because of limited access to Internet in this small village where we are staying, further posts will come once we return home. We have many more photos, videos, music, and musings, to post.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
heading for Attakul Pongala festival
long time no posts...! We have been sticking to our required rest during our Ayurvedic treatments for the last several weeks, and so, no running around to cyber-cafes, etc.
Now we are preparing to head south to Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of Kerala, for the annual women's sacred festival of "Attakul Pongala", to be celebrated on Feb. 19th. We will be joining my teacher Prof. Dianne Jenett, whose doctoral thesis was centered on Attakul Pongala; she will meet us there and with her and several others (including Pranita, from my Graduate cohort at ITP --Institute of Transpersonal Pyschology, California). Together we will participate in the ritual of cooking "pongal" or sweet rice pudding, in honor of the goddess. There is a nice blog about this ritual: http://attukalpongala.blogspot.com
We will be in the company of around 3 MILLION other women, as this has become one of the largest gathering of women together in one place on earth! in short (from the blog) :
Last year more than 30 lakh women participated in the Attukal Pongala festival. It has also entered the Guinness Book of World Records twice as the largest gathering of women in the world.
Now we are preparing to head south to Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of Kerala, for the annual women's sacred festival of "Attakul Pongala", to be celebrated on Feb. 19th. We will be joining my teacher Prof. Dianne Jenett, whose doctoral thesis was centered on Attakul Pongala; she will meet us there and with her and several others (including Pranita, from my Graduate cohort at ITP --Institute of Transpersonal Pyschology, California). Together we will participate in the ritual of cooking "pongal" or sweet rice pudding, in honor of the goddess. There is a nice blog about this ritual: http://attukalpongala.blogspot.com
We will be in the company of around 3 MILLION other women, as this has become one of the largest gathering of women together in one place on earth! in short (from the blog) :
ATTUKAL PONGALA
Attukal Pongala is an annual congregation of women to offer Pongala - an offering of boiled rice in earthern pot - during the Malayalam month of Kumbham (February-March). Attukal Pongala has become a symbol of devotion and dedication to Devi, the Mother goddess and above all a celebration of womanhood. Pongala explores the inner chemistry of the body, mind and soul; recharging the devotee with a sublime happiness and make her spiritually and mentally equipped to face the challenges of the future.Last year more than 30 lakh women participated in the Attukal Pongala festival. It has also entered the Guinness Book of World Records twice as the largest gathering of women in the world.
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