For this project, I decided to attend the overnight Diwali festival celebration at the Virginia Hindu Temple in Sterling on November 11, 2015. I come from an extremely pious family. Both my parents were born in Pakistan and grew up with a strict Islamic background. They were taught to pray five times a day on a daily basis and to respect all Islamic principles. As a result, I was raised the same way. After learning about the Hindu faith in class and as Diwali approached, I thought it would be a good idea to take part in the celebration to observe the festivities and compare them to Islamic rituals. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay My neighbor and I arrived at the temple about 10 minutes before the first event started. The temple itself was simply inside a small warehouse. The event began when a priest slowly entered the room holding the idol in his hand. Another priest waved the idol and chanted loudly, presumably praising the deity. A man rang a bell as the priests sat the idol down. At the same time, the participants slowly walked behind the priests and sat in two scattered rows, with a space in between. Most of the participants wore traditional clothes while others were casual. The two priests who animated the event continued to sing and clap while the participants did the same. After several minutes of chanting, the priests gave a lecture on the importance of Diwali. They talked about the meaning of worshiping Lakshmi as the goddess of wealth and prosperity, as well as the story of Diwali, which is celebrated in honor of Rama's victory in a war of good against evil. Shortly after the lessons, the priests began chanting again while placing numerous garlands around the idol. They lit more candles and incense as the tone of their chants became meditative. The priests waved the food in front of the idol and turned off the lights while they continued chanting for a few more minutes. They stopped abruptly and turned on the lights, signaling the end of the puja. Afterwards, the priests offered sweets and snacks to the participants and led them outside while lighting the fireworks. They also provided toys for the children to play with after the event was over. Overall, the service atmosphere was very joyful throughout the course. There were around 50 people who took part in the service and the vast majority of them were Indians, although I noticed a few people of different ethnicities too. I realized that there was no discrimination of any kind as men and women sat freely together. Based on their clothing, the participants appeared to be middle class. I personally decided not to participate in the service and felt more comfortable observing it from a distance. In terms of emotion, I felt a little anxious about all the noise, but basically, at the end of the puja, I felt relieved and happy. I was very surprised by the courtesy of all the participants despite all the confusion. The kids weren't rude either, even in the slightest. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay During my visit to this temple, I was able to develop a better understanding of the group's own values ​​through my observations. By participating in this service, I learned that equality among participants is an important aspect of temple rituals. During the entire event, no people.