An Inside Look at the Diwali Festival Essay

Uwem Akpan’s story, “An Ex-Mas Feast” is a story of the struggles that one family goes through to give gifts on their upcoming Christmas season. Akpan introduces the reader to the struggles of the main characters, which directly ties into the details of impoverished town that they live in. Jigana, one of the story’s main characters, starts off as a naïve 8 year old little boy who was anxious to start going to school. In a stark contrast, Maisha, the eldest sister at 12 years old, held her own and prostituted to bring in money for her family. The second oldest, Naema, was closer to Maisha than any of the others, and Maisha gave her tips and tricks of her trade. Akpan begins the story by saying that the

T'S MARDI GRAS!!!!! Yes, New Orleans' famous Carnival season is this years' never-ending party and you're invited. Mardi Gras, famous for its colorful and cultural parades, is an experience you can't go any longer w/out! The Streets are packed with both tourists and Native Louisianans as they celebrate Mardi Gras in full color and sound. . The Huge Parades come flashing down the street we fresh music, an explosion of lights, and spectacular floats. Everyone is having a great time, enjoying the festivities of the parade. So you're new to Mardi Gras, but don't want to act like it? Here in brief, are the basic facts about Americas' greatest party.

In Sherman Alexies novel, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian, the protagonist, Junior, overcomes many obstacles such as stereotypes, poverty and hopelessness.

The perception of foreign cultures can at times be quite peculiar. The article “Eating Christmas in Kalahari” by Richard Borshay Lee, foretells a classic example of cross culture misunderstanding when people from different cultures operate in a culturally unfamiliar environment. Richard Lee, a social anthropologist, explains what he learned living with the !Kung Bushmen, a South African tribe, for three years. This Gemeinschaft community of hunters-gatherers worked together to teach the anthropologist something important to their people, even though he was unaware of their intentions in the beginning.

Although the world climate around exploitation has altered in the last few years, mostly moving away from the exploited industrial countries such as China, it is still important to look at what was happening in China so that it can be understood in connection with today. The documentary by Robert Redmon, Mardi Gras: Made in China focuses on the exploited Chinese factory workers crafting various beads for the Americans to throw at each other for sexual gratification. The documentary does a good job jumping back and forth between the factory workers and the celebrators of Mardis Gras, creating an interesting parallel, implicating the absolute uselessness in the beads for such a large cost. Marx's theories of exploitation through Capitalism can be tied too well to the Chinese-Mardi Gras beads exploitation, as the Chinese workers were put through an extreme form of Capitalist exploitation that even Marx may never have expected.

How often does one actually consider where a product originates or under what conditions it was produced? While out shopping a consumers main focus is on obtaining the item needed or wanted not selecting merchandise based on the “made in” tag. It is common knowledge that many products are imported from other countries. However, little thought is given to the substandard conditions that workers endure to eke out a living to maintain a poverty stricken existence. In Mardi Gras: Made in China director David Redmon demonstrates the effect globalization and capitalism have on the lives of the owner and workers of a bead factory in China while contrasting the revelry of partygoers in New Orleans. Underpaid, overworked staff toil and live in an

It has always been a tradition in my family to run from the Mardi Gras. Sometimes we would go to Gheens or Raceland to run from them. My heart would always beat really fast when we would hear the Mardi Gras beat there sticks against the trailers that they would ride in. I was always the first one to start running because I was one of the slower ones, but even though I would get a head start, they would still catch me. Last year, my friends and I decided to go to our friends house to take on the Mari gras of Choupic. I will always cherish the memories on Mardi Gras with my friends.

A celebration of Beltane ritual of life symbolically a chalice and athame (the Goddess and the God). The athame is inserted in the chalice (God into the Goddess). The Great Rite ritual that was created by and for farmers asking for a blessing for the livestock, crops and a good year of harvesting. A positive act and it can just an easily be misunderstood or abused. It has accountability also and needs to be answered for. Drawing of the energy from male and female during a spring festival. When we look at the people of the ancient Pagan religions we see that all the celebrations and rituals surrounded a specific purpose: survival.

Paige Raibmon’s book “Authentic Indians” take a closer look at the concept of authenticity in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Focusing on the culturally diverse Aboriginal people of the Northwest Coast, Raibmon examines how both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people constructed and used the idea of the authentic Indian to achieve their goals. Drawing examples from three ‘episodes’ or stories about Aboriginal people of the Northwest Coast, Raibmon argues that authenticity is not a set marker that we can use to measure the distance between what an Aboriginal culture looks like today and what “real” Aboriginal culture looks like. Instead, Raibmon says that authenticity is an important and changing set of ideas that were used

     Since Buddhism and Hinduism have different believes they also have different holy days. Moreover, because Hindus worship variety of gods they have a variety of festivals. The three main festivals of Hinduism are: Holi, Divali, and Dasehra. Holi is the most popular festival. This holy day is celebrated each year during February-March to welcome spring. “Holi is dedicated to god Krishna and it was once a fertility ceremony (104).” Throughout the days of Holi, many of the casts and taboo restrictions are set aside and pleasure is emphasized. The second ceremony Divali, celebrated in November, is a festival to welcome a new year. Finally the third festival, the Dasehra, celebrated up to nine days in October, in honor of Durga, a consort of Shiva. On the other hand Buddhism is divided in many ways according to philosophy and geography. The major festivals that are celebrated by most Buddhists are New Year, Buddha’s birthday, the festival of souls, and robe offering. In

Yom Kippur is a Hebrew name meaning the Day of Atonement. It is the holiest days in the Jewish Calendars that marks a day of fasting, prayer, and collective confession. It begins in the sunset of Tuesday, October 11, 2016, and ends at the nightfall of Wednesday, October 12, 2016. They totally do not eat food as it is a day of fast. Children younger than 13 years old and the ill are the only people allowed to eat. In addition to all the activities involving fasting, other activities entail no drinking, washing, no having sexual relationships, no wearing leather materials. It is a day when the Jewish go to the Synagogues to pray and read the book of life. Other go to memorial services called the Yizkor to honor the dead relatives. It is symbolized by white clothing and sneakers groomed with a dress. The official greeting is Shanah Tovah or hatima tovah meaning Happy New Year in Hebrew (Olitzky et al. 143).

Eid-al-adha: The Festival of Sacrifice which occurs 70 days after Eid-al-Fitr. It commemorates Abraham 's willingness to sacrifice his son for God.

Marriage is a significant social event in contemporary society. It is a means of building new bonds between two individuals and their subsequent families. The foundations of memorable weddings are built on those that bring often-distant family and friends together for the occasion, while dressed in their most sophisticated attire, surrounded by elegant flowers, a night of dancing, captured through the lens of an exceptional photographer. Although Hinduism and Islam are two extremely distinctive religions, their matrimonial customs do share some comparable elements, like most other cultural wedding ceremonies. In both religions, they are devotedly obedient concerning religious and cultural practices in their marital ceremonies.

Shades of orange, purple, green, deep red, magenta and dark blue make beautiful festive colors. If you are going for a monochromatic theme, go for colors like champagne, iris, sapphire, tango pink and laurel green. Diwali festivities are spread over multiple days in some regions, during which celebrants explode fireworks, share sweets, and send greetings to friends and family. Women may have their hands decorated with henna designs. Homes are decorated with small lamps and colorful paper lanterns called diyas and kandils, important parts of Diwali decorations. In some parts of India, Hindus also create rangoli, intricate floor paintings made of colored tikka powder or sand. Rangoli designs are made up of an unbroken line, the idea being that there should be no gaps through which evil spirits can enter. Motifs are usually natural – animals, flowers, etc.— though they can also include geometric patterns.

Hajj to go on their behalf, of they can give the money they saved for