Jainism

Sophomore Riti Vora, sophomore fashion merchandise major, is part of a Hindu religion called Jain. Vora believes in 24 gods, all with different functions. For example, Ganesh is the God of Luck and Mahivir is the God of Jainism.

According to Hindu beliefs, all animals are sacred, so Vora is a vegetarian.

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The Bhagavad-Gita is the text of the Hindu religion. The symbol of the Jain faith is the Ohm, which represents peace.

When it comes to praying, Vora is not completely consistent.

“I pray before tests and travel for good luck,” she says. “But if I lived in India we would go to temple every day before school.”

There are many traditional holidays celebrated through the year. Paryushan is an eight-day festival of Jain values in August or September.

“In it, we celebrate Mahivir’s birthday,” Vora says.

Diwali is the Festival of Lights and is celebrated in October. Uttarayan is the celebration of the arrival of the end of winter or the beginning of warm weather and is observed Jan. 14. Everyone flies kites in honor of upcoming warm weather. Holi, celebrated in March, is the welcoming of spring with colors.

“I pray before tests and travel for good luck. But if I lived in India we would go to temple every day before school.”

Weddings are elaborate celebrations in Hindu religions. They are often still arranged in India.

“My parents had an arranged marriage in India,” Vora says. She is very thankful she will not have the same experience.

Vora was born in Ahmedabad Gujrat, India, and moved to Ohio when she was 5 years old.

“My parents wanted a better life for us,” Vora says.

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