General Information about Item:

• Customary Folklore: Rituals, Customs
• Language: English
• Country: United States

Informant Data:

• This informant is an Indian-American freshman at Dartmouth. He attended the Diwali celebration and the Pooja at Rollins Chapel.

Contextual Data:

• Social Context: The Pooja is the traditional prayer that occurs during Diwali. At Dartmouth, the pooja for Diwali is done at Rollins Chapel, our center for religious worship. The 21 who we interviewed attended this Pooja and spoke about his experience.

• Cultural Context: People pray to Lakshmi, the goddess of fertility and prosperity.  They ask for her blessing for good luck for the upcoming year. This is typically done with family members.

Item:

An image of Rollins Chapel during the Puja. In this picture, you can see the diya (lamps) that are traditionally lit for the celebration of Diwali.

Associated file:

Transcript of Associated File:

“The Diwali pooja is a prayer ceremony which happens in the Hindu temple inside Rollins Chapel on campus. It involves chanting mantras and singing devotional songs, as well as lighting diyas for certain Gods, especially the Goddess Lakshmi. At the end of the ceremony, everyone performs an aarti of the idols of the Gods which involves rotating a plate with diyas in a circle a certain number of times and then offering flowers at the feet of the God. Finally, the pundit conducting the pooja gives everyone prasad which is a sweet food.”

(Write-up from informant about ceremony in Rollins Chapel)

Informant’s Comments:

It was the informant’s first year at Dartmouth, so it was his first time celebrating Diwali in America, away from home.

Collector’s Comments:

I interviewed the informant immediately after the celebration, so he could recall the pooja clearly.

Collector’s Name:

Celine Guan

Tags/Keywords:

India, holiday, Diwali, Customary Folklore, customs