Today we worshipped the god of instruments. I wasn't quite sure what was going on, but the men prepared an altar. Then they passed around a bowl of fire, a bowl of clay, and a bowl of red powder. The women told us to follow them and we fanned the fire, dipped our finger in the clay and red powder, and then dotted our heads. The Hindu version of Ash Wednesday! lol After this ritual, the men lit a coconut on fire and then smashed in on the ground in front of us. All the little preschoolers ran up to get a piece of coconut to eat. Then whispers began to get louder and I heard someone say "There it is!" One of the men came out holding a giant pumpkin on fire and all the kids ran to the driveway. Ms. Beena announced 7th grade to come out and all the 7th graders stood anxiously in two lines. Apparently there is money in the pumpkin! So it's like an Indian piñata! haha One of the men threw the pumpkin down on a rock and all the kids rushed to it to collect the money inside. I couldn't really figure out the significance, but it was fun to see!
