may be devoted to several gods butthere can only be one shrine in the family house and it must be devoted to justone god. To worship another god they must go to the nearby temple. Becauseeverything is sacred in a Hindu's eyes, almost anything may be considered worthyof worship, such as rivers, cowpens, etc. During worship everything must bepurified through fire, water, and drawing symbolic diagrams. Depending on aHindu's class and station, the requirements for worship change. But they mustoffer food, flowers, and incense to the deity, as well as say the appropriaterecitations of sacred words or text.Festivals Certain festival days are celebrated throughout the Hindu society on afixed day according to the Hindu lunisolar calendar. One festival is Dipavali,the "Festival of Lights" occurring in October and November. On this day lampsare placed around the house to welcome Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity. Holi,a spring festival in February and March, is a day of fun making, involvingtemporary suspension of a persons class or caste and social distinctions.Practical jokes are the purpose of the day. In fall, is a ten-day period setaside to honor the Mother Goddess, a day of processions and celebrations.Sacred Texts The ultimate series of books is the Vedas. The Vedas are the ruleswhich the Hindu people follow. The oldest of the four Vedas is the Rig-Veda,which is made from an ancient form. This text was composed between 1300 and 1000BC and contains 1028 hymns dedicated to many different gods. Other Vedas booksare the Yajur-Veda (the text book for sacrifice), the Sama-Veda (a hymnal), andthe Atharva-Veda (a collection of magic spells). The Atharva-Veda was probablyadded around 900 BC. The rituals for worship were also written down so thatthey would always be done correctly and never forgotten. How to Listen to Music, Not Just Hear itTo learn to listen to music, not just hear itYou need the rightroom, the right equipment, the pe...
