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I know 😆 but I just fell in love na...vo 3 months se nahi tha 🤣

No , but I will 😳

did u have lunch?

Celebrations are a way of human life. But some are so strange, it questions the very definition of the concept. The Bani Festival celebrated at the Devaragattu Temple in the Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh illustrates the point. Every Dusshera, hundreds of lathi -wielding devotees from Andhra and Karnataka gather at this temple to hit each each other on the heads at midnight! Drenched in blood, these men go on with the celebration till the beak of dawn, to commemorate the killing of a demon by Mala-Malleshwara (Shiva). According to the temple priest, this festival has been celebrated for over a 100 years, and earlier axes and spears were used instead of lathis ! This year, 56 people were injured during Bani. Medical attendants and policemen are deployed during this festival but they mostly remain spectators, in the face of the the extreme frenzy.

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Fact, they say, is stranger than fiction. The ritual of walking on fire proves it. Originating in Tamil Nadu, the practice of Theemithi has spread to Sri Lanka, Singapore and South Africa as well. Theemithi is part of a larger ceremony stretching over a two-and-a-half month period where parts of the Mahabharata is re-enacted, totalling up to 18 distinguishable rites. The festival of Theemithi is a celebration of Draupadi, wife of the Pandavas. After the Battle of Kurukshetra, Draupadi walked across a bed of fire and emerged as fresh as a flower. Theemithi is a re-enactment of the same, and is believed to grant a wish or blessing by the goddess.

If Bull-Fighting reminds you of Spanish matadors, think again. A more rustic and dangerous form of the sport has been played in India for over a century now. Jallikattu is a part of Pongal celebrations. Jallikattu bulls are raised wild and special care is taken to feed and exercise them, so they develop into sturdy beasts fit for fighting. Hundreds of men chase the bull, trying to snatch the prize from its horns. Unlike Spanish bull-fighting, the bull isn't killed in Jallikattu. It is the matador who is left vulnerable, because he cannot carry weapons and the bulls' horns are sharpened. In the past two decades, over 200 people have died indulging in this dangerous sport.

Casteism has been one of India's oldest problems. While the society has changed and condemns such unwarranted discrimination, many still hold on to it. The Kukke Subramania Temple has a strange centuries old tradition called Madey Snana or Spit Bath. Those from lower castes roll on the floor over food leftovers of Brahmins on banana leaves, to rid themselves of various ailments. This practice was banned in 2010, but it had to be lifted in 2011 after protests by the Malekudiya tribe. The ritual has been categorised as a blind belief in the proposed Karnataka Prevention of Superstitious Practices Bill (2013) after progressive leaders and liberals in the state upped their ante against the controversial practice.

Just as they had shown in Lagaan, rains are a big deal in India. A lot of lives depend on it. No wonder no stone is left unturned to please the rain god into sending his showers of blessings. Frog weddings have been reported in villages across Assam and Maharashtra, while in Karnataka, donkeys are married. Some places have even reported dog weddings. These weddings are a big celebration where all Hindu marriage rituals are observed and the marriage is conducted by a priest.