Post Tagged with "holidays"

Indian investors lose hope in Lakshmi

This week India is celebrating Diwali, the festival of light. The festival is important for Hindus, Sikhs and Jains. At this time houses are decorated with candles, lamps and wall and door hangings.

Photo credit: Indianfestivals.info

For Hindus one of the main events associated with Diwali is the birth of Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth. The exact date of Diwali differs from year to year, but it always comes around the end of the harvest season for most of India. Hindus perform Lakshmi puja, to give thanks for the harvest and pray for plenty in the year to come.

The Indian stock market upholds Diwali tradition by opening for one hour during the festival for Muhurat trading (Muhurat is an auspicious time calculated according to Indian astrology)

However recent financial performance threatens to dampen spirits this year. The Times of India predicts a gloomy mood for this afternoon’s Muhurat trading.

Oktoberfest recipes

Less than two weeks after the end of Oktoberfest 2008, the town of Munich in Germany is already counting down to the next one.

Oktoberfest is held every year in Bavaria and the festival attracts many visitors, who enjoy German beer and hearty German food during the celebrations.

For anyone else who wants to get in the mood early, this page from German Foods website has recipes for traditional German foods for the Oktoberfest.

Iraqi food for Jewish New Year

This week Jews are celebrating the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah.

Many Jews eat sweet foods during this festival to symbolise their hopes for the year to come. However one traditional dish eaten by Jews coming from Amara in Southern Iraq is a combination of bitter chard, sweet beets and sweet and sour sauce.

In this article from the International Herald Tribune Joan Nathan describes the picnic in a pine forest near Jerusalem where he first tried the dish.

Read More:
Iraqi blogs from Blogs of the World
Catching a plane in Iraq: car is still the transport of choice for Iraqis, but the options are increasing

6 festivals in one day

Last Friday was an unusual day – the celebration of 6 different religious festivals fell on the same day. Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists each celebrated an important festival. Time magazine examines the odds, which are apparently very small.

To mark the occasion, All things Pakistan blog published a thought-provoking article highlighting the different religious groups who have been celebrating in Pakistan.