|
The First Art Newspaper on the Net |
|
Established in 1996 |
|
Friday, November 8, 2024 |
|
Don't poo-poo it! Indian dung festival celebrates end to Diwali |
|
|
A member of Sikh Nihang, Sikh warriors, rides a horse standing on its back during a Fateh Divas celebration a day after Diwali festival in Amritsar on November 15, 2020. NARINDER NANU / AFP.
|
GUMATAPURA (AFP).- Dozens of exuberant villagers scooped up handfuls of cow dung to mould and toss at each other like snowballs this week for the Gorehabba festival, a local conclusion to India's most important festival, Diwali.
Similar to Spain's "La Tomatina" -- an eccentric tomato-hurling celebration of the local fruit -- residents of Gumatapura village instead fling something more earthy at each other: cow dung.
The festival is unique to a village where locals believe their god -- Beereshwara Swamy -- was born in cow excrement.
Some Hindus believe cows and everything they produce is sacred and purifying. Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi has pushed for greater protection of the beasts, and many Indian states have long banned their slaughter for meat.
"People from neighbouring villages and districts come to participate in this festival and enjoy it," local headmaster Shambu Lingappa told AFP Tuesday.
The day begins with the collection of "ammunition" from cow-owning homes in the village, which lies on the border of the southern states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
The manure is brought to the local temple on tractors pulled by cattle adorned with marigold flowers, before a priest performs a blessing ritual.
After that, the dung dumped in an open area -- with men and boys wading in to prepare their weapons for the battle ahead.
Women and girls take cover, but they risk "shrapnel wounds" when they try to record the revelry on their mobile phones.
Some may poo-poo the event, but for those in attendance the festival is as much about fun as it is about the perceived health benefits.
"By lifting cow dung with your hands, it cures a lot of diseases... and there is a strong belief that participants will never get sick," said school teacher Mahendra.
© Agence France-Presse
|
|
Today's News
November 19, 2020
Exhibition of paintings on paper by Cleve Gray opens in New York
Discovered Constable oil of Dedham Vale to be sold at auction in East Anglia
Director of Mass MoCA, playground for artists, moves on
Nearly a third of U.S. museums remain closed by pandemic, survey shows
Let it go! Japan PM declares war on ink stamp 'hanko'
Galerie Karsten Greve opens a solo exhibition featuring ceramics and works on paper by Lucio Fontana
Sheldon H. Solow, Manhattan real estate mogul, dies at 92
Gladstone Gallery presents new paintings from Carroll Dunham's ongoing wrestler series
AIPAD collaborates with Sotheby's: New online photography auction announced
Christie's Classic Week presents a rare Roman marble of Dionysus
Exhibition at Museum Voorlinden offers a visual journey of discovery through 'Listen to Your Eyes'
Yesomi Umolu appointed as Director of Curatorial Affairs and Public Practice at The Serpentine
Galerie Guido W. Baudach opens an exhibition of new paintings by Thomas Helbig
Space Lace, stars' No. 1 choice for vintage designer fashion, to host Dec. 4 online auction
What did Europe smell like centuries ago? Historians set out to re-create lost smells.
Artpace San Antonio keeps the residency program going strong with new exhibitions
Stitched into neighborhoods, dance studios battle to stay open
Why do we care so much about Diana's dresses?
Don't poo-poo it! Indian dung festival celebrates end to Diwali
Kandinsky and Chagall triumph in Bonhams New York Impressionist and Modern Art sale
Two Indian Mutiny Victoria Crosses sell for £360,000 at auction
The 12th edition of Abu Dhabi Art opens as a virtual fair
Jill Paton Walsh, multigenerational writer, dies at 83
JD Malat Gallery presents a new body of work from Swiss artist Conrad Jon Godly
Give some attention to these amazing benefits of online gambling
Soundcloud - open new creative possibilities
Enjoy The Excitement Of Variety Online Game Racing
5 Reasons Why Video Poker Is Better Than Baccarat
Vietnamese Culture - Things You Don't Have the Foggiest Idea
Vietnamese Culture - Things You Don't Have the Foggiest Idea
How COVID-19 Has Affected The Arts Industry
|
|
|
|
|
Museums, Exhibits, Artists, Milestones, Digital Art, Architecture, Photography, Photographers, Special Photos, Special Reports, Featured Stories, Auctions, Art Fairs, Anecdotes, Art Quiz, Education, Mythology, 3D Images, Last Week, . |
|
|
|
Royalville Communications, Inc produces:
|
|
|
Tell a Friend
Dear User, please complete the form below in order to recommend the Artdaily newsletter to someone you know.
Please complete all fields marked *.
Sending Mail
Sending Successful
|
|