the people of Ayodhya decorated their homes and the town itself, by lighting tiny `diyas, in order to welcome their beloved prince Shri Ram. Ram is considered the symbol of good and the positive things and Ravan represents the evil. Therefore, Diwali is considered the festival, which established the victory of good over the evil. On the night of Diwali, people light diyas, which is again an icon of positive energy to conquer darkness. Following day of Diwali is the New Years of Hindus according to the Hindu calendar. People wake up early on this day and usually wear new clothes that are specially bought for this day. Later on, they head to the temple to pray to God for prosperity and good health for themselves and their family. There is always a family get together for the celebration of New Years. Family membranes exchange gifts, thoughts and New Years resolutions. Chhavi Bhatia from Indian Express supposed Diwali gifts [are] replaced by plants and books instead of sweets in 2009. Plants convey the concept of a green Diwali and books are good gesture to encourage the habit of reading. Furthermore, younger kids take the blessings from their elders, as it is considered respectful to the elders. People decorate their houses with `Rangoli which is the design made of different powder colors. Some people also decorate their houses wall with different kind of designs and make the small foot prints on the door steps of their house which resemble Goddess Laxmis foot prints. People also perform `Govardhan Puja on this day. Govardhan Puja is worshipping of the mountain Govardhan which is in the city of Vrindavan in India. Lord Shri Krishna once performed the Govardhan Puja along with the people of Vrindavan for their protection from heavy rains. Since then it became a tradition for Hindus to worship Govardhan to honor that first Puja on this day. They also offer fifty-six different dishes to Govardhan on this day which is called `Chappan Bhog. Lastly, the fifth day of Diwali is known as Bhai Beej Brothers Day, in which sister invites her brother over for dinner. It is called Bhav-Bij in the Marathi-speaking communities, and people in Nepal know this festival by the name of Bhai-Tika. There are various distinct ways in which this beautiful festival is solemnized, but the features that are common in all rituals is the act of smearing a tilak (a holy mark) of roli (vermilion), kesar (saffron) and ric e on the brothers forehead by their sister as a mark of their love and protection. It is considered a big day for the sister, she cooks brothers favorite dishes, and prays to God for her brothers good health and fortune. At the time of dinner, brother presents his sister with a toast and a gift. Bhai Beej is based on an old story written in mythological books over 5000 years old. This day is an auspicious day for both the brother and the sister because it is believed to strengthen their relationship. According to a tale, on this auspicious day of `Bhai Beej Lord Krishna, after slaying the Narakasura demon, goes to his sister Subhadra where she welcomes her brother with a diya (candle), sweets, flowers, and put the holy protective `tilak on his forehead. Keeping this tale in mind, people celebrate the festival of `Bhai Beej with great enthusiasm and dedication. All in all, Diwali is the most celebrated festival in India that unites every Indian with joyous sentiment. Even though it is a five day long festival, celebrations start over a month ago. Everyone enjoys food and fireworks during this festival. People consider this festival very important, and they celebrate it with open heart and happiness. The important events that occurred during the time of Diwali is what created the most enjoyed festival in India. Every day of Diwali has its own significant story and the reason for its celebration. It seems coincidental that every event that occurred fell into one same period which now we know as Diwali. Nevertheless, the coincident seems to be liked greatly by everyone with enthusiasm.

Defining Love in Today's World Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Defining Love in Today's World - Article Example   Emotion is often considered to be the first language of human beings (Lewis & Lannon 13). Before they could converse with one another, humans reacted with expression and feeling. If an injury would cause them pain, they reacted to it; if a child’s laughter touched them, they would express it through emotion. Some emotions may not have been properly understood by those early human beings. Even now, many cultures may have different views on how these emotions should be expressed or what they mean. Love is no exception to this. Love comes in many forms, and therefore has many meanings, which can make it difficult for humans to fully understand. Despite this, it is one of the easiest emotions to display. There is no definitive beginning to the various meanings of love; in the attempt to â€Å"chart the ‘arc of love’ is that, like time, this is a subject resistant to analysis, because its existence is predicated on experience (Vickers 1).† People define love in their own terms and based on their own experiences, though most people can relate to the majority of these meanings. The history of love can only really be traced based on each individual and the love that they have felt for someone or something. This is one of the many characteristics of love that makes it a great and precious emotion - it is copious in its existence and it is steeped in everyone’s personal and unique history. Love is most thought of as the emotion felt between a couple in a serious and romantic relationship, whether they are married or are dating. In this case, love encompasses all the little aspects that keep the couple together. The smiles that are shared that are full of little secrets and that can convey thousands of messages without ever speaking; the experiences and memories that they have from the day they started dating to the present; even all of the little fights and hardships that they went through to get to where they provide evidence of lov e. The fact that they are in love is what enables them to get through hard times. This love can be increased from dating to marriage. Marriage in itself is a physical representation of romantic love between a couple. It is also a way that a couple can share and display their love for friends, family, and to the public. Teenagers and children claim to romantically love their significant other or their playground sweetheart.  Ã‚  

Extra 10 pages as requested by the writer for assignments 210 Essay

Extra 10 pages as requested by the writer for assignments 210 - Essay Example 2) 3) VWith change in supply voltage ,we observe a very small change in output. While change in load current corresponds to more change in outputVoltage than previous case but still very small and negligible. 4 ) Assignment 6 1) The MOSFETs or Metal-oxide semiconductor field effect transistor is the most widely used electronic device,especially in the design of integrated circuits. They are very small in size. They have three modes of operation; Cut off region Triode region Saturation2) D S G GS D 3) 25 A, 400 V 4) Uses :- MOSFET analog switch Power MOSFETs are used in high end audio amplifiers 5) In electronics a comparator is a device which compares two voltages or currents and switches its output to indicate which is larger. A standard op-amp operating without negative feedback can be used as a comparator. When the non-inverting input (V+) is at a higher voltage than the inverting input (V-), the high gain of the op-amp causes it to output the most positive voltage it can. When the non-inverting input (V+) drops below the inverting input (V-), the op-amp outputs the most negative voltage it can. The input voltages must not exceed the power voltage range. Application :- A Flash ADC (also known as a Direct... This results in a bidirectional electronic switch which can conduct current in either direction when it is turned on. It can be turned on by either a positive or a negative voltage being applied to its gate electrode. 3) Computers operate using numbers and therefore there needs to be a way for a computer to convert letters (and other "characters") to and from numbers. A set of codes, known as "ASCII" (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) are used. These were initially developed for tasks such as sending documents to printers, and many of the commands make sense in this context. Suppose the number to be printed is (in binary) 01101100; the first step is to convert this into decimal; the answer is 108; this would be represented in the computer by the BCD codes of 0001, 0000, and 1000 (their Hex values of course are 1, 0 and 8). If text is being stored in a computer, it is usually stored as a string (a series of ASCII characters, each one of which is stored as one byte). The formatting characters such as space, carriage return and line feed may be included in the string. Suppose, for example, we wished to store the string Hello world! Including the space between the words, this has 12 characters. It would then be stored (writing the binary in hex) as 6) CMOS devices can