0295977078. Anthropological Papers Of The American Museum Of Natural History

0295977078. Anthropological Papers Of The American Museum Of Natural History Series; B & W and Color; 8.9 X 7.0 X 1.3 inches; vii, 326 pages; Soft cover has a tan spine with brown lettering. NEW. Pages are clean and tight. Illustrated with 86 color and b/w pictures. The 3000-year-old Hindu tradition is a masterpiece of human thought, but to understand modern Hinduism, one must go to the ordinary people in the villages. Festivals are the most visible feature of village Hinduism. The relationship to family life, the agricultural year, and to the everyday concerns of village people are clearly seen in offerings to deities, gifts exchanged between relatives, songs, drama, and storytelling. Hindu Festivals in a North Indian Village describes each festival, tracing its relationship to other important village institutions, such as caste, kinship, and seasonal agricultural activities. The authors include comparisons with practices in other villages and references to Indian and Hindu history, mythology, astronomy, and astrology. Notes; references; index.