nPostednon July 10, 2013
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Duringnthe Hindu Chariot Festival, people carry icons of the gods in hugenchariots, through the streets, from one temple to another. Thisnallows the people to have a “holy view” of the gods.
Duringnthe Hindu Chariot Festival, people carry icons of the gods in hugenchariots, through the streets, from one temple to another. Thisnallows the people to have a “holy view” of the gods. n
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Thenchariots, or ratha, are enormous wooden structures built eachnyear by Hindu devotees. It takes two months to build and decorate thenchariots, wooden charioteeers and horses, gods and thrones. Thenchariots are painted, often in bright colors, and decorated withnflowers and designs. n
Thenchariots, or ratha, are enormous wooden structures built eachnyear by Hindu devotees. It takes two months to build and decorate thenchariots, wooden charioteeers and horses, gods and thrones. Thenchariots are painted, often in bright colors, and decorated withnflowers and designs. nn
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nDid I mention that the ratha are large? Some of the chariots rise up 45 feet tall, weigh 65 tons, and have 16 wheels. Up to 50 people have to work together to pull the ratha—plus more people supporting the arms of the thrones, and 20 more pushing from the back!
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nThousandsnof pilgrims come to Puri to see the Ratha Yatra. But these days therenare Chariot Festivals in other parts of the world as well. Some ofnthe cities where you can see some of the huge, elaborately decoratednchariots include New York City; Venice, CA (near me!); Toronto,nCanada; Paris; Budapest, Hungary; Dublin, Ireland; and London.
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nBynthe way, some people refer to the rathanas Chariots of the Gods. This Hindu holiday has nothing to do withnthe ridiculous book by Erich von Daniken, Chariots of thenGods, which tries to make thenpoint that the technologies and religions of ancient civilizationsnwere given to humans by alien intelligences, who were consideredngods. It’s an interesting idea, but von Daniken gathered together anlot of fraudulent misinformation,nblatant lies, and illogical arguments in order to try to convincenreaders. n
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nBynthe way…
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nJagannath is the “Lord of the Universe” for some Hindus.nIn some ways, the Ratha Yatranis all about Jagannath. Because there have been times when the huge chariots have not been able to stop and have accidentally crushed people during the Chariot Festival, the word juggernaut,nmeaning an unstoppable force, evolved from the god’s name Jagannath.
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nAlsonon this date:
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Independence Day and Junkanoo Parade in the Bahamas
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Independence Day and Junkanoo Parade in the Bahamas n
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nPhilanthropistnIma Hogg’s birthday
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InventornNikola Tesla’s birthday
InventornNikola Tesla’s birthdayn
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nPlannahead:
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nChecknout my Pinterest pages on Julynholidays, historicalnanniversaries in July,nand Julynbirthdays.
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nAndnhere are my Pinterest pages on Augustnholidays, historicalnanniversaries in August,nand Augustnbirthdays.
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