NCIC
Issue 2
Divali follows soon after the nineday devotional period of Navratri
in the Hindu calendar. It is a busy
period for pandit-s and devotees
who are all focused on domestic
puja-s and community yajna-s.
During Navratri time, many Hindus
traditionally worship the feminine
aspect of Brahman through the
devi-s or goddesses. In Trinidad,
the tradition has been to worship
Lakshmi, Saraswatti and Durga for
three (3) days each in the Navratri
period. Katha-s (sacred stories recounting creation, deeds of devi-s
and devata-s, etc.) are told after
these Puja-s; a popular one is how
Durga Devi defeated the asura,
Mahish, on the tenth day. Parameshwari Devi is also worshipped by a few in this period.
Kali worship was also very popular
long ago during Navratri, when women
singing with their drums, would go from
home to home getting donations for a
grand community yajna involving a
goat. The goat would be let loose to
roam the village after the yajna. This
community worship was done for the
welfare of the members of the community. Some people sacrificed the goat
and served it as a sacrificial meal.
Since the early 1980’s, worship in the
Navratri period has taken another
shape as people began worshipping
Devi in her nine traditional forms, in a
high profile way. This was influenced by
movies, books, and new knowledge
from India. While the old traditions still
continued, new layers of culture began
appearing.
November 2012
During Navratri, the worship of Ram
through Ram Lila was always a strong
tradition. Ram Lila was held for the
nine days of Navratri and ended with
the defeat of Ravan on the tenth day,
just as Durga defeated the asura,
Mahish on the tenth day. Ram worship took precedence over Devi worship in Trinidad because this was the
dominant culture of the places from
where the majority of Indians trace
their ancestry in North India; also because the Ramcharitmanas was a
popular text that all knew during indentureship and in post-indentureship
times.
Ram Lila is considered a yajna by
devotees in Trinidad. In a yajna, a
community or individual or family
hosts the reading from a chosen sacred text, which includes rites and rituals. In traditional Ram Lila, it is the
holy Ramcharitmanas that is recited and
performed by a community, in a traditional open-air setting. Nowadays,
shortened versions of the Ram Lila,
which are more appropriately described as dramatisations of the Ramcharitmanas, are performed on stages
in mandir-s and schools.
By Pandita Indrani Rampersad, PhD.
Continued on Page 3