TITLE:
Dialectics of Sacrificing and Worshiping Animals in Hindu Festivals of Nepal
AUTHORS:
Bishnu Prasad Dahal
KEYWORDS:
Dialectic, Worshiping, Sacrifice, Dashain, Tihar., Religion, Cultural Ecology, Dialectical Anthropology, Symbolic Anthropology, Socio-Cultural System, Etic, Emic
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Anthropology,
Vol.10 No.2,
April
30,
2020
ABSTRACT: The aim of this paper is to explore the basic trend of dialectic in animal worshipping and sacrificing in Nepali cultural festivals; mainly worshipping and sacrificing dialectics, material and spiritual dialectics: from early date to the present day. This can never be denied that it is dialectics or contradictory approach which might be thought to be the basic tenet of its socio-scientific ameliorations. Dialectics, here, is used as to be synonymous with contradictions or debate, mainly in the behavioral pattern of people in specific culture. Dialectics is used as the gap between idea cultural beliefs and behavior of people in Hindu cultural context. From Hegalian dialectic perspective to Marxist dialectic perspective and even if Harris dialectic model of cultural materialism, it is found that Dashain and Tihar, what we are celebrating nowadays, are dialectic materialistic in nature. It has great significance ecological, economic and adaptive socio-culturally, bio-psychological, but still it is perceived as religiously. Religion provides societal glue, because it offers people meaning and purpose for their lives and it gives certain values and meanings. That’s why people believe in religion either for “hope” or by “fear”. In fact, religious rituals are practices required or expected of members of a faith. Rituals usually honor the divine power (or powers) worshipped by believers; the) also remind adherents of their religious duties and responsibilities. Both worshipping and sacrificing animals or cattle in cultural context are determined by their dialectism in it.