DECK THE HOLIDAY'S

Pilgrimages in Hindu     In India there a lot of sacred places which are called places of thirtha and the action of going on a pilgrimage is called thirtha-yatra. The Sanskrit word "thirtha" means river ford, steps to a river, or place of pilgrimage . In Vedi times the world may have concerned only those sacred places associated with rivers and water, but by the time of the Mahabharata, thirtha had come to denote any holy place, be it a lake, mountain, forest, or cave. The Hindus believe that thirthas are more than physical locations. They believe them to be spirituals fords, the meeting place of heaven and earth, the locations where one crosses over the river of samsara (the endless cycle of birth, death, and rebirth) to reach the distant shore of liberation, the Omnipotence . Why Do They Go On Pilgrimages?     Vedas and Puranas state the reasons for going on pilgrimages. Hinduism finds the image of godhood in the Murthy (statue or symbol). Henc

   Disputed in the last Sunday in June, it is undoubtedly the event the Pisans feel most strongly about . On that one day they once more discover the heated opposition between the factions, ready to root for the colors of their own Magistratura (or Court. The ‘Magistratura’ is the political-military organization of a quarter or of the team which participates in the Game). The Gioco del Ponte virtually closes the events of the Giugno Pisano, reproposing, in the magnificent setting of the lungarni which are jammed with people (generally there are no less than 100,000 spectators, sometimes many more) the ancient historical opposition between the Parties of Mezzogiorno (south of the Arno) and Tramontana (north of the river). The actual battle is preceded by a historical procession with participants wearing period armature and costumes (around 750 in Spanish style) and with the banners of the participating teams of the four ‘historical’ quarters of Pisa, represented on the city p