In Popular Culture
Bride and Prejudice
In this 2004 film, Aishwarya Rai and her sisters attend a Garba dance event with their parents and several others from their community. A Garba is a circular patterned dance with sweeping action from side to side that celebrates fertility and honors womanhood. It also pays respect to various mother goddesses. The Garba originates in Gujarat, India. The dances that take place at the Garba typically mark a girl’s first menstrual cycle and later her forthcoming marriage. Hindu’s celebrate a nine day Navratri festival in which a Garba takes place. This is around the months of September and October which is the Hindu month of Ashvina. The actual dance is in a circular form and dancers form concentric circles that move in opposite directions. The dancers usually circle around the image of the goddess Durga, or something that represents her creative energy. This dance is also performed at other Hindu festivals such as Holi, which is a celebration honoring the Hindu god Krishna. |
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Miss America 2014 – Miss New York During this year’s 2014 Miss America pageant, Miss New York was Nina Davuluri, an Indian woman. In her talent performance, she did a classical dance to the song “Dhoom Taana” from a classic Indian Film Om Shanti Om. “Om” is a pre-Hindu Vedic chant. It is the symbol for Hinduism. “Shanti” means “peace.” Indian classical dance is tied to the Hindu religion. Often times it interprets stories that are from the tales of the gods. Lots of it has also originated from religious ceremonies that are performed at temples and religious festivals all over the world. In some areas of India, they say that dance is a form of assistance in having a more direct contact with the gods. |
Indiana Jones - Temple of Doom In the film Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, there is a scene in which a human sacrifice takes place in honor of goddess Kali. In the film, they call her “Kali Maa” which translates to “Kali Mother.” Kali is the goddess of destruction and re-creation and is the more fearsome goddess. She often wears skulls and has fanged teeth that drip with blood. In the movie, the evil priest is performing a human sacrifice under the palace to goddess Kali. She represents the destructive manifestations of Shiva and the Mother Goddess. Later, Jones is captured by the evil priest and is forced to drink the blood of Kali which deprives him of his soul and enslaves him to the goddess. |
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Pavitra Rishta
In this TV Serial Pavitra Rishta, meaning “pure relationship,” a Hindu wedding takes place with all of the traditional rituals. As the first ritual, the bride’s family welcomes the groom and a garland is exchanged by the bride and groom as a symbol of accepting each other willingly. Next, the Kanya Daan ceremony begins in which the bride’s parents perform the ritual of giving their daughter away to the groom. The groom places a Mangal Sutra necklace around the bride’s neck as a symbol of being wed. Then he places red kumkum powder on the bride’s forehead which is called “sindoor.” This symbolizes that she is a married woman. Then a sacred fire is lit and chants are recited in Sanskrit, which is the ancient Hindu language. After this the Saath Phere takes place in which the bride and groom stand up and walk around the holy fire seven times, each time making a vow towards each other for their marriage. The bride walks in front first, making four promises, and then the groom takes the lead and makes the last three promises. After this comes the Sapta Padi ritual in which the couple take seven steps and repeat a prayer with each step they take. The final ritual is to take the blessing of the couple’s elders by bowing down and touching their feet. During the wedding rituals, there are prayers called “pujas” which are devotional rituals. This is when flowers, food, and fire are offered to the gods. Many people who follow the Hindu religion perform pujas daily. |