Willie the Wildcat Visits China with Mrs. Lu and Mr. Quinn

Willie - make slideshow<

Willie Visits Agra

To cap off his trip to India, our fuzzy traveler had the opportunity to visit Agra, India, home of the world famous Taj Mahal.

Our beloved Willie riding a bumpy camel.  The camel seems pleased to have Willie as his passenger though.

In many parts of India, tanga or the horse cart is still one of the means of transport.. Here you can see Willie enjoying his tanga ride.

Willie at the Red Fort: Agra Fort is a UNESCO World Heritage site , it was built by Emperor Akbar in red sandstone, hence deriving its name. 

Shailesh and Willie Explore More of India

Willie enjoyed some more quality time in India over winter break.  This time he visited south India with his pal, Sailesh.  Check out our furry friend's latest adventures!

Diwali is Finally Here!!!

It’s DIWALI!!!!!!! Diwali starts with offering prayers to Lord Ganesha and Goddess Lakshmi. Here is Willie all set to participate in pooja (prayer session). He is just going to light the diyas (clay lamps) purchased at the bazaar.  Let’s get lucky!  As it’s a festival of lights and prosperity, in some parts of the Punjab region, it's considered lucky to buy lottery tickets. Just to keep up with the tradition , Willie was our lucky mascot with his very own lottery ticket.

Willie here is all set for our traditional Diwali pooja (prayer session).  Look at the fruit.  Remember when Ritika's mom brought in the miniature bananas for us to enjoy on Diwali?  This is a very traditional practice that occurs in lots of Indian homes.  Just think about how we were able to do something culturally similar to millions of people half-way around the world from us?  Pretty neat :)!

Finally it’s time to burst the fire crackers......YAY..... We all had so much fun bursting crackers... We are sure Willie enjoyed this experience of Diwali, the festival of lights in India.

The pics which we have sent are as per tradition generally followed in our region of Punjab... India, as you know, with its large population is a very culturally diverse and rich country. Every state has different traditions to celebrate Diwali. We hope Willie had as much fun on Diwali as we had by having him.

Here Comes Diwali!

To celebrate Diwali with the whole family, we went from Chandigarh to Dhuri, a town in Punjab. Willie accompanied us. Here he is, sharing space with statues of Lord Ganesha
(The Elephant God) and Goddess Lakshmi.

All bright and shiny.... Willie is in front of “Kandeel,” decorative lanterns made up of paper

It's time to get ready for the action!  As we prepared for Diwali, we bought firecrackers at the bazaar.  Willie even got to choose which "crackers" we purchased.  He chose the "eco-friendly" type.  Good for Willie :)!  

Willie here is with the potter, who made the “diya” with mud.   Diyas are small, clay pots that are used as little lamps at Diwali.  In India, they still make the diyas by hand. You can see the different types of diyas in front of Willie.

Question from Mr. Piper:
Based on our knowledge of Indian culture and the Indian economy, what is the term that is used to describe the type of industry commonly found in India where people make goods by hand either individually or alongside their families and neighbors in their villages?

Willie Having Fun With Statutes

Willie is having fun with the dancing statues. These statues are wearing the traditional dress of Punjab.  In India, every state has a different culture, hence their language, dress and customs change.

In this pic Willie is with statues from Bengal (Bride in red and Groom in white). In the background you will see a small prayer table with photos of Hindu gods and goddesses.

The Onset of Diwali

Dhanteras:

Onset of Diwali –Dhanteras

Two days before Diwali, Dhanteras is celebrated. On this day people buy things made up of metal (any kind of metal like gold, silver, bronze and iron) like utensils jewelery or vehicles. Willie participated in the Dhanteras festivities.

 

Willie helps make a rangoli

Rangoli are decorative designs made of flowers and/or colored sand.  Rangoli are often found during Diwali on doorsteps of houses and at the places where idols/pictures of gods/goddesses are kept to welcome them (the gods) during the Pooja (prayer time).  Ranglois were made with foot prints of Goddess Lakshmi (Goddess of Prosperity). From this day onward festivities for Diwali starts and people decorate their houses with lights and offering prayers to God with sweets and dry fruits.