Dassehra Festival
The festival of Dassehra falls twenty days before Deewali. It signifies the victory of virtue over vice, of right over wrong, of good over evil. Lord Rama stands for virtue whereas Ravana, the demon king, depicts vice and evil. The story goes that crowning prince Rama of Ayodhya took fourteen years of exile on his fathers bidding. In the last year of his wandering, Ravana, the king of Lanka carried away his consort Sita. The result was a bloody fight between the two. Lakhs of people died from both sides. In the end Ravana, his son Meghnada and his other powerful brothers died and Mother Sita was freed. It is this day of victory that is celebrated as Dassehra. Ramlila is celebrated throughout the length and breadth of the country. People devote themselves to the celebrations because of their great love for Lord Rama, who was the personification of human piety. Ramlila is celebrated for all ten days before Dassehra, it is the climax of the celebrations. The functions are held in big spacious grounds. The schools and offices are off. Children and women especially wear new clothes. Everyone is happy and joyous. The bazars are arranged. The venders sell balloons and small bows and arrows. Dummy competitions of arrow shootings are arranged. The main celebration is in the evening when huge effigies of Ravana, Meghnada and other demons are erected in the middle of big grounds or at the big crossings of cities. They are made out of Bamboo sticks, paper and cloth and stuffed with high powered crackers. With the setting of the Sun the effigies are fired and there is a deafening sound and it sends a wave of thrill and excitement in every heart. The ashes of these effigies are considered sacred. People preserve them and the half burnt bamboo sticks.
