Shivratri and Columbus Day

Ah, to be a student in India. To be in a place where the main religion, Hindu, has so many gods and celebrations. And to be in a country with so many religions. You get so many days off of school! No class on Christmas, breaks for Ramadan, and an excuse to play hooky 12 times out of the year for Hindu holidays? Indian students have it made.

Today is Shivratri, or “Shiva’s Night,” which celebrates the greatness of Lord Shiva the Destroyer. Government buildings and schools are closed, but shops are still open. So, it’s kinda like Columbus Day in that everything is closed and canceled, but not much is done to celebrate. Actually, I’ve been told that in temples to Shiva, many people will drink a special concoction made from milk, juice, spices and marijuana. Nothing like a minor religious holiday for an excuse to get crunk.

I digress. India is a land of many religious, and I’m starting to learn that they are a very tolerant people. There are 12 holidays in Hinduism where schools and buildings are canceled, and 3 or 4 each for Christianity and Islam. It’s amazing that so many different religions here can coexist. In this area, it’s not so apparent, since most people are Hindu, but I’m sure if my internship were in Delhi, I would be overwhelmed by the religious kaleidoscope.

Not much else is going on today. I went to KLB even though there were no classes for a shortened time to get some writing and email done. Some staff members were there, as well as some more minor construction continuing on the new building. I just thought I’d update on the interesting situation of polytheism here.