From March 16-24th this year is a holiday called Ramayana Week. The holiday ends on March 24th - the birthday of the god Ram. In Delhi (and much of North India) it coincides with another holiday called Vasant (or Chitra) Navratri. It celebrates the Goddess Durga, Lakshmi & Saraswati. They are worshiped during this time and it is celebrated like a small Durga Puja (it was the original timing of Durga Puja that was later changed to Oct-Nov time).
The Ramayan is considered one of the two great epic stories of India (the other is the Mahabharata), so during Ramayana Week, many people celebrate by reading the entire Ramayan. In many temples there is someone reading or reciting it non-stop for the entire 9 days. Many Hindus fast during this time (either the entire week or just on the 24th) and will eat only fruits and milk.
Please pray for the people of Delhi during this time! Whenever it is holiday time in Delhi, people are more likely to want to talk about spiritual things.
Please also pray for the Christians during this time. Pray that they will not be afraid and hide during this time, but that they will be bold and share their faith with their Hindu friends and neighbors.
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