Wednesday, September 10, 2008

ABC Wednesday - H for Homa

Homa (also known as homam or havan) is a Sanskrit word which refers to any ritual in which making offerings into a consecrated fire is the primary action. The words homa/homam/havan are interchangeable with the word Yagna. Homas are an important religious practise in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism.
Although a consecrated fire is the central element of every homa ritual, the procedure and items offered to the fire vary by what occasions the ceremony, or by the benefit expected from the ritual. Procedures invaribly involve -

* the kindling and consecration of the sacrificial fire;
* the invocation of one or more divinities; and,
* the making of offerings (whether real or visualized) to them via the fire, amid the recitation of prescribed prayers and mantras.

The consecrated fire forms the focus of devotions and it is often maintained on specific types of wood and other combustibles.
The arrangement is centered in the middle of a space, which may be either outdoors or indoors. The principal people performing the ceremony and the priests who instruct them through the rituals seat themselves around the altar, while family, friends and other devotees form a larger ring around that center.

For more 'H' pictures around the world click here

21 comments:

  1. Good choice for the letter H and ver informative.

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  2. This is fascinating to see and learn about! Thank you.

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  3. That was very cool. Wonderful commentary and a FANTASTIC photo. Happy ABC Wednesday!

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  4. Thank you for your very educational and informed post for ABC Wednesday letter H.

    Bear((( )))

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  5. This is very interesting and informative. I wonder how often such a ceremony is done and is it performed in a temple or religious building?

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  6. merci pour les explications. belle photo de ce feu, et c'est pas facile de prendre le feu en photo car il mange toute la lumière.

    thank you for explanations. beautiful picture of this fire, and it is not easy to take the fire photo because it eats any light.

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  7. A fine picture for an informative post - thank you.
    Our ritual involved leaping the fire at certain times of the year.

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  8. Another beautifully written and photographed post. I really enjoy learning about these things - and thank you for all the information on the Ganesh celebration, too.

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  9. slick, slick post. quite different from my usual day to day over here. cool :)

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  10. Learned something new again! : D

    Nice photo of the flames!

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  11. That was very instructive...I've learned something new. I like the photo's composition.

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  12. Kindling and things like that are hard to imagine these days. We used to sometimes use corn cobs to start fires. This is just a nice photo.

    My post for H (hair) is over at Canon Pixels

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  13. Excellent topical post - and I love the photo.
    I wonder if this is where our word "homage" comes from?

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  14. Very informative post! Great photo too!

    Thanks for your visiting and comment on my first ABC Wednesday participation.

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  15. I have been curious about this, I have some of the papers used, they're pretty with gold and silver on them, but haven't used them to burn.
    Thanks for sharing..

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  16. interesting post. 'Homa' - I will try to remember this word.:)

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  17. sorry I am so late...a fascinating choice for ABC Wednesday! We learn so much each visit.

    Thanks so much.

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