A Cultural Anthropological Study of the Changes in Urban Festivals in Northern and Western India

20世纪90年代以后，在印度的城市里，一种新的印度教节日变得相当流行。这些节日的特点是；1.它们不是由传统社会关系的基础来庆祝，而是由自愿的个人来庆祝。2.组织机构和听众有明确的界限。3.节日的娱乐性增强了。据推测，城市节日的流行与当代印度的社会政治形势密切相关，如经济的快速增长，城市新兴中产阶级的增加，消费文化的繁荣，印度教民族主义的繁荣。该项目旨在从人类学的角度调查印度北部和西部地区新城市节日的传播及其社会政治背景，这些地区的现代化和印度教民族主义的兴起都是引人注目的。该项目还在村庄和穆斯林中进行了实地调查，以便与城市印度教中产阶级进行比较。结果，以下几点变得清晰起来；1.这种消费文化甚至渗透到当地城镇。2.每个城市的印度教节日都有很多新的娱乐元素。3.这些新的节日受到城市年轻中产阶级的广泛支持，变得更加华丽和流行。4.当代社会现代化已向农村延伸。另一方面，穆斯林节日中的庆祝活动受到限制，以反对重新考虑伊斯兰习俗的盛行。此外，城市节日的流行与印度教民族主义运动之间的相关性强度在不同城市之间差别很大。这种现象似乎反映了每个城市的社会构成和政治状况的多样性。考虑到每个城市不同的历史背景和社会构成，有必要仔细研究印度教民族主义与城市社会动态的关系。

In Indian cities after 1990's a new kind of Hindu festivals became considerably popular. The features of these festivals are ; 1.They are celebrated not by the basis of traditional social relationship but by voluntary individuals. 2.Organizing bodies and audience are clearly demarcated. 3.Entertaining nature of festivals has become intensified. The popularity of urban festivals is surmised to be closely related with contemporary Indian socio-political situation, such as rapid economic growth, increase of the new urban middle class, flourishing of consumer culture, and prosperity of the Hindu nationalism.This project aimed to investigate the spread of new urban festivals and its socio-political background from anthropological point of view in the northern and western India where both the modernization and the rise of the Hindu nationalism are remarkable. The project also did field works among villages and Muslims in order to compare with the urban Hindu middle class.As a result, the following points became clear ; 1.The consumer culture has penetrated even in local towns. 2.New entertaining elements tend to be abundantly taken in Hindu festivals in every city. 3.These new festivals are widely supported by urban young middle class and become more gorgeous and popular. 4.The contemporary social modernization has extended over rural area. On the other hand, festivities among Muslim festivals became to be restrained against the prevalence of reconsideration on Islamic practices. Besides, the intensity of correlation between the popularity of urban festivals and the Hindu nationalism movement is widely different from one city to another. This phenomenon seems to reflect the variety of social composition and political situation of each city. It will be necessary to investigate minutely the relationship of Hindu nationalism and the dynamics of urban society, considering different historical background and social composition of each city.