CHINESE LUNAR NEW YEAR CELEBRATIONS

CHINESE LUNAR NEW YEAR
2013: YEAR OF THE SNAKE

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk - The Lunar New Year is being celebrated around the world on Sunday to mark the start of the year of the snake. Also known as the Spring Festival, it is the most important holiday of the year in much of Asia. In China an estimated 200m people make the journey home to spend time with their families. It is thought to be the biggest mass human migration on earth, reports the BBC. So many fireworks are let off in Beijing during the celebrations that authorities this year were forced to appeal for a limit so as not to contribute further to already toxically high levels of air pollution. 
Chinese new year falls on the first day of the lunar calendar and lasts for 15 days. According to mythology, firecrackers and red lanterns are believed to ward off evil spirits. Thousands of people braved the rain to pack into Trafalgar Square in central London today to celebrate.

Music, dancing and fireworks displays kept up the crowd's spirits as they saw in the Year of the Snake. Performers from China and the UK wore intricate and colourful costumes as they paraded through the streets of China Town, before dignitaries took part in a traditional Dragon Eyes Dotting Ceremony on the Trafalgar Square stage. The hardy revellers were then treated to a dramatic Flying Lion Dance in front of the iconic facade of the National Gallery. 
Chinese New Year celebrations traditionally lasts 15 days, from the first day (during a new moon) to the 15th day (a full moon).Each day holds a special significance that varies according to local traditions. But first, before the arrival of the new year, homes are thoroughly cleaned to sweep away ill fortune, and to welcome good luck. On new year’s eve, there are family gatherings to celebrate and enjoy sumptuous traditional feasts, and to greet the new year with fireworks at midnight.

Over 1.3 billion people in China and millions of Chinese around the world celebrated yesterday the first day of the Chinese New Year. It’s the most important of Chinese holidays, kicking off a celebration that lasts for 15 days and culminates with the Lantern Festival. Each year is associated with one of 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac. For 2013, it’s the Year of the Snake. In China, the familiar Gregorian calendar is used for day-to-day life. But Chinese calendar dates continue to be used to mark traditional holidays such as the new year and the fall moon festival. It’s also used astrologically to select favorable dates for weddings and other special events. The celebration began yesterday in China, but don’t let that stop you from celebrating. Gong Xi Fa Ca! That’s the traditional Chinese New Year greeting that means “wishing you prosperity” in Mandarin.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

The cultural relations between India and China can be traced back to very early times. There are numerous references to China in Sanskrit texts, but their chronology is sketchy. The Mahabharata refers to China several times, including a reference to presents brought by the Chinese at the Rajasuya Yajna of the Pandavas; also, the Arthasastra and the Manusmriti mention China. ... According to Terence Duke, martial arts went from India to China. Fighting without weapons was a specialty of the ancient Ksatriya warriors of India. Until recently, India and China had coexisted peacefully for over two thousand years. This amicable relationship may have been nurtured by the close historical and religious ties of Buddhism, introduced to China by Indian monks at a very early stage of their respective histories, although there are fragmentary records of contacts anterior to the introduction of Buddhism. The Chinese literature of the third century is full of geographic and mythological elements derived from India.

Vedic Knowledge Online :
“Vedic Roots of China and Japan”
http://www.veda.harekrsna.cz
http://www.veda.harekrsna.cz/connections/Vedic-roots-China-and-Japan.php

Published by dasavatara das - "Vedic Views on World News"
http://www.vedicviews-worldnews.blogspot.com.ar/

HANUKKAH: A CELEBRATION OF LIGHT

HANUKKAH: THE JEWISH
FESTIVAL OF THE LIGHTS

www.speakingtree.in - By just about any measure, Hanukkah is not an important Jewish holiday. But there are good reasons why we still celebrate it. Unlike Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, there's no need to atone for a year's worth of sins on Hanukkah. It doesn't commemorate an important biblical event, such as the handing down of the Ten Commandments to Moses on Shavuot. And there are no strictly-mandated ritual dinners like the Passover seder. The story behind it isn't even in the Torah, since it's based around events that happened much later.
One of the things we do best around this time of year is eat. And you don't need to be religious, let alone Jewish, to enjoy a wholesome Hanukkah meal. Even the religious aspects of Hanukkah come across as a bit forced. Sure, we light candles to mark each of the eight nights of the holiday. But the reasoning behind it, the “miracle of the oil”, is the only thing in the story of Hanukkah that's given any religious significance. 

And even this so-called “miracle” - they thought they only had a single day's worth of oil to light the Menorah in the Temple, but somehow it lasted for eight days - is, to be honest, a little bit lame. It's not even all that original a holiday by our own standards. 
The basic story of Hanukkah - in which Jewish rebels fought back against a tyrannical king who tried to wipe them out - is played out so many times in the Jewish narrative that there's an oft-repeated joke suggesting every Jewish holiday could be summed up as, “They tried to kill us. We survived. Let's eat.”
Religious and secular Jews don't always see eye-to-eye, but most will agree that Jewish holidays are the perfect opportunity for families to meet and celebrate. We all know how difficult it can be to co-ordinate everyone's busy schedules. But like Rosh Hashanah or Passover, Hanukkah is a great catalyst for bringing people together, enjoying a lunch or dinner and playing games.

Hanukkah falls 25th day of the month of Kislev in the Jewish calendar, and ends the evening of Dec. 16. The eight-day celebration commemorates the rededication during the second century B.C. of the Second Temple in Jerusalem. It is also a celebration of the first miracle that occurred after reclaiming the temple. The story tells how the Maccabees had a jar of enough oil to light the temple for one night, but it lasted eight nights - the amount of time it took to make more oil. The celebration is observed through the lighting of candles on a Menorah, the nine-branched candelabrum. Eight candles are lighted each night of Hanukkah and the ninth branch (shamash), often given a place of prominence in the center, is used to light the other candles. Ancient Jewish traditions and the mystical aspect of Judaism have correlations in Hinduism.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

There are also several similarities and correlations between the rituals found in Hinduism and Judaism: food is offered to God and consecrated by God which is accomplished by praying over the food and then sharing it. The lighting of candles and the Hindu arti, or waving of the lights, is also analogous. Shabbat is also similar to the Hindu idea of taking time out for reflection and meditation. Additionally, they are both non-proselytizing traditions; more than a set of religious tenets, a way of life, with historically situated cultural associations beyond the mandir and the synagogue. ... An important thing that happens is that Jews who get involved in Asian religions do not reject their Jewishness. Judaism is a culture as well as a religion. Even Jews who actively and sincerely follow a Hindu guru, or the Dalai Lama, still have barmitzvahs, still often send their children to synagogue schools, they celebrate Passover, Hanukah, yet they feel comfortable in their embrace of Hinduism as well.

VEDA - Vedic Knowledge Online :
“Vedic Connections - Ancient Vedic World”
“Hin-Jews” by Yvette C. Rosser
From a lecture about Judaism and Bhakti
http://www.veda.harekrsna.cz/connections/Judaism.php

Published by dasavatara das - "Vedic Views on World News"
http://www.vedicviews-worldnews.blogspot.com.ar/