Behind-the-scenes notes from the Land Of Festivals research team. Fieldwork stories, source discoveries, methodological reflections, and festival observations.
In 1896, the British ethnographer W. Crooke documented something remarkable in the hills of Mirzapur. The Dravidian tribes there did not celebrate Holi — but on the exact same date, they burned a stake in a ceremony called Sambat Jalana, "the burning of the old year." This practice may represent a pre-Hindu festival layer that predates the Holi we know by centuries — perhaps millennia. Read more →
Millions of Indian workers in the Gulf celebrate Diwali, Eid, and Onam every year — but almost zero scholarly literature documents how. This is the largest under-documented festival population in the world. We're assembling a research protocol. Can you help? →
Goan children are told that church bells "fly to Rome" during the Easter Triduum. Kerala Christians eat unleavened bread descended from Jewish Passover traditions. Northeast choirs rehearse for months. Indian Easter is far richer than the Anglo-American version most Indians encounter in malls and movies.