Uncle John's Briefs by Bathroom Readers' Institute

Author:Bathroom Readers' Institute [ Bathroom Readers’ Institute]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781607106494
Publisher: Portable Press

Karmit Tzubera and Dror Orpaz won a kissing contest in 1999. Time: 30 hours, 45 minutes.

WHERE’S YOUR MECCA?

You’ve probably heard of the pilgrimage to the city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia that is a requirement of the Islamic faith. But have you heard about the Kumbh Mela? How about the…

HOLY SITE: Sites around Mecca, Saudi Arabia

THE JOURNEY: The Hajj pilgrimage is the duty of all Muslims, if they are physically and financially able to make the journey. It always takes place in the 12th (and holy) month of the Islamic year, Ramadan. Some requirements of the Hajj: Pilgrims are not allowed to hunt, wear perfume, have marital relations, or argue; they must walk around the Ka’aba—the ancient mosque said to be built by Islam’s patriarch, Abraham, and his son Ishmael—seven times. (The Ka’aba is the direction that all Muslims face during prayer.) They must also stone the three pillars of Jamraat, which represent Satan, symbolizing Abraham’s rejection of temptation. More than 2 million people make the Hajj to Mecca every year.

HOLY SITES: Four cities in India

THE JOURNEY: The Kumbh Mela is the world’s largest religious pilgrimage. It centers around a Hindu myth: Long ago the gods and demons fought a battle over the Kumbh, a pitcher containing the nectar of immortality. During the battle, four drops of nectar spilled onto the Earth. Those drops fell in the Indian cities of Allahabad, Nasik, Ujjain, and Haridwar. Every three years a mela (fair) is held in one of the cities, rotating so that each is visited every 12 years. The Guinness Book of World Records called Allahabad’s 1989 gathering “the largest number of human beings to ever assemble with a common purpose in the entire history of mankind.” An estimated 25 million people—nearly the population of Canada—attended.

HOLY SITE: Ise Jingu (The Grand Shrine of Ise), Mie, Japan

THE JOURNEY: The Ise Jingu is the Shinto shrine dedicated to Amaterasu Omikami, the Great Sun Goddess and mythological ancestor of the Japanese royal family. In the 600s A.D., Emperor Temmu declared it the most important shrine in Shintoism. At first, only Japanese royalty were allowed in, but it in the 1600s it was opened to the public. Ise Jingu also has the distinction of being one of the oldest—and newest—pilgrimage sites in the world. Every 20 years it undergoes shikinen sengu—all the shrine’s buildings are destroyed and rebuilt, using the same construction techniques that were used 13 centuries ago. (The next shikinen sengu is in 2013.) Today more than 6 million make the trip every year, with more than a million showing up around New Years Day alone.

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