festivalsnewly created and rediscovered and which functions as an annual renewal
of society.
Within cross-cultural contexts, festivals often involve public proces-
sions of sacred objects, such as a cross or image of the Virgin Mary in
Christianity, a relic like the tooth of the Buddha in Sri Lanka, or an icon
of a Hindu deity. In Hinduism, the procession of an icon of a deity allows
the divine being an opportunity to manifest itself to its devotees and
represents a new theophany (manifestation of the God). Moreover, fes-
tive celebrations affirm life despite failure, illness, suffering, and death.
Festivals affirm life even though things are done in reverse during festi-
vals, but they are never an end in themselves because they always express
joy about something, while also embodying a time of intense emotion
and change. The celebrative and affirmative aspects of festivals are a
form of play that embodies personal and cultural memory and opens the
future to participants with a sense of hope.
Many festivals are connected to mythical or historical events or the agri-
cultural cycle, and consist of different lengths of time. Among devotees of
the Hindu god Vishnu, the Swing festival marks the beginning of spring and
during this time an image of the deity is suspended on a plank under a spe-
cially built pavilion. A twelve-day festival is represented by the Vaikuntha
Ekādasī for Vishnu, which commemorates the victory of the goddess
Ekādasī over demonic beings; whereas the Dīpāvali is a complex annual
four-day event that incorporates five different festivals: worship of wealth,
celebration of Vishnu’s victory over a demon, Lakshmī worship, celebra-
tion of Vishnu’s victory over the demon Bali, and a celebration of the sibling
affection between Yama (Lord of Death) and his sister, Yamunā.
Festivals of rural Thailand, a predominately Buddhist country, are
closely interwoven with the cycle of the village agricultural calendar,
such as the four-day-long Songkrān festival that forms a New Year cel-
ebration marked by the final day of the festival. Villagers give gifts of
food to monks, clean their homes, burn trash, and clean themselves. The
festival also includes bathing an image of the Buddha, offerings to
departed ancestors, and a transfer of merit to the departed. A large stūpa
(memorial mound) is built and adorned with three flags, signifying the
three refuges: the Buddha, dhamma (doctrine), and Sangha (monastic
community). Young people engage in water sports, which can become a
rowdy activity. In Thailand, a festival connected to soliciting rain is the
Rocket festival (Bunbangfai; literally “merit of firing rockets”), which
also includes some mischievous behavior.
Further reading: Caillois (1961); Coomaraswamy (1941); Cox (1969); Hawley
(1981); Huizinga (1955); Östor (1980); Tambiah (1970)