Christmas

Christmas is the festival that celebrates the birth of Jesus, the founder of one of the world's most important religions, Christianity. Christmas means, literally, 'Christ's Mass', the Mass--known to some Christians as Communion--being the single most important aspect of a Christian worship service.

The followers of Jesus believed that Jesus was the Christ, or Messiah, whose coming was prophesied in the Jewish Tanakh (which Christians call the Old Testament). They therefore became known as 'Christians'. Christians believe, too, that Jesus was divine, and is the Son of God.

Christmas, the celebration of Jesus' birth, is perhaps the most popular celebration of Christianity. In most parts of the world, Christmas is celebrated on December 25. The Armenian Apostolic Church celebrates Christmas on January 6, while some Eastern Orthodox Churches follow the old Gregorian calendar and celebrate it on January 7, the date which corresponds to December 25 on the Julian calendar (the calendar that most of the world now follows).

Scholars are not certain of the correct date of Jesus' birth. Ancient cultures used to celebrate the winter solstice, which falls usually on December 21 or 22 in the northern hemisphere. The winter solstice marks the longest night of the year - after this, the nights start becoming shorter and the days longer. Ancient cultures celebrated this time of year with feasting and merry-making. In Roman times, one of the most important winter festivals was the Saturnalia, a festival to honour the Roman god Saturn.This festival usually began on December 17 and continued till December 24. The early Christian Church instituted December 25 as the day for the celebration of Jesus' birth, probably in an attempt to convert people to Christianity, in a way that would not force them to give up their celebrations entirely, and so make them more willing to adopt the new religion.

The Christmas season begins with Advent Sunday, which is the fourth Sunday before Christmas. This marks the beginning of the Western Christian year, and also of Advent, the holy season of waiting and preparation for the birth of Jesus.

The day before Christmas is celebrated as Christmas Eve. December 26, the day after Christmas, is celebrated as Boxing Day, or St. Stephen's Day, in many parts of the world.

The celebration of Christmas is accompanied by the exchange of gifts between family and friends, of charity to those more needy, and expressions of goodwill, peace and harmony on earth. Traditions include decorating a Christmas tree, decorating homes with wreaths of holly and sprigs of mistletoe, sharing stories and poems, playing music specific to the season and, most importantly for children, the arrival of Father Christmas or Santa Claus, laden with presents, on Christmas Eve.

Christmas has become an important festival even for non-Christians, who take part in its secular observances, and wish each other 'Merry Christmas' enthusiastically.

The story of Jesus' life has been told in the four canonical Gospels of the New Testament: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The four Gospels do not always agree on the details, and only Matthew and Luke give an account of Jesus' birth.

Now read The Christmas Story - the story of Jesus' birth, as adapted from the Gospels of St. Matthew and St. Luke, by Serena Jacob.

It was the time when Caesar Augustus ruled in Rome. After many years of civil war, battles and bloodshed, he had declared the Pax Romana, and peace reigned in all the provinces of the land. In Judea, one of the provinces annexed to the Empire by Pompey, King Herod governed from his seat at Jerusalem. The Jews, resenting the Roman yoke, always believed that some day a Messiah would be born, who would restore Judea to nationhood, and give them back their independence and pride. After all, it had been written in the holy books of their forefathers. But King Herod, not a Jew himself, and loyal to Rome who had placed him in his position of power, sent his spies around Judea, to see if there was any Jewish Messiah that he had to fear.

In the little town of Nazareth, Mary, the young fiancee of Joseph the carpenter, was sitting at her window, and dreaming about her wedding, when she was suddenly startled by a bright light that appeared in front of her. As she jumped to her feet, she saw a shining being standing before her. Before she could call out or scream, the angel said to her, "Greetings, Mary. You are blessed above all women, for you have been chosen by God to be the mother of His son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and God will give to him the kingdom that was David's."

Mary was awestruck, and did not know what to say. She asked the angel, "But how can this be? I am not yet married; I have never been with any man." The angel replied, "The Holy Spirit will come to you, and you will conceive this child."

Mary was troubled about what she had heard. She did not know how she would tell Joseph, and how he would react, but believing it to be the will of God, she said, "I will do as God wishes."

And then the angel told her that her cousin Elisabeth was to have a baby. Now that really amazed Mary because Elisabeth was already sixty years old, but it also gave her some reassurance that this was indeed the will of God. If he could make sixty-year-old Elisabeth have a child, maybe it was true that she herself could have this child of God while yet a virgin. So, she told her family that she wanted to visit her cousin and set off for Elisabeth's house.

When Elisabeth saw Mary, the child in her womb leapt, and Elisabeth realized that Mary was even more blessed than she was. Mary stayed with Elisabeth for three months to help her with the birth of her baby, John. However, she knew she could not stay away from home indefinitely, and that she would have to break the news to Joseph, so she bade Elisabeth farewell and set off for Nazareth.

When he heard Mary's story, the young carpenter was upset and confused. He didn't know what to make of it, and didn't know whom he could talk to about it. But, that night the angel also appeared to Joseph in a dream, and told him that he should take Mary as his wife, and that the child she was carrying was the Son of God. Joseph still didn't know what he would say to his family, but he resolved that he would marry Mary as soon as he could.

Before they could make plans for the wedding, however, there came a decree from the emperor Caesar Augustus that a census was to be carried out and that all people should go to their hometown to be counted. Since Joseph was of the lineage and family of David, he had to go to Bethlehem, about 70 miles away from Nazareth. Since Mary was already visibly pregnant and close to her term, he decided to take her with him, rather than leave her in Nazareth where she might be mocked or harassed by the townspeople.

By the time they reached Bethlehem, Mary was almost dropping off the donkey that Joseph had hired to make her journey easier. The overland journey had taken them several days, and they had not always been able to find comfortable shelter for the night. In Bethlehem, the situation seemed to be even more difficult. Because of the census, people were pouring into the town and there was not one inn that had a room that they could rent. Joseph was desperate. Not only did he need a room where Mary could rest and be private, he also needed a midwife because it looked as if Mary was going to have her baby any minute. His desperation gave the otherwise quiet and shy man the courage he needed. He walked up to the innkeeper of the nearest inn and said, "Look, I know there are no rooms to be had; everyone has told us the same story. But my wife is heavy with child, and she must have some room where she can have the baby." The innkeeper's wife said, "Look, why don't they go to the stables behind the inn. It's not a room, but they can use the hay to make up some kind of bed, and I can run to Rachel the midwife's house and see that she's there soon."

And so, instead of a proper bed and clean linen, Mary's baby, the Son of God, was born in a stable, and, wrapped in swaddling clothes, placed in a manger filled with sweet-smelling hay.

That night, some shepherds watching their sheep on a cold Bethlehem hillside were dazzled by a light of blazing intensity. When they could actually look up, shading their eyes from the brightness, they saw a tall angel, with his shining wings furled, who said to them, "Don't be afraid, I bring you good news. The Messiah has been born in the city of David. You will recognize Him as being wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger." And then the sky was filled with rank upon rank of angels - as far as the eye could see. And the shepherds' ears were filled with the sound of a thousand voices singing, "Glory to God in the Highest, Peace on Earth, and Goodwill to all Men."

The shepherds said, "Let us go at once and see this miracle that we have been privileged to be part of!" And so they scoped up the little lambs and ran all the way into the town. After looking into a dozen or more stables, they found one behind Judah's inn, where a tired but radiant young mother gazed at her tiny baby, wrapped in swaddling clothes and placed in a manger, with cattle lowing gently around.

Mary, watching the rough shepherds as they knelt in reverence before her son, thought, "Truly this is the work of God." The shepherds rushed out and told everyone that they encountered about the miracle that had come to pass.

Eight days later the baby was named Jesus.

The same night that the shepherds were visited by the angels, astronomers and magi in far off Persia saw a shining new comet that streaked across the sky to the west. They believed that it foretold the birth of a new king, and three of them, Caspar, Melchior and Balthazar decided to make the long journey west to see this new king. They reached Jerusalem, naturally went to the court of Herod the king, and asked, "Where is the new-born king of the Jews? We have seen his star in the east, and have come to worship him." Herod was amazed and alarmed. His wife had not given birth to a baby, and any story of kings and Messiahs was worrying, because it threatened his position as king.

However, he was too smart a man to show his anxiety. He told the wise men, "He is not here, but if you find this child, be sure to let me know, so that I can worship him too."

The wise men went through the city, asking every one they came across about the birth of the Messiah, but no one seemed to know. And then one day, as their caravan camped on a hillside about six miles outside Jerusalem, they heard some shepherds talk about the wonders that they had seen: the shining light, the choir of angels and the baby in a manger. They asked the shepherds to show them the way to this stable, and soon they were kneeling before the tiny baby with the gifts that they had brought him - gold (a sign of his kingship), frankincense (to indicate his holiness) and myrrh (foretelling his death). Mary marveled at the sight of these great and wise men kneeling before her tiny baby in a humble stable, and wondered what God had in store for her son.

The wise men, having accomplished their mission, returned to their homeland, but they did not go back the way they had come. Having been warned in a dream that Herod intended the new-born King no good, they took another route. King Herod, after waiting in vain for the return of the mages, realized that they would not return, and in a fury ordered that all children under the age of two should be killed.

In a dream, an angel appeared to Joseph and warned him to take Mary and the baby to Egypt, and out of harm's way. And in the middle of the night, Mary wrapped the baby up warmly, sat on the donkey that Joseph had managed to find, and they left the town of Bethlehem. They stayed in Egypt, where they heard the terrifying news that every baby in Bethlehem had been killed on the orders of Herod. Only after they heard of Herod's death, did they feel secure enough to leave Egypt and return to Nazareth, where Jesus grew up in his father's house.

Guy Fawkes' Day

Remember, remember the 5th of November,
Gunpowder, treason and plot.
We see no reason why gunpowder treason,
Should ever be forgot!

The 5th of November is celebrated as Guy Fawkes' Day all over England. Fireworks are set off, bonfires are lit, and effigies, or 'guys' are burnt. Guy Fawkes is perhaps the country's most celebrated traitor. Why is he remembered?
Read on and find out why...
Guy Fawkes' Day marks the discovery of the Gunpowder Plot, a conspiracy of a group of English Roman Catholics to blow up Parliament and King James I together with his queen and his oldest son on November 5, 1605. The leader of the plot was probably one Robert Catesby. He and several others, including Thomas Winter, Thomas Percy, John Wright and Guy Fawkes, were unhappy with the way Roman Catholics were being treated in England at the time. They hoped that by blowing up the Parliament and the king, they would help Roman Catholics to take over the running of the country.
But the plot was discovered, and Guy Fawkes was caught red-handed as he entered a cellar that extended below the palace at Westminster, and where the conspirators had hidden at least 20 barrels of gunpowder. Guy Fawkes was arrested, and under torture revealed the names of the other conspirators. Percy and Catesby and two others were killed while resisting arrest. The others, including Guy Fawkes, were tried and executed.
In November 1606, Parliament established November 5 as a day of public thanksgiving. This day is known as Guy Fawkes' Day, and is still celebrated in England with fireworks and bonfires.

Halloween

Halloween is celebrated on October 31. In America and Britain, children dress up as their favourite scary creature and go from door to door, collecting treats or threatening tricks instead.

Read the reasons behind the celebration of this festival.

In ancient Britain, the Celts celebrated the fire-festival of Samhain on October 31. This day marked the end of summer, the close of the harvest season and the return of the herds from pasture. It was also the eve of the New Year in both Celtic and Anglo Saxon times and the date when laws and land tenures were renewed.
For the ancient Celts, the turning of one year into the next was a magical time. The souls of the dead were believed to revisit their homes on this night. Fairies, who were dangerous and hostile to humans, were also believed to be especially active on this night, waiting to trick people into fairy mounds and keep them trapped forever. To protect themselves against such evil spirits, the ancient Celts lit huge bonfires on this night - which thus became a fire-festival. Over time, human imagination filled this night with all sorts of witches, hobgoblins, black cats, demons and fairies roaming around.
This night was also considered the best time to make forecasts about such important matters as marriage, health, luck and death. Many of the methods used to make these divinations have come down to us in the form of games that children still play today. One such game is ducking for apples. This was used as a marriage divination - the person to bite an apple first would be the first to get married that year.
The Christian festival of All Hallows' Eve, a holy or hallowed evening, was also observed on the same day. This was influenced by the early Celtic rituals of Samhain. Gradually, the two festivals merged into Halloween, the secular festival that is celebrated today.
Irish immigrants carried the secular practices of Halloween to America in the 19th century, where mischief making by young people on the night became part of the observances. This would often include turning over sheds, or breaking windows, and result in serious damage to property.
Today Halloween is celebrated mainly by small children, dressed up as their favourite evil character, going from door to door, demanding a treat or threatening a trick instead.
A favourite symbol of Halloween is the Jack-O'-Lantern, a hollowed out pumpkin carved with a scary face, and with a lighted candle inside. In Scotland, a turnip was used, but was substituted by a pumpkin in America

Durga Puja

Durga Puja, the ten-day long festival in honour of the goddess Durga, is eastern India's most important festival. It is celebrated with great vigour in the eastern states of West Bengal, Orissa, Tripura, Assam and Jharkhand. The Puja is also celebrated in Nepal and Bhutan.

The festival falls during the autumn, in the first ten days of the waxing moon of Ashvin, the sixth month of the Indian lunar calendar, though the actual puja or worship of the goddess is usually performed from the sixth to the tenth day of the waxing moon. These dates fall sometime in late September or October of the Gregorian calendar.

According to the Krittibas Ramayana, Ram invokes Durga in his battle against Ravan (see 'Ram, Prince of Kosala' for the story). Though the conventional time for the worship of Durga was Spring or Basant, Ram had to call upon the goddess in Autumn. Slowly, over time, the people of eastern India adopted Ram's autumnal invocation of the goddess, so that Autumn became the main season for the worship of Durga. The inauguration of worship, or 'bodhan', of Durga in the month of Ashwin is also called 'Akalbodhan' - an unconventional time for the invocation of the goddess.

The Spring worship of Durga still appears in the Hindu almanac as 'Basanti Puja'. Though Durga Puja is a Hindu festival, its celebration is secular, as people from all religions and communities join in the festivities. Cities, towns and villages take on a carnival air. Pandals - elaborate, temporary structures of bamboo, canvas, cloth - are set up on street corners, in parks and gardens, or wherever there is some empty space. The image of the goddess is installed in these pandals with great ceremony, and hundeds gather for the evening puja. This kind of 'sarvajanik' or community puja began during the nineteenth century. Family pujas, which are a tradition much older than the community pujas, are still held by some of the older families, though the puja is open to all the public.

The preparations for the Puja start on Pratipada, the first day of the waxing moon. An earthern pitcher filled with Ganga water, its mouth covered with green mango leaves, is installed with great ceremony and with an invocation to Ganesh, the God of Beginnings. Then the goddess Durga is invoked, and worshipped with flowers, leaves, durva grass, newly harvested grain, and earthenware lamps or diyas. Barley seeds are planted in little pots. An earthenware lamp is kept burning in front of the pitcher during the remaining nine days of the Puja.

On Panchami, the fifth day, the invocation, or Bodhan, of the goddess begins. On Sashthi, the sixth day of the waxing moon, the image of the goddess Durga is installed in the pandals with great ceremony. The eyes of the image are painted on, signifying that the goddess is 'alive', or that divinity has entered the image. Now the Pujas begin in earnest: Bodhan is complete, the drums of the dhakis start beating, and the festivities commence. From Saptami, the seventh day, the actual worship of the goddess begins. People wear new clothes and visit the puja pandals. The next day, Maha-ashthami, the eight day of the waxing moon, a goat is sacrificed to Durga. This is symbolic of the slaying of the demon Mahishasura by the goddess. Some sects, like the Ramakrishna Mission, hold a 'kanya puja' on this day: little girls held to represent the goddess herself, are given gifts and served a ceremonial and lavish meal. The ninth day, Mahanavami, is the most sacred. On this day the goddess is closest to the people. It is believed that Durga visits her parents Haimavat (the Himalayas) and Maina during the ten days of the autumn Puja. Dashami (or Bijoya) the tenth day of the waxing moon, is the day when she must return to Mt. Kailash, the abode of her husband, Shiva. At midday, the goddess' hairparting is adorned with sindoor, the sign of marriage that most Bengali Hindu women wear, and she is sent on her way to Kailash. This is symbolised by the 'visarjan' or 'bhasan', the ceremonial immersion of the goddess' image in the river: the image is taken in festive procession down to the river, and with drumbeats and dancing is lowered into the water.

Durga is shakti, or female energy. She is the consort of the god Shiva, and the daughter of Haimavat, the Himalaya mountains, and of Maina. As shakti she has two forms, one mild, the other fierce.

In her milder form she is Uma - light, Gauri - brilliant or beautiful, Parvati - one who comes from the mountains, Haimavati - daughter of Haimavat, Jagan Mata - mother of the world, and Bhavani - the wife of Shiva.

But it is in her fierce forms that she is especially worshipped. In her terrible form she is Durga - the inaccessible, Kali (see 'Kali Destroys Evil') and Shyama - the black, Chandika - the fierce, Bhairavi - the wife of Shiva or Bhairav, and Chandi - this name being applied especially to her incarnation for the purpose of destroying the buffalo demon Mahishasur. She is also called 'Mahishasuramradini', which means 'the slayer of the demon Mahish'.

Durga is portrayed as a beautiful but fierce woman, with ten arms. In each of her ten hands she carries a divine weapon, given to her by the gods themselves to help her in her battle against Mahishasur.

Her steed is a lion, though sometimes it is portrayed as a tiger.

The worship of Durga is a celebration of the victory of good over evil, a victory which is symbolised in the story of Durga and Mahishasura.

Long, long ago, there lived an asura, or demon, called Mahishasura. He was so called because he could take on at will the form of a giant mahish or water-buffalo.

Mahishasura decided to ask the great god Brahma for a boon that would protect him from death. He meditated long and hard, and soon earned Brahma's favour. Brahma, moved by the demon's penance, agreed to grant him the boon he asked. Mahishasura, said Brahma, could not be killed by any man or god.

The demon, now secure against death, began to conquer the world. He defeated all men and began to rule over the earth. He was a cruel and tyrannical ruler, mercilessly killing all those who opposed him and subduing the rest to his will. He soon gained complete control over the earth, so that not one man was left with the courage to oppose him.

He then attacked heaven itself, and, the gods, powerless to kill him, were helpless. Mahishasura defeated the gods and took the throne of heaven for himself.

The frightened and despairing gods appealed to Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva to help them. The three great gods, hearing of the cruelty and violence of Mahishasura, were filled with anger. Their anger came forth in a great burst of energy. Thunder and lightning filled the skies, and a great light dazzled the world. Men and gods fell to the ground in fear. This great energy coalesced into the form of a young and beautiful woman. This young woman was energy, or shakti, personified. She was the goddess Durga.

The gods fell to their knees and worshipped the goddess, begging her to rid the universe of the demon Mahishasura.

To help her, the gods gave her their own divine weapons: Vishnu gave her his discus and Shiva his trident. Varuna, the god of the Sea and the Rivers, gave her his conchshell and a noose, Agni, the god of Fire, gave her a flaming missile, and Pawan, the god of the Winds, gave her fast-flying arrows. Indra, king of the gods, gave her his thunderbolt, and Airavat, his white elephant, gave her his bell. Yama, the god of Death, gave her a rod, while Vishwakarma, the god of smiths, gave her a sharp-edged axe and bright armour. Haimavat, god of the Mountains, gave her jewels to adorn herself, and a fierce lion to ride into battle as her steed.

Durga, blazing with light, rode into battle against Mahishasura. The demon, seeing Durga, realised that his end was near, for Brahma's boon did not protect him against women. Wild with fury, he changed himself into a gigantic water buffalo. Durga's lion attacked the buffalo and pinned it to the ground. Durga beheaded the buffalo, and from it emerged the demon in his original form. Durga pierced his chest with Shiva's trident and killed him, thus freeing the earth and heaven from his cruelty and tyranny.

And therefore, because she rid the world of evil, the goddess Durga is, to this day, worshipped by all the gods in heaven and all mankind on earth.

Chusok

Chusok is celebrated in Korea on the full moon (ie on the fifteenth day) of the eighth lunar month of the Korean calendar.

Read the reasons behind the celebration of this festival.

Chusok is a harvest festival, a thanksgiving feast, when the Korean people remember their ancestors with gratitude and thank them for the autumn harvest. The celebrations last for three days, starting on the night before Chusok, and continuing till the day after.
The festival is also called 'Hangawi', which means 'a great day in the middle of autumn', ie the 'day' of the Harvest Moon. Hangawi has been celebrated for many centuries. Its origins can be traced back to the early days of the ancient Korean kingdom of Shilla, to a weaving contest that used to be held between two teams. In the reign of King Yuri (24 B.C.-57 B.C.), women weavers would gather in the royal palace a month before Hangawi. The weavers would be divided into two teams, each team led by a royal princess. On Hangawi, the team that had woven the most cloth would be declared the winner by the king. The losing team had to then provide a feast for the winning team, a feast in which the entire city would end up taking part.
Today, special foods are cooked on this day. The celebration begins with a family get together at which crescent-shaped rice cakes called Songpyon are served. These are stuffed with beans, sesame seeds, chestnuts or dates, and steamed upon pine needles. Other special foods made from freshly harvested grain and fruit are also prepared and served.
The family then pays its respects to its ancestors, by visiting their tombs, cleaning and clearing the area around the tombs, and offering them food, drink and crops in ritual worship. Men, women and children dress in traditional Korean clothes. Traditional dances are performed and many traditional games are played - though these vary from region to region.

Chusok dates according to the Gregorian calendar are as follows:

2008 - September 14
2009 - October 3      
2010 - September 22
2011 - September 12
2012 - September 30
2013 - September 19
2014 - September 8
2015 - September 27
2016 - September 15
2017 - October 4      
2018 - September 24

The Story Of Holi

Holi is celebrated all over India with colour, music, dance and bonfires. It marks the beginning of summer. It also celebrates the end of cold and hardship, and the successful harvest of the winter crop.

For Hindus all over the world, Holi also celebrates the victory of good over evil, symbolised in the story of Prahlad, the young boy who overcame evil and tyranny, by his steadfast faith in Vishnu.

Now read the story of Prahlad that lies behind the Hindu celebration of the festival.

Long ago, there lived in this world a race of giant demons called Daityas. The Daityas were very strong and very powerful, so much so that they would often challenge the gods themselves, and sometimes even win. The king of the Daityas was the demon Hiranyakashyap.

Hiranyakashyap, by praying hard and long to the great god Brahma, obtained Brahma's blessing in the form of a boon that protected him from death. Hiranyakashyap could not be killed by man or animal, god or demon, or by any weapon made under the sun. He could not be killed inside or outside his palace, or during the day or night.

Hiranyakashyap, secure against his enemies, began conquering the world. He became king of the underworld, and of earth, and finally of heaven. Indra, king of the gods, defeated by Hiranyakashyap, fled his throne. The other gods saved themselves from Hiranyakashyap by descending to earth and taking on the appearance of ordinary men and women.

Finding himself the undisputed ruler of the world, Hiranyakashyap became arrogant and proud. He declared that no one could worship any god or being except himself, and that all prayers and sacrifices were to be made to him. Nobody dared disobey him, nobody that is, except his own son, Prahlad.

Prahlad had been sent to live with his teacher, a Brahmin, whose duty it was to educate Prahlad. Prahlad would visit his father often, and tell him all that he had learnt at the Brahmin's house.

One day, when Prahlad was visiting his father, Hiranyakashyap asked him the usual question 'What have you learnt at your teacher's house, my son?'

Prahlad answered, 'I have learnt that the most important thing in life is the worship of Vishnu.'

Hiranyakashyap was furious with his son's teacher. 'How dare you teach my son the worship of Vishnu?' he roared. The Brahmin, terrified, fell to his knees and cried, 'My lord, I am innocent. I have taught the Prince no such thing. I worship only the great king Hiranyakashyap and no other.'

'My teacher is not at fault, Father, ' said Prahlad in defence of the Brahmin. 'It is the great god Vishnu himself who has taught me to worship him.'

'My son, what are you saying?' demanded the demon king. 'Have you turned traitor to your own father? Or is it that some evil spirit has taken possession of you?'

'Neither, Father, ' said Prahlad calmly. 'It is Vishnu who has entered my heart. He is everywhere, even within you.'

'Let me not hear the name of Vishnu from your lips again,' Hiranyakashyap warned his son. He ordered him back to his teacher's house in the hope that Prahlad would now mend his ways and learn to worship him.

After a few months had passed, the demon king again called Prahlad to him.

'Son,' said the demon king to Prahlad. 'I'd like to hear you recite some poetry for me today. Let us see how well the Brahmin has been teaching you.'

'Very well, Father,' said Prahlad. The boy closed his eyes, and began singing a hymn to Vishnu. Hiranyakashyap listened to his son in deadly silence.

Prahlad finished the hymn, a smile on his face. He turned to look at his father. Hiranyakashyap stood up and pointing at the boy, commanded his attendants, 'Kill him.'

The soldiers surrounding the king rushed at Prahlad, and struck him again and again with their swords. But no matter how often or how hard the soldiers struck at Prahlad, they could not hurt him. They fell back in surprise and fear. Prahlad looked at them and laughed at their fear. 'Do not be afraid, ' he said. 'It is Vishnu who protects me. He is everywhere - in me, in you, in all your weapons. You cannot hurt me.'

Hiranyakashyap turned to Prahlad and said, 'Son, it is still not too late. Give up the worship of Vishnu, and you will come to no further harm through my soldiers.'

But Prahlad refused. 'No Father, ' he said. 'The worship of Vishnu is the only important thing in life. He is everywhere, in me and even in you.'

Hiranyakashyap turned away angrily. He called upon all the beings under his command and ordered them to kill his son.

First he called the snakes of the underworld. Huge serpents slithered towards Prahlad. They wrapped their great coils around him and tried to squeeze the life breathe out of him. They bit him in every part of his body with their great poisonous fangs. But they could not harm him. Prahlad stood unhurt in the middle of the serpents, a smile on his face and thoughts of Vishnu in his mind.

The demon King then called upon the great white elephants that live in the sky to crush his son beneath their great feet. The elephants came lumbering in, each animal as huge as a mountain. They threw Prahlad to the ground, and stepped on him, trying to crush him into the earth. They flung him into the air and tried to pierce him with their massive tusks. But each time Prahlad remained unhurt, with a smile on his face and thoughts of Vishnu in his mind.

'Throw him from the top of the palace walls!' thundered the king in anger. The guards bound Prahlad in chains, and threw him from the highest point of the palace walls onto the rocks below. But Prahlad was still unharmed, unhurt.

Hiranyakashyap tried every way he knew to get rid of Prahlad - poison, magic, murder, enchantments. But nothing could harm the child, who remained steadfast in his worship of Vishnu.

Hiranyakashyap had a sister called Holika. Holika was as arrogant and cruel as her brother. She too had received a divine gift - that no fire could burn or harm her. When she saw that none of the demon-king's schemes to get rid of Prahlad were working, she went to the king with a plan. 'Brother, ' she said, ' I know how much you want to get rid of Prahlad for his foul worship of Vishnu. You know that fire cannot injure me. So build a great fire, into which I will carry Prahlad. He will be burnt to death, and I will be unharmed.'

The demon king decided to try his sister's plan. He ordered a great fire to be lit in the middle of the palace courtyard. Holika climbed into the blaze with Prahlad in her arms, and held him in the fire. But after the great flames had died down, the demon king and his attendants saw the little boy sitting serenely among the ashes. Of Holika there was nothing left.

Hiranyakashyap's anger threatened to destroy the world. In frustration he had Prahlad bound in chains and thrown into the sea, where great rocks were piled on him so that he could not escape. Prahlad lay quietly at the bottom of the sea, thinking only of Vishnu. As he did so, his chains snapped, the rocks dissolved, and Prahlad rose to the surface and walked to his father's palace.

Hiranyakashyap was furious when he saw Prahlad return alive. Once again he ordered him to give up the worship of Vishnu. But Prahlad refused. 'Who is Vishnu? Where is Vishnu?' demanded the king in anger. 'You say he is everywhere. Is he in this pillar of stone in my palace?' And Hiranyakashyap struck the stone pillar with the palm of his hand.

At once the pillar broke and fell, and from it emerged a fearsome creature, half man and half lion. This was Vishnu, in the form of Narsimha or Man-Lion. The demons in the court of Hiranyakashyap ran away in fright. But Hiranyakashyap only laughed. He felt immortal, he had no fear. He rushed at the Narsimha, who caught him in his hundred arms, and dragging him to the threshold of his palace, ripped him into a hundred pieces with his claws.

Vishnu as Narsimha was not man or animal, god or demon. He killed Hiranyakashyap with his claws, not by any weapon made under the sun. The demon king died on the threshold of his palace, which was neither outside nor inside. He died at dusk, which was neither day nor night. Brahma's promise remained unbroken, and the world was freed of a cruel and arrogant tyrant.

Order was restored to the world. Indra regained his throne and became once again the ruler of heaven. Prahlad became king of the Daityas in his father's place. He ruled for many years, and was a just and kind king. All through his long life he remained constant in his worship of Vishnu. Prahlad did not die to be born again like other mortals - instead Vishnu took him into himself, and Prahlad became one with Vishnu.

In India, the festival of Holi celebrates Prahlad's triumph over Hiranyakashyap and Holika. Prayers are said to Vishnu, and huge bonfires are lit in the evening, to symbolise the end of the evil Holika.

The Story of Easter

Christians across the world celebrate Easter, to commemorate the resurrection of Jesus Christ on the third day after his crucifixion, on the first Sunday after the full moon that occurs upon or next after the Spring Equinox. (In the Eastern Orthodox Church a slightly different calculation is followed, so their Easter may or may not coincide with that of the Western church).

The celebration of Easter is preceded by the forty days of Lent, a period of prayer and self-denial for Christians. The period of Lent includes Holy Week, the week immediately preceding Easter Sunday.

Now read the story that lies behind the festival.

More than two thousand years ago, in a stable in Bethlehem, was born Jesus, the son of Joseph the carpenter and his wife Mary. Jesus grew up in Nazareth, and became a carpenter like his father.

When Jesus was a young man, he saw the suffering of the people of Palestine under the oppressive rule of Herod's sons, and the Roman procurators. Together with twelve disciples, Jesus wandered the countryside, preaching religious reform and the love of God for His people. He was concerned with the welfare of the poor and the oppressed and spoke against the hypocrisy of the privileged and the rich. The Pharisees, Jewish scholars, strongly opposed his teachings, and resented his growing influence. But Jesus was welcomed and loved by the common people who looked upon him as the long-awaited Messiah. As the number of his followers and his influence with the people grew, the Jewish and Roman authorities began to suspect Jesus of being a revolutionary and a troublemaker.

Jesus faithfully observed the religious customs and festivals of his community, including the festival of Passover, which marked the end of slavery in Egypt for his people. So it happened that one year Jesus decided to go to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover.

As he entered Jerusalem, the people welcomed him with songs of praise. They covered his path with flowers, and waved green palm fronds in the air, and formed a great procession to lead him into Jerusalem. The Pharisees were afraid and angry when they saw the welcome he received from the people of Jerusalem. Jesus went to the Temple in Jerusalem, where he drove out the moneylenders. This annoyed the priests further. They decided that the time had come to rid themselves of this carpenter's son from Nazareth, who wielded such tremendous power over the hearts of the people. The Pharisees, the priests and the Romans plotted to arrest and execute Jesus.

A few days later, Jesus celebrated the Feast of the Passover with his twelve disciples. While they were eating, the disciples began to argue among themselves as to who was better than the others. Jesus listened in silence, and then taking a basin of water, began washing the feet of his disciples. When he came to his disciple Peter, Peter protested. But Jesus explained why he did what he did - to tell them that no one was better than the other, that if he, whom they called Lord and Master, could wash their feet, then they too could wash each other's feet.

Jesus then told his disciples, that before the night was out, one of them would betray him, and give him up to those who would kill him. The disciples were horrified, and asked Jesus to tell them who it was who would turn traitor. But Jesus only said that it was one of the twelve who ate with him that night.

The disciple John, who was sitting next to Jesus, whispered so that no one else could hear, 'Lord, who is it?' Jesus whispered back so only John could hear, 'It is the one to whom I shall give a piece of bread after I have dipped it in the dish.' Then Jesus reached across the table and gave the bread to his disciple Judas Iscariot.

Judas left the table at once, and as he went, Jesus said to him, 'Do quickly what you have to do.'

Before the meal was over that night, Jesus took some of the unleavened bread of the feast and broke it into pieces. He gave a piece each to the eleven remaining disciples, saying 'Take and eat this, for this is my body which is given for you.' He then passed a cup of watered wine to them and said, 'Drink, for this is my blood which is shed for thee.' Then Jesus commanded, 'Do this as often as you would remember me.'

Jesus spent the rest of the night praying in a grove of olive trees, called the garden of Gethsemane. He knew that when morning came, Judas Iscariot would betray him.

Judas had hurried to the High Priest of the Temple as soon as he left Jesus and the other disciples. Judas had agreed to betray Jesus for the sum of thirty pieces of silver. When it was almost dawn, he led the High Priest and the Pharisees and the Roman soldiers to the grove where Jesus waited with his remaining disciples. So that the Roman soldiers would arrest the right person, Judas ran up to Jesus and embraced him.

Jesus was taken to the home of the High Priest where the priests demanded that he be killed. But the land was ruled by the Romans, and no one could be executed without their sanction. So Jesus was led to Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor. Pilate questioned Jesus, and then declared he could not sentence him for he saw no evil in him. But the priests and the Pharisees insisted that Jesus was a troublemaker, and should be put to death. So Pilate sent Jesus to King Herod, who ruled Galilee from where Jesus came. But Herod too could find no evil in Jesus, and sent him back to Pilate.

Once again Pilate said to the enemies of Jesus that he saw no reason to execute him, and that he should be set free. But Jesus' enemies demanded that he be crucified. At length, Pilate gave in to their demands, and ruled that Jesus be put to death on the cross.

Jesus was crucified as a political rebel the very same day on a hill called Golgotha. When at length he died, his friends asked Pilate if they might take down his body, to give it proper burial. Pilate agreed. So Jesus' followers took him down from the cross, and wrapped him in a shroud, and buried him in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea near Golgotha.

That Jesus was a real person, of that there is no doubt. But very little is known of his life, apart from what his followers told and wrote. It is therefore difficult to separate facts from belief while telling the story of Jesus.

Jesus' story, according to the Christians, does not end with his death and burial. Three days after his death, some women went to Jesus' tomb with fragrant herbs to place in the linen wrappings around his body. But they found that the tomb lay open, and two Angels sat where the body of Jesus had been lying. The Angels told the women not to be afraid, for said they, Jesus had risen from the dead.

Christians the world over believe in Jesus' Resurrection, and celebrate Easter to mark the event. Belief in the Resurrection is central to the Christian faith, and Easter is the most important celebration in the calendar of the Christian Church.

Easter occurs on only one particular Sunday. But Christians remember the events of the last few days in the life of Christ in their observance of Lent and of Holy Week.

Lent is the period of forty days (not counting Sundays) immediately preceding Easter Sunday. The forty days of Lent are symbolic of the forty days that Jesus spent in the desert, fasting and praying, and preparing himself to take the message of God to the people.

The first day of Lent is Ash Wednesday. In Rome this was the beginning of a period of public penance - penitents would be sprinkled with ashes and dressed in sackcloth, and would remain apart from the Christian community till Maundy Thursday, the Thursday immediately before Easter Sunday. Today, in the Roman Catholic Church, a worshipper receives a cross on the forehead of ashes obtained from burning palm leaves. Lent concludes with Holy Saturday, the day before Easter.

The period of Lent includes Holy Week, the week immediately before Easter Sunday. Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday, which commemorates Jesus' entry into Jerusalem to celebrate Passover.

Maundy Thursday is the day that Jesus celebrated the feast of the Passover with his twelve disciples, his Last Supper, and when Judas left to betray him. It is observed in commemoration of Jesus Christ's institution of the Eucharist, his sharing of the bread and wine among his disciples. The name 'Maundy Thursday' derives from an anthem sung in Roman Catholic Churches on that day: 'Mandatum novum do vobis' - 'a new Commandment I give you'.

Good Friday is commemorates the passion and death of Jesus.

Holy Saturday ends the Lenten season. On this day Jesus was buried. The evening service on Holy Saturday, the Easter Vigil, begins in darkness. Lights are brought into the Church only after the Easter candle is lit. The lighting of candles symbolizes the passing of Jesus from death into life. Church bells are rung to signify the end of Lent.

Easter Sunday celebrates Jesus' Resurrection.

The Story of Passover

Jews all over the world celebrate Passover in commemoration of their liberation from slavery in ancient Egypt, and the 'passing over' of the forces of destruction over their homes as the Angel of Death spared the first born of the Israelites on the eve of Exodus.

Passover begins with the 15th and ends with the 21st day of the Jewish month of Nisan (March or April). On the first night of Passover, a special family meal called the seder is held. During the week of Passover, all leaven is forbidden. So only unleavened bread - matzo - may be eaten during this period. Matzo symbolized both the suffering of the Hebrews in slavery in Egypt, as well as the haste with which they left Egypt during the Exodus.

Now read the story that lies behind the festival...

In ancient Egypt, more than three thousand years ago, ruled the Pharaoh Ramses II. Under him the land of Egypt prospered, for he was a strong and powerful ruler. One of Pharaoh's closest friends and advisers was Moses, a foundling, who had been brought up in the royal court by one of the princesses as her own son. But Moses was a Hebrew, not an Egyptian, and his people were slaves under Ramses II.

One day Moses saw an Egyptian taskmaster beating a Hebrew slave, and he was so angry that he killed the Egyptian. Moses then fled to Midian, where he lived for many years as a shepherd. One day, while tending his flock, Moses saw a burning bush.

The bush burnt fiercely but remained unharmed, and Moses understood that God - Yahweh, the Lord of Israel - was calling him to deliver his people, the Hebrews, from slavery in Egypt. Aaron, his brother, was to be his spokesperson, but Moses was to be Yahweh's special representative. Moses wondered how he would lead his people out of Egypt, but God promised Moses that He would help him.

Moses and Aaron returned to Egypt, and told the Pharaoh of God's wish and command that he let the Hebrews go. But Ramses refused, for he did not recognise their God, their Yahweh, their Lord of Israel, he said.

Moses then performed a miracle to convince Ramses of God's power. Aaron threw his staff upon the ground, and the staff turned into a snake. But Ramses remained unconvinced and refused to let the Hebrews go.

The next morning, as the Pharaoh was walking by the river Nile, Moses and Aaron again asked him to let their people go. When Ramses refused, Aaron struck the Nile with his staff and turned the river into blood, so no one could drink from it. But Ramses remained unconvinced and still refused to let the Hebrews go.

God then sent nine plagues to Egypt, each worse than the earlier. With every plague, Ramses would be afraid, and promise to let the Hebrews go. But as soon as God would lift the plague, he would go back on his word and refuse the Hebrews their freedom once again.

Then God sent one final, terrible plague to the land of Egypt. He sent his Angel of Death to visit every single household in Egypt, and take away the firstborn child. But Moses had warned the Hebrews, and told them to mark their doors with a special sign. So, that night, when the Angel of Death came to Egypt, he passed over the houses with the special sign, and spared the firstborn of the Hebrews. This was the beginning of the Passover, the Jewish festival that celebrates the 'passing over' of the Angel of Death, and the sparing of the firstborn of the Israelites.

But the Angel of Death did not spare a single Egyptian family that night, and took even the Pharaoh's son. In despair the Pharaoh told Moses to take his people and to leave Egypt forever.

Moses and his people packed their belongings and left Egypt as fast as they could, before Ramses changed his mind again. The Israelites left so quickly there wasn't enough time for the dough to ferment and to be baked into bread. Instead they made unleavened bread. Even today, during the Passover week, only unleavened bread, called matzo, is eaten. The matzo symbolises the suffering of the Hebrews in bondage in Egypt, as well as the haste in which they left. Passover is also sometimes called the Festival of Unleavened Bread.

When the Pharaoh realised that Moses and the Israelites had actually left Egypt, he sent his army after them, to capture them and bring them back. The Pharaoh's army pursued the Israelites eastwards to the Sea of Reeds, a papyrus lake, which God enabled the Hebrews to cross safely. But the Egyptian army was engulfed by the waters of the lake and each and every Egyptian soldier perished.

Moses then led his people to Mt. Sinai, where Yahweh again revealed himself to Moses. Out of this revelation came the Covenant between Yahweh and the people of Israel, and the Ten Commandments.