OK. So at 12:00AM I could hear bells and pooja chants begin...so I ventured outside. When people build houses here, before they move in, they have these big ceremonies and family will travel from all over the country to come dedicate the house to the gods here. This is the new house across the street from my place decorated for the pooja worship.

They do the pooja worship in order to keep evil away from their homes. My presence was readily accepted by my new neighbors and I got to take in the Indian custom. I asked why it was taking place at this time of night...they said it was the best time for this worship. Here are some pictures...

Hindu priests setting up offering area at the front steps of the house.











Their feet among the offerings...









                                                  
        
  Inside the house, and Hindu priest watches as the owner pours dahe on the fire...

The smoke is supposed to chase off evil things...so they burn this fire and previously the Hindu priests were sitting around it chanting and throwing things into it...Everyone moved inside and participated in bowing down to the gods around the fire...they showed me around the house and the smoke was so thick my eyes were burning so we had to go up out on the terrace...












So, everyone left the house at 1:30 AM to "take their dinner" and I was told I could go for the evening since I had already "taken my dinner". I was invited to come back for the morning pooja at 6:30AM...I think I will drag myself out of bed to attend this pooja to see what takes place. We talked about what Americans did when they built a house. I told them "we just move in". They thought that was interesting.