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.

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