View allAll Photos Tagged devotee

Since last 10 years, Nimai is hanging himself in "Charak" during the Charak Puja.

 

Charak Puja is a very enchanting folk festival of the Southern Belt of Bangladesh and West Bengal. It is also known as "Nil Puja". The believers of the Hindu religion celebrate this on the last day of Chaitra (Chaitra Songkranti).

 

People believe that the festival will carry prosperity by eliminating the sorrow and sufferings of the previous year. The festival is actually a festival to satisfy "Lord Shiva", the great "Debadideb" of Hindu Religion. Though the festival takes place on the mid night of Chaitra Songkranti, the preparation phase usually starts before one month of the day.

 

The arrangement team of the festival go from village to village to procure the necessary components like paddy, oil, sugar, salt, honey, money and other items with the arranged cosmetics such as Shiva, Parvati and Narod. The cosmetic Shiva is locally called "Nil Pagol" or "Jal Katha". On midnight of the Songkranti, the worshippers are gathered together to worship the God and after Puja the "Prosad" is distributed.

 

In one place, it is also known as "Hajrha Puja". The woman doesn't take the meal before Puja on this day. Sometimes in this festival a human "Charak" is made ready to satisfy the Lord Shiva. The "Charak" is tied with a hook (Borshi) on his back and then he is moved around a bar with a long rope. Though it is risky, they arrange it.

People gathered together on the eve of Durga Puja (worship of the Hindu goddess Durga).

 

Dhaka, October। 2016

Below is an excerpt from Sunrise With 12,999 Monks:

 

Imagine a river of 12,999 red and orange monk robes.

 

Surrounding them is a canyon of Buddhist devotees and smiling onlookers; all bathing in the golden aura of pure faith, love and joy.

 

Such is the scene every December in Chiang Mai; when Thailand’s monks come from near and far to bless the world and accept donations of alms for the coming year.

 

Click here to read the whole story

 

------------------------------------------------------

Let's Travel the World!

I've spent the past 9 years exploring our world; and documenting the journey in photos and stories. For all the latest updates, follow along on:

  

FACEBOOK \ TWITTER \ INSTAGRAM \ 500PX \ MY BLOG

The whole universe is sum up in the Human Being. Devil is not a monster waiting to trap us, He is a voice inside. Look for Your Devil in Yourself, not in the Others. Don't forget that the one who knows his Devil, knows his God.

- Shams Tabrizi

A devotee of the deity Kataragama on the spectacular annual Kandy Esala Day Perahera in central Sri Lanka.

Mysteries Procession, Good Friday - Enna 2014.

.. in 50 shades of grey!, at the rama temple.

 

see my fav WORSHIP related images here.

 

www.nevilzaveri.com

Close-up street portrait (outdoor headshot, full-face view) of a young Malaysian Indian Hindu devotee with forehead piercings and sandalwood paste aka chandanam all over his face during Thaipusam 2020 CE, and another photographer photobombing in the background;

George Town, Penang, Malaysia.

 

More context:

Recelebrating Ecstatic Thaipusam (photo blog),

Celebrating Ecstatic Thaipusam (photo blog),

Yellowing the Forehead (photo blog).

devotees at a popular annual religious celebration flock to quiapo black nazarene church. large monitors were distributed strategically around the district to accommodate these devotees since the church premises had limited capacity due to current covid restrictions

A Hindu devotee

 

---- devotees ... ----

    

---------------------------------------------------------

    

the slideshow

    

Qi Bo's photos on Flickriver

    

Qi Bo's photos on FlickeFlu

    

---------------------------------------------------------

    

This is a long-short report on the feast of the Three Brothers Martyrs Saints Alfio, Filadelfo and Cirino, that the town of Saint Alfio (Sicily) is dedicating the first sunday in May to its Three Patron Saints.

On Sunday the Feast is celebrated at 10.00 with a sung Mass in the Mother Church, at 15:00 preparations begin to go down the statues of the Saints on float. At 16.00 the float looks out from the main door of the Mother Church where starts a joyful sound of bells toghether a spectacular shoot of bombs and a spontaneous chorus of faithfuls who perform the anthem of the Three Saints, the famous "Sung".

Subsequently, the float travels the streets of the town of Saint Alfio, accompanied in procession from the large crowd of faithful, to return to the mother church.

 

Voting for 'excellence in portrait and people photography' on Flickr....

www.flickr.com/groups/topic/63743/

 

Voting For Excellence In Photography, By Those Living Or Working In Asia And The Middle East

 

www.flickr.com/groups/flickyawards/discuss/63673/

 

pl make your vote count.....Thanx.....:)

 

At Sri Siva Vishnu Temple,Chennai-India

[Hasselblad 500CM] + [Ilford XP2 Super]

  

Early morning at Mullick Ghat, where devotees offer prayers and take a holy bath.

 

Kolkata

From Wikipedia:

 

Chhath (Hindi: छठ, also called Dala Chhath) is an ancient Hindu festival dedicated to the Hindu Sun God, Surya, also known as Surya Shashti.[1] The Chhath Puja is performed in order to thank Surya for sustaining life on earth and to request the granting of certain wishes. The Sun, considered the god of energy and of the life-force, is worshiped during the Chhath fesival to promote well-being, prosperity and progress. In Hindu mythology, Sun worship is believed to help cure a variety of diseases, including leprosy, and helps ensure the longevity and prosperity of family members, friends, and elders.

Among the most revered and popular Deities in the Hindu pantheon as well as Ganesha the elephant-headed god, there is Hanuman the monkey-looking God, worshiped as a symbol of physical strength, perseverance and devotion. Hanuman is also known as Hanumat, Anjaneya "son of Anjana, Lankadahi" he who burned Lanka "and Yogachara" master of yoga ".

 

It is famous for its role in the epic Ramayana. Here Hanuman is the powerful monkey who helped the God Rama in his expedition against the forces of evil. Considered an incarnation of the God Shiva, here he is assigned the responsibility of locating the wife of Rama, Sita kidnapped by Ravana, the demon king of Lanka.

My Website | Facebook | 500px | Getty Images

 

Click here to view all my photographs in a single page!

Among the most revered and popular Deities in the Hindu pantheon as well as Ganesha the elephant-headed god, there is Hanuman the monkey-looking God, worshiped as a symbol of physical strength, perseverance and devotion. Hanuman is also known as Hanumat, Anjaneya "son of Anjana, Lankadahi" he who burned Lanka "and Yogachara" master of yoga ".

 

It is famous for its role in the epic Ramayana. Here Hanuman is the powerful monkey who helped the God Rama in his expedition against the forces of evil. Considered an incarnation of the God Shiva, here he is assigned the responsibility of locating the wife of Rama, Sita kidnapped by Ravana, the demon king of Lanka.

Marzamemi in late august.

Devotees of the deity Kataragama on the spectacular annual Kandy Esala Day Perahera in central Sri Lanka.

© Isaac Lew | Click to view LARGE

'Pandharpur Wari' or Wari is a yatra to Pandharpur, Maharashtra, to honor Vithoba. This is a part of Indian Culture, It involves carrying the paduka of a saint in a palkhi, most notably of Dnyaneshwar and Tukaram, from their respective shrines to Pandharpur. Many Pilgrims join this procession on foot. Warkari is a Marathi term which means "one who performs the wari. This Culture is more than 700 to 800 years old.

Sadari is said to be the form of Sri Nammalwar, who is also named as "Sadagopan". As Sri Nammalwar says in his Thiruvaaimozhi, that all our sins will vanish if we strongly attach ourselves to the divine feet, the thiruvadi of Sriman Narayanan. He also explains that this is the universal way of attaining Mukthi (Moksham).

  

Since, his Thriuvaaimozhi can't reach all the people in this world but at the same time, they too also has to be shown the way to attain Mukthi, Sri Nammalwar himself is found as "Sri Sadari" in all Sri Vaishnavite temple.

  

Sri Nammalwar - Sadagopan

In the Sri Sadari, we can find the thiruvadis (two feet at the top of the Sadari), which are said to be the feet of Sriman Narayanan and this says that Sri Nammalwar is holding the Thiruvadi of Sriman Narayanan on his head.

  

Because of this only, we should bow down our head to get the Sadari on our head. And this is the regular custom that is followed in every Vaishnavite Temples.

- on the evening of February 5th, a devotee with his candle, waiting for the float of Saint Agatha to come out;

 

- la sera del 5 febbraio, un devoto col suo cero, in attesa dell'uscita della vara di Sant'Agata;

 

……………………………….

Poster (Locandina):

 

www.warnerbros.it/scheda-film/genere-romantico/me-you/

 

m.media-amazon.com/images/S/pv-target-images/b3eb47bb2236...

 

i0.wp.com/www.cinematik.it/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2...

 

i0.wp.com/www.cinematik.it/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2...

  

----------------------------------------------------------

 

click to activate the small icon of slideshow: the small triangle inscribed in the small rectangle, at the top right, in the photostream (it means the monitor);

or…. Press the “L” button to zoom in the image;

 

clicca sulla piccola icona per attivare lo slideshow: sulla facciata principale del photostream, in alto a destra c'è un piccolo rettangolo (rappresenta il monitor) con dentro un piccolo triangolo nero;

oppure…. premi il tasto “L” per ingrandire l'immagine;

 

Qi Bo's photos on Fluidr

  

Qi Bo's photos on Flickriver

  

www.worldphoto.org/sony-world-photography-awards/winners-...

  

www.fotografidigitali.it/gallery/2726/opere-italiane-segn...

 

………………………………………………………………………

  

Religious devotion, at times, in Sicily seems to take on the face of women, like that of the two Sicilian saints Agata and Lucia along the Ionian coast of Sicily, or the face of Rosalia, on the opposite side, in Palermo. The lives of Agata and Lucia are closely linked, even though they never met. Agata was martyred in 251, Lucia was not yet born, she was born 32 years later. On February 5, 301, she went to Catania to pray at Agata's tomb to invoke her intercession, hoping to obtain the healing of her mother, who was seriously ill. Agata appeared to her in a dream, confirmed her mother's healing (her mother was healed), but also confided in her that she would be martyred because of her faith in Christ: Lucia was martyred on December 13, 304, during the persecutions of Diocletian. What has been said as an incipit of the photographic story that I present here, created on the occasion of the celebration that Catania dedicates to its Patron Saint Agatha, described as the most important religious celebration in Catania, also considered the third Catholic religious celebration in the world (first are the “Semana Santa” in Seville, and the “Corpus Domini” in Cuzco in Peru), a ranking that takes into account the huge number of people who participate every year. The celebration of Saint Agatha takes place on several dates, from 3 to 6 February, on 12 February and on 17 August: the February celebration is linked to her martyrdom, the August celebration commemorates the return to Catania of her mortal remains, initially taken to Constantinople as spoils of war by the Byzantine general Maniaces, and remained there for 86 years. The young Agata lived in the 3rd century, she belonged to a rich patrician family of Catania, since she was young she had embraced the cult of the Christian religion, the governor Quinziano (or Quintiliano) fell in love with her, Agata to escape him hid in his house in Palermo, Quinziano managed to find out where she was hiding, so he had her taken to Catania, here his attempts to bend Agata's will and make her give in to his flattery were in vain, after her umpteenth refusal he changed his intentions, accused her of being of the Christian religion, condemned her to death, not without first having led her to martyrdom, he amputated her by tearing off both her breasts, in this way in addition to the torment of physical pain, the psychological one was added, humiliating the girl in her femininity, then he gave her death by dragging her on burning coals, Agata was 20 years old. After her death, the cult of her began to spread, even the pagans began to venerate her figure, there is news about her origins starting from 252, the year after her death: the inhabitants of Catania were proud of this young woman who rebelled against the will of the dictator. The feast of Saint Agatha begins on February 3, there is the procession "for the offering of wax", the two eighteenth-century carriages of the senate pulled by horses come out along the streets of the city, "the candelore" make their appearance; on February 4th the celebration begins with the “Mass of Dawn” which is celebrated in the cathedral, after the reliquary bust of the Saint and the silver casket, they are placed on the “vara” (or “fercolo”), to be carried in procession in its “external tour”, the procession begins by crossing the “Porta Uzeda” and thus reaching the arches of the marina, the procession then circumscribes the historic center of the city, going to the places where Agatha’s martyrdom took place; : On February 5th the “Pontifical Mass” is celebrated, on this occasion by lining up in the cathedral, you can go and see the reliquary bust of the Saint, as evening comes, the bust and the casket are placed back on the heavy float for the last procession, which goes along the “internal tour” (or “noble tour”), which crosses the historic center of Catania, a procession preceded by the passage of lit candles carried on the shoulders of devotees (of various weights and sizes, some reach exceptional dimensions and weight, historically these candles illuminated, when electricity did not exist, the passage of the Saint), then the “candelore” pass, they are gigantic and heavy wooden “candelabra”, in baroque style, painted in gold, each one represents an ancient corporation (butchers, fishmongers, bakers, pork butchers, greengrocers, etc.), finally the float with Saint Agatha passes, the long-awaited moment, with the reliquary bust that it contains inside some parts of her body, the other parts of her body are inside the casket, so, with both on the float, Agata's entire body can travel the streets of the city of Catania. The float is pulled by hand, by the many devotees who wish to participate spontaneously in this very particular rite, using two large cords more than 200 meters long, to the end of which are connected four handles. The photographs were taken on February 4 and 5, 2024 and 2025, they are not organized in series taking into account either the year or the days; I obtained a "bilocation effect" by using different shooting points in the two years, visible especially when the float passes through the Porta Uzeda; I made portraits of the devotees, posed and not, in particular the portrait of a devotee who seemed almost enraptured in ecstasy at the passage of Sant'Agata (and perhaps she really was), it represented for me the absolute, profound and concrete synthesis of the attachment of the "citizens" (synonym of "devotees") of Catania towards this young martyr, who has become a symbol of those who oppose violence against women, and protector of women suffering from breast cancer. I photographed two beautiful and sweet models who embodied the "two ages of Agata", with the aim of raising awareness among women in the prevention of breast cancer (the ceramic decorations corresponding to the breasts are the work of "Nenè sculptures of art by Nancy Coco); I captured in some images, the custom of some devotees, to carry with them images of loved ones who passed away too soon (photos placed on candles or printed on the characteristic white habit, called "sacco", which is part of the characteristic way of dressing of the devotees); finally I thank the owner of the Beniamin Art Gallery, in via Umberto, an artist himself, for giving me the opportunity to photograph the Pop icon exhibited in his gallery entitled "Aga Pop".

  

…………………………………………………….

 

La devozione religiosa, a volte, in Sicilia sembra assumere il volto delle donne, come quello delle due sante siciliane Agata e Lucia lungo la fascia Ionica della costa sicula, od il volto di Rosalia, sul versante opposto, in quel di Palermo. Le vite di Agata e Lucia sono tra loro legate in maniera strettamente indissolubile, pur non essendosi mai conosciute, Agata morì martirizzata nel 251, Lucia non era ancora nata, nascerà 32 anni dopo, il 5 febbraio del 301 si recherà a Catania a pregare sul sepolcro di Agata per invocare la sua intercessione sperando così di ottenere la guarigione di sua madre, gravemente malata, Agata le appare in sogno, le conferma la guarigione di sua madre (sua madre ebbe la guarigione), ma anche, le confida, che per lei ci sarà il martirio a causa della sua fede in Cristo: Lucia fu martirizzata il 13 dicembre del 304, durante le persecuzioni di Diocleziano. Quanto detto come incipit del racconto fotografico che qui presento, realizzato in occasione della festa che Catania dedica alla sua Santa Patrona Agata, descritta come la più importante festa religiosa di Catania, considerata anche la terza festa religiosa cattolica al mondo (prime la “Semana Santa” di Siviglia, ed il “Corpus Domini” di Cuzco in Perù), graduatoria che tiene conto del grandissimo numero di persone ogni anno vi partecipano. La festa di Santa’Agata si svolge in più date, dal 3 al 6 febbraio, il 12 febbraio ed il 17 agosto: la ricorrenza di febbraio è legata al suo martirio, quella di Agosto rievoca il ritorno a Catania delle sue spoglie mortali, portate inizialmente a Costantinopoli come bottino di guerra dal generale bizantino Maniace, e li rimaste per 86 anni. La giovane Agata visse nel 3° secolo, apparteneva ad una ricca famiglia patrizia di Catania, sin dalla giovane età aveva abbracciato il culto per la religione cristiana, di lei si invaghì il governatore Quinziano (o Quintiliano), Agata per sfuggirgli si nascose in una sua casa a Palermo, Quinziano riuscì a sapere dove si nascondeva, quindi la fece condurre a Catania, qui i suoi tentativi di piegare la volontà di Agata e farla cedere alle sue lusinghe furono vani, all’ennesimo suo rifiuto egli mutò i suoi propositi, la accusò di essere di religione cristiana, la condannò a morte, non senza averla prima condotta al martirio, le amputò strappandole entrambi i seni, in tal modo oltre allo strazio del dolore fisico, si aggiungeva quello psicologico, umiliando la ragazza nella sua femminilità, poi le diede la morte trascinandola sui carboni ardenti, Agata aveva 20 anni. Dopo la sua morte si iniziò a diffondere il culto verso di lei, anche i pagani iniziarono a venerare la sua figura, si hanno notizie sulle sue origini già a partire dal 252, anno successivo alla sua morte: gli abitanti di Catania erano orgogliosi di questa giovane donna che si ribellò al volere del dittatore. La festa per Sant’Agata inizia il 3 febbraio, si ha la processione “per l’offerta della cera”, escono lungo le vie della città le due settecentesche carrozze del senato trainate da cavalli, fanno la loro comparsa “le candelore”; il 4 febbraio la festa inizia con la “Messa dell’Aurora” che si celebra nella cattedrale, dopo il busto reliquiario della Santa e lo scrigno d’argento, vengono messi sulla “vara” (o “fercolo”), per essere portati in processione nel suo “giro esterno”, la processione inizia attraversando la "Porta Uzeda" e giungendo così agli archi della marina, la processione quindi circoscrive il centro storico della città, recandosi nei luoghi ove avvenne il martirio di Agata; il 5 febbraio si celebra la “Messa Pontificale”, in questa occasione mettendosi in fila nella cattedrale, si può andare a vedere il busto reliquiario della Santa, col sopraggiungere della sera, busto e scrigno, vengono nuovamente messi sulla pesante vara per l’ultima processione, che percorre il “giro interno” (o “giro nobile”), che attraversa il centro storico di Catania, processione preceduta dal passaggio dei ceri accesi portati in spalla dai devoti (di vario peso e dimensioni, alcuni raggiungono dimensioni e peso eccezionali, storicamente questi ceri illuminavano, quando non esisteva l’energia elettrica, il passaggio della Santa), poi passano le “candelore”, sono dei giganteschi e pesanti "candelabri" in legno, in stile barocco, dipinti in oro, ognuna rappresenta una antica corporazione (macellai, pescivendoli, panettieri, pizzicagnoli, fruttivendoli, ecc.), infine passa la vara con Sant’Agata, il momento tanto atteso, col busto reliquiario che racchiude al suo interno alcune parti del suo corpo, le altre parti del corpo si trovano all’interno dello scrigno, in tal modo, con entrambi sulla vara, tutto il corpo di Agata può percorrere le strade della città di Catania. La vara è trainata a mano, dai tantissimi devoti che desiderano partecipare spontaneamente a questo rito così particolare, tramite due grossi cordoni lunghi più di 200 metri, al cui capo sono collegate quattro maniglie. Le fotografie sono state realizzate il 4 ed il 5 febbraio del 2024 e del 2025, esse non sono organizzate in serie tenendo conto né dell’anno, nè delle giornate; ho ottenuto un “effetto di bilocazione” sfruttando differenti punti di ripresa nei due anni, visibile soprattutto quando la vara passa attraverso la Porta Uzeda; ho realizzato ritratti dei devoti, posati e non, in particolare il ritratto di una devota che sembrava quasi rapita in estasi al passaggio di Sant’Agata (e forse lo era veramente), ha rappresentato per me la sintesi assoluta, profonda e concreta dell’attaccamento dei “cittadini” (sinonimo di “devoti”) catanesi nei confronti di questa giovane martire, diventata simbolo di chi si oppone alla violenza sulle donne, e protettrice delle donne ammalate di cancro al seno. Ho fotografato due belle e dolci modelle che impersonavano le “due età di Agata”, con lo scopo di sensibilizzare le donne nella prevenzione delle neoplasie alla mammella (i decori in ceramica in corrispondenza dei seni, sono opera di “Nenè sculture d’arte di Nancy Coco); ho colto in alcune immagini, l’usanza di alcuni devoti, di recare con se immagini di persone care scomparse troppo presto (foto messe sui ceri o stampate sul caratteristico saio bianco, chiamato “sacco”, che fa parte del modo caratteristico di vestire dei devoti); infine ringrazio il proprietario della Beniamin Art Gallery, in via Umberto, artista egli stesso, per avermi dato la possibilità di fotografare l’icona Pop esposta nella sua galleria dal titolo “Aga Pop”.

 

 

upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/1f/Corpo_celeste_post...

  

“……………………………………”

 

“…………………………………..”

 

-----------------------------------------------------------------

 

click to activate the icon of slideshow: the small triangle inscribed in the small rectangle, at the top right, in the photostream;

or…. Press the “L” button to zoom in the image;

clicca sulla piccola icona per attivare lo slideshow: sulla facciata principale del photostream, in alto a destra c'è un piccolo rettangolo (rappresenta il monitor) con dentro un piccolo triangolo nero;

oppure…. premi il tasto “L” per ingrandire l'immagine;

 

Qi Bo's photos on Fluidr

  

Qi Bo's photos on Flickriver

  

www.worldphoto.org/sony-world-photography-awards/winners-...

 

www.fotografidigitali.it/gallery/2726/opere-italiane-segn...

 

…………………………………………………………………

 

St. Paul the Apostle is a very revered saint in the Sicilian town of Palazzolo Acreide, the feast in his honor is celebrated on two occasions (very important periods if referring to peasant civilization), on 29 June (the day I took this photo story this year 2023) date of his martyrdom, and January 25, the date of his conversion to Christianity. The "summer party" of June 29, begins with a particular collection of donut-shaped bread (in Sicilian called "cuddura"), donated by the villagers and collected on a cart, this is the "round of bread", these loaves (called "di San Paolo") have decorations that recall snakes: the reference is always to San Paolo, considered the protector from the poisonous bites of vipers, this is the ancestral legacy of an ancient peasant civilization, the wheat harvest period that coincides with the feast, it makes working in sunburnt fields particularly dangerous; once there were characters to whom supernatural gifts were attributed, they were called "ciarauli", capable of protecting from the venomous bites of the viper (This year, a very nice man of Palazzolo Acreide, who was also present last year, was present at the feast to recall these ancient figures. Instead of little snakes, as was once the custom, he had with him a very calm python, also because it was full). The procession takes the name of "sciuta", with reference to the "exit" from the basilica of San Paolo of two floats, first the float comes out with the relic of the saint, carried on the shoulders by the devotees, immediately after, at 13.00 o'clock the exit of the float takes place with the ancient statue of Saint Paul holding a sword in his hand (the iconography represents him with the sword for two reasons, he was beheaded with a sword stroke, and because he, referring to the word of God, defined it more effective and sharper than a double-bladed sword), at this point they begin among the most spectacular and evocative pyrotechnic games that I have ever seen, we witness a phantasmagoric and kaleidoscopic explosion of colors made with enormous colored confetti and with colored ribbons about two meters long called 'nzareddi, which recall the shape and movement of snakes. During the procession we witness the rite of children who, completely naked, are taken by their parents by the expert hands of two devotees present on the float, they are thus placed in front of St. Paul to ask for his intercession and protection, sometimes these children are adorned with paper money, in fact, the donation of money is part of the rites that accompany the procession. Among these rites is the vow of the "bare shoulder" made by devout bearers, and that of women who walk barefoot by vow. The procession with the two vare then arrives, as a sign of devotion, in the church of the Annunziata.

  

San Paolo Apostolo è un santo molto venerato nel paese siciliano di Palazzolo Acreide, la festa in suo onore viene celebrata in due occasioni (periodi molto importanti se riferiti alla civiltà contadina), il 29 giugno (giorno in cui ho realizzato quest’anno 2023 questo foto-racconto) data del suo martirio, ed il 25 gennaio, data della sua conversione al cristianesimo. La “festa estiva” del 29 giugno, inizia con una particolare raccolta di pane a forma di ciambella (in siciliano detta “cuddura”), donato dai paesani e raccolto su di un carretto, questo è il “giro del pane”, questi pani (detti “di San Paolo”) presentano delle decorazioni che richiamano i serpenti: il riferimento è sempre a San Paolo, ritenuto il protettore dai morsi velenosi delle vipere, questo è il retaggio ancestrale di un’antica civiltà contadina, il periodo della mietitura che coincide con la festa, rende particolarmente pericoloso il lavoro nei campi arsi dal sole; una volta esistevano dei personaggi a cui si attribuivano doti sovrannaturali, erano chiamati “ciarauli”, capaci di proteggere dai morsi velenosi della vipera (quest’anno era presente nella festa, a rievocare queste antiche figure, un simpaticissimo Palazzolese, presente anche l'anno scorso, che al posto delle bisce, come si usava una volta, aveva con se un docilissimo pitone, anche perchè satollo). La processione prende il nome di “sciuta”, con riferimento alla “uscita” dalla basilica di San Paolo di due vare, dapprima esce la vara con la reliquia del santo, portata in spalla dai devoti, subito dopo, alle 13,00 in punto avviene l’uscita della vara con l’antica statua di San Paolo che stringe una spada in pugno (l’iconografia lo rappresenta con la spada per due motivi, egli fu decapitato con un colpo di spada, e perché egli, riferendosi alla parola di Dio, la definiva più efficace e più tagliente di una spada a doppia lama), a questo punto iniziano tra i più spettacolari e suggestivi giochi pirotecnici che io che io abbia mai visto, si assiste ad una fantasmagorica e caleidoscopica esplosione di colori realizzati con enormi coriandoli colorati e con dei nastri colorati lunghi circa due metri chiamati ‘nzareddi, che richiamano la forma ed il movimento dei serpenti. Durante la processione si assiste al rito dei bambini che, completamente nudi, vengono presi dai genitori dalle esperte mani di due devoti presenti sulla vara, vengono così messi al cospetto di San Paolo a chiederne la sua intercessione e protezione, a volte questi bimbi sono adornati con della carta moneta, infatti la donazione di denaro fa parte dei riti che accompagnano la processione. Tra questi riti c’è il voto della “spalla nuda” fatto dai devoti portatori, e quello delle donne che per voto camminano scalze. La processione con le due vare giunge poi, in segno di devozione, nella chiesa dell’Annunziata.

 

………………………………………………………

 

Location: Dhaka, Bangladesh

Meenakshi Amman Temple, Madurai, India

-----------------------------------------------------------------

  

---- .... .... ----

 

---- …. …. ----

 

-----------------------------------------------------------------

 

click to activate the icon of slideshow: the small triangle inscribed in the small rectangle, at the top right, in the photostream;

 

clicca sulla piccola icona per attivare lo slideshow: sulla facciata principale del photostream, in alto a destra c'è un piccolo rettangolo (rappresenta il monitor) con dentro un piccolo triangolo nero;

  

click here - clicca qui

  

the slideshow

  

Qi Bo's photos on Fluidr

  

Qi Bo's photos on Flickriver

  

Qi Bo's photos on FlickeFlu

  

Qi Bo's photos on PICSSR

 

Qi Bo's photos on Flickr Hive Mind

  

www.worldphoto.org/sony-world-photography-awards/winners-...

  

www.fotografidigitali.it/gallery/2726/opere-italiane-segn...

  

-------------------------------------------------------------------

  

Here a series of photos taken on the occasion of Good Friday in the sicilian town of Marsala (Trapani - Sicily).

The Good Friday Procession is less spectacular, less lively than the Holy Representation of Holy Thursday, but that is always very much felt by the population. It is made up of devotees who parade through the city streets following the simulacra of the Madonna Addolorata and the Cristo Morto.

The statue of Our Lady of Sorrows comes out of the Mother Church, in Piazza della Repubblica, and then returns at deep night into the Sanctuary dedicated to her where the faithful will then stop for a final prayer.

 

Qui una serie di foto realizzate in occasione del Venerdì Santo in quel di Marsala (Trapani – Sicilia).

La Processione del Venerdì Santo è meno spettacolare, meno movimentata rispetto alla Sacra Rappresentazione del Giovedì Santo, però molto sentita dalla popolazione. E’ composta da devoti che sfilano per le vie cittadine seguendo i simulacri della Madonna Addolorata e del Cristo Morto.

La statua della Madonna Addolorata esce dalla Chiesa Madre, in Piazza della Repubblica, per poi rientrare a notte fonda nel Santuario a lei dedicato ove i fedeli si fermeranno infine per un'ultima preghiera.

 

Place I Haridwar

 

“Photography is truth.” ~ Jean-Luc Godard

 

People

People who need people

Are the luckiest people in the world.

There's children needing other children

And yet letting our grown up pride

Hide all the need inside

Acting more like children, than children.

 

Lovers are very special people

They're the luckiest people in the world

With one person, one very special person

A feeling deep in your soul

That said you were half and now you're whole

No more hunger and thirst

But first be a person who needs people

People who need people

Are the luckiest people

In the world

 

The one who does all works for Me, and to whom I am the supreme goal, who is my devotee, who has no attachment, and is free from enmity towards any being attains Me, O Arjuna.” - Bhagavad Gita

 

Taken at Goa almost 2 years back.... When i was skimming through my archive, I found this. Interestingly this was taken with Canon Powershot S2

 

MUST SEE on Black

A Jain devotee in white ceremonial robe gesturing his friend to come over. They are praying and performing rituals with a priest at the foot of a 17.5 meters statue of Jain deity. Jain temple at Vindhyagiri Hill, Sravanabelagola, Karnataka, India.

1 2 4 6 7 ••• 79 80