GHCL Digest OCTOBER 2018

Festivals of India – October 2018
Ramnagar Ramlila
The world's oldest Ramlila, which reenacts the story of the Hindu epic
the Ramayana, has been running for nearly 200 years. It commences
with the incarnation of Lord Vishnu as Rama, to save humanity from
demon king Ravana. The Ramilia takes place over a month every year
from Anant Chaturdashi and ends on the full moon night.
When: September 23-October 24, 2018.
Where: Ramnagar, on the banks of the Ganges River opposite Varanasi.
Navaratri
Navaratri is a nine night festival that celebrates the Mother Goddess or
Shakti in all her manifestations, including Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati.
Worship and fasting take place in the daytime, while the nights are
reserved for feasting and dancing. The festival culminates with Dussehra,
the victory of good over evil, on the tenth day. In Delhi, the feature of
Navaratri celebrations are the Ramlila plays that take place all over the
city. The festival is celebrated as Golu, with the display of dolls, in south
India.
When: October 10-18, 2018.
Where: All across India, but particularly in Gujarat, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Varanasi, and Mysore.
Durga Puja
In honor of warrior Goddess Durga, beautifully handcrafted statues of
Durga are installed in podiums in almost every lane of the city during
this festival. People lock to the streets to view the goddess statues amid
mesmerizing light shows, drumming, and aromatic food stalls. On the
last day of the festival, the statues are paraded around the city before
being submerged in the river.
When: October 15-19, 2018.
Where: Kolkata, West Bengal. Durga Puja is also widely celebrated in
neighboring odisha.
October 12