The impact of the Hindu festival of Ram Navmi on the cultural identity of Hindu married women in the South African Diaspora
Hindus constitute a minority that makes up the diverse South African population. One of the challenges faced by Hindus is the question of preserving their cultural identity, which they perceive as an important component of their existence. Cultural identity has been defined by combining many identit...
| Authors: | ; |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| WorldCat: | WorldCat |
| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Univ.
2007
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| In: |
Nidān
Year: 2007, Issue: 19, Pages: 23-35 |
| Further subjects: | B
Legends and myths
B Festivals B Perceptions of dress B Lord Rama B Religio-cultural value |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (kostenfrei) |
| Summary: | Hindus constitute a minority that makes up the diverse South African population. One of the challenges faced by Hindus is the question of preserving their cultural identity, which they perceive as an important component of their existence. Cultural identity has been defined by combining many identity patterns such as dress, language, food, religion and culture that are fast disappearing due to educational, political, economic and social influences. Hindu married women are traditionally perceived as ""cultural custodians"" who maintain the value system in their families. Hence Hindu women are faced with the challenge to embrace other cultures and at the same time to maintain their Hindu identity. The pertinence of the cultural and religious lives of Hindu married women is expressed through the observance of religio-cultural festivals with particular reference to the Ram Navmi festival. This paper attempts to illustrate that a critical study of the Ram Navmi festival reveals that down the ages, Hindu married women have used it as instruments to maintain their cultural identity and to uphold the Hindu religio-cultural value system. |
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| ISSN: | 2414-8636 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Nidān
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.58125/nidan.2007.1 |