HINDU FIREWALKING IN NATAL
Firewalking was brought to Natal last century by Tamil-speaking Hindus from the Madras district of south India, whose ancestors had experienced this as part of their village goddess tradition. The festival, traditionally, has an eighteen day preparation period, which begins with an evening flag-hois...
| Published in: | Journal for the study of religion |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
ASRSA
1990
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| In: |
Journal for the study of religion
Year: 1990, Volume: 3, Issue: 1, Pages: 17-33 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Parallel Edition: | Non-electronic
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| Summary: | Firewalking was brought to Natal last century by Tamil-speaking Hindus from the Madras district of south India, whose ancestors had experienced this as part of their village goddess tradition. The festival, traditionally, has an eighteen day preparation period, which begins with an evening flag-hoisting ceremony, and reaches its climax when a number of devotees, often in trances, walk across the fire pit. Although there have been a number of recent predictions that this type of ritualistic, traditional Hindu practice is on the decline, my observation suggests that, on the contrary, its popularity is growing. |
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| ISSN: | 2413-3027 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal for the study of religion
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