Except on the Dashara holiday all the amusements are carried on at night, while the ordinary daily pursuits are attended to in the daytime. After Dashara everything is comparatively quiet for about a fortnight, except that the ladies are making preparations for the approaching grand day, by cooking and baking sweets, cakes, etc., for, in India, women of the highest class would not mind cooking. In fact, it is an accomplishment which every lady is supposed to possess. Thus, spending the evenings in feasting and singing, we reach the thirteenth day of the dark half of the month Ashwin. (In India every month is divided into two parts, the dark half and the bright half, the full-moon day and the new-moon day being starting points; thus, the day following the full-moon day is the first day of the dark half of a month, and so on). The thirteenth day and the three following days are wholly devoted to amusements and enjoyment.
The thirteenth day is called Dhanteras, i.e., the thirteenth day set apart for the worship of "Lakshmi", the goddess of wealth. Rich people co llect different kinds of jewels, precious stones, coins, etc., and put them carefully into a box. These they never use for any other purpose than that of worship. Each year an addition is made to this collection. The worship, i.e., the external worship--for who, save a select few, is there who does not at heart covet, or in other words, worship money? -- consists in washing the money with water and milk, and then decorating it with flowers and kumkum, i.e., red ochre. The fourteenth day is called Kali-Chaudash; but this day people get up before the break of day, and even the laziest person is required to take a good bath; the mother even compels her little children to take a bath, though it is the winter season. On the night of KaliChaudash, cemeteries are supposed to be visited by a procession of ghosts. Persons affecting to believe in ghosts would go to these places to see their ghost friends. Timid ones would not stir out of their houses lest they should see a ghost.
The Vegetarian, 28-3-1891
=== Some Indian Festivals
