Jewel of the Crown

Saturday was Sankrant, a Hindu festival. The true purpose of the holiday is not known, but usually people say women celebrate it to honor their husbands. But others say it is a day when women celebrate themselves. Us girls finally got to wear our saris! The women of the mess hall helped us put them on. Afterwards, we drove over to the temples. The temples were filled with women and little girls. Swarms of women came to us and showered us in sesame and blessed us with their red and yellow powders, and gave us tiny sugar balls to eat. By the time I got back, my whole forehead was redd. It was definitely a great experience to dress up and be part of a huge festival exclusively for women.