SCHOOLS

Dear Friends

This is only my thoughts put on paper. Nothing personal.

School is a place where many children study and come out as good human beings out into the world. They are moulded and shaped to fit into society. It is an important stage in a persons life.

When the child is over one the mother and father are worried as to where to admit the child and the documents necessary to put the child into school. They start collecting the papers from this stage onwards. It is a hard job for the parents who are staying on rent or parents who are temporarily in a place. But I am not telling this is a bad idea. But it is a strain on the parent. They have to prepare documents to put the child into a good school. It has to be for the past six years. One way this is a good idea if things are done in the proper way.

Entering the child to a school is a big procedure. I feel that sometimes it is not necessary too because most of them are not genuine. The parents who have the correct papers are rejected and the ones with forged documents are taken into the school. They also charge a high donation which most of the parents find it difficult to pay. Some are not done in the straight way.

Most of the children have the problem of getting a good school due to various problems. Some are man-made problems. Another aspect that I feel not necessary is rating the percentage of the different races. In this way many do not get the closest school.

My idea is that in the future, to maintain peace and harmony in this country is to have all communities studying in the school. They should not differentiate among the races and religions. All should get the same treatment. They should put it into the child's head that there is no Sinhalese, Muslims, Tamils and Christians, but that all are SRI LANKANS. They should start this in schools first. Then I think the growing generations will not have communal problems. The country too will benefit from this.

The Principals in the respective schools should understand the culture and the background of the child and go according to that. There are some heads and teachers who force the child to do what they should not do. These things cause a non friendly atmosphere. We all should understand the other ones religion and act accordingly. If PEACE, UNDERSTANDING and HARMONY are maintained in the schools it will carry a long way. The home environment is also important. All should make the world a better place to live in.

I hope that no one takes this personally. I wish that all children are given a good education and background beginning from the home environment to the school environment. All should learn and not misuse the government funds. They should make use of the knowledge they get to do the correct things in life and be useful citizens. I wish all the future generations GOOD LUCK.

AYURVEDA

Ayurveda, the 'science of life is a system of traditional medicine native to the Indian Subcontinent and practiced in other parts of the world as a form of alternative medicine. In Sanskrit, the word Ayurveda consists of the words āyus, meaning 'life', and veda, meaning 'related to knowledge' or 'science'. Evolving throughout its history, Ayurveda remains an influential system of medicine in South Asia. The earliest literature of Ayurveda appeared during the Vedic period in India. The Sushruta Samhita and the Charaka Samhita were influential works on traditional medicine during this era. Ayurvedic practitioners also identified a number of medicinal preparations and surgical procedures for curing various ailments and diseases.

As per Indian heritage and science, "Ayurveda" is an Upaveda or annexure to the four main vedas (knowledge systems). The famous treaties of Ayurveda are Charaka Samhita by Sage Charaka, which details the prevention and treatment of disease, and Sushruta Samhita of Sage Sushruta, which deals with Ayurvedic surgical procedures. In the Ayurvedic system, the prevention of all types of disease has a prominent place in treatment, including restructuring a patient's lifestyle to align with the course of nature and the four seasons to guarantee complete wellness.

Ayurveda is considered to be a form of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) within the western world, where several of its methods, such as the use of herbs, massage, and Yoga as exercise or alternative medicine, are applied on their own as a form of CAM treatment.

In SRI LANKA too there are many qualified doctors who know the subject well. They too have their own hospitals and are very famous among many people.

MUSIC

Music is a form of relaxation to ones mind and body. It plays an important role in a persons life.

There are different types of music. There is the pop, classical, rap, country, and other types. In different countries music varies. It also varies according to ones culture and religion. Different people enjoy a different type of music. In each country they have created their own style and way of enjoying music. At weddings, engagements, parties and other occasions people have music to add beauty to the place.

Although some people are against music, I feel that there is nothing wrong in enjoying music. It is a kind of balm for troubled minds, tired beings, and lonely people. All age groups enjoy music.

The people of Sri Lanka also have a liking towards music. At weddings, birthdays and other parties they have their own way of music to suit the occasion and the people.
To wind up I would like to tell that music is as important as other things in life. All should listen to it and see how it works like a medicine.

Wishing all luck with the coming New Year. Enjoy the day with some good music.

MUSIC IN GENERAL.

Music is an art form whose medium is sound. Common elements of music are pitch (which governs melody and harmony), rhythm (and its associated concepts tempo, meter, and articulation), dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture. The word derives from Greek word "mousike"

The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of music vary according to culture and social context. Music ranges from strictly organized compositions (and their recreation in performance), through improvisational music to aleatoric forms. Music can be divided into genres and subgenres, although the dividing lines and relationships between music genres are often subtle, sometimes open to individual interpretation, and occasionally controversial. Within "the arts", music may be classified as a performing art, a fine art, and auditory art.
To many people in many cultures music is an important part of their way of life.

Music is known to be pleasant to the ears. Many people love music as it is a form of healing to the troubles minds.

MUSIC OF SRI LANKA.

The music of Sri Lanka originates in cultural traditions deriving from three influences: the religious practices of Buddhism, the aftereffects of Portuguese colonization, and the commercial and historical influence of Indian culture - specifically, Bollywood cinema. The Theravada sect of Buddhism has influenced Sri Lankan Music since Buddhism arrived in Sri Lanka two millennia ago.
Portuguese colonizers arrived centuries after the Buddha, in the mid 1400s, bringing with them cantiga ballads, ukuleles and guitars; as well as desendants of africa (referred to, historically, as kaffrinhas), who brought with them a style of music now referred to as baila. The people of these two regions, and the musical traditions they brought with them, served to contribute further to the diverse musical roots of modern Sri Lankan music

There are sets of folk poems (kavi) unique to members of different castes (farmers, cart drivers, miners, etc). These originated as a way to pass time for the individual groups as they engaged in their work. Today, they are sung as a form of cultural expression.
Kavi also exists that accompany folk rituals. The rituals are rarely performed today but the songs survive among folk musicians.
Another traditional Sri Lankan folk style is called the virindu. It involves an improvised poem sung to the beaten melody of a rabana. In the past there were contests in which two virindu singers would compete with verse

Western Music

Western classical music has been studied and performed in Sri Lanka since its introduction during the British Colonial period of the 19th century.
Although western music is also offered as a subject at secondary schools and at tertiary level. The Symphony Orchestra of Sri Lanka is one of the oldest western orchestras in South Asia. The foundation of the National Youth Orchestra has helped increase interest and participation more widely in society and among young people outside Colombo. Many Sri Lankans have continued to reach the upper echelons of classical performance, including world renowned cellist Rohan de Saram, pianist Rohan de Silva, and many other composers, organists, and orchestral performers.

Since 1998, Many Pop/R&B groups have emerged in Sri Lanka - the most prominent of which is known as Bathiya and Santhush -- who draw inspiration from the Europop groups that visited the island. Among their accomplishments; they are the first Sri Lankan group to be signed to an international record label (Sony BMG), and were an integral component in the label's entrance into the nation's music industry in 2002/2003. They have received international awards for their compositions, and have performed in several countries - including on BBC radio in the UK. We are very happy and thrilled about them.

LEARNING.

Learning is acquiring new knowledge, behaviors, skills, values, preferences or understanding, and may involve synthesizing different types of information. The ability to learn is possessed by humans, animals and some machines. Progress over time tends to follow learning curves.

Human learning may occur as part of education or personal development. It may be goal-oriented and may be aided by motivation. The study of how learning occurs is part of neuropsychology, educational psychology, learning theory, and pedagogy. Learning may occur consciously or without conscious awareness. There is evidence for human behavioral learning prenatally, in which habituation has been observed as early as 32 weeks into gestation, indicating that the central nervous system is sufficiently developed and primed for learning and memory to occur very early on in development.

Play has been approached by several theorists as the first form of learning. Children play, experiment with the world, learn the rules, and learn to interact. Play is pivotal for children's development, since they make meaning of their environment through play.

SCHOOLS, EDUCATION AND YOUNG MINDS.

Dear Friends

This is only my thoughts put on paper. Nothing personal.

School is a place where many children study and come out as good human beings out into the world. They are moulded and shaped to fit into society. It is an important stage in a persons life.

When the child is over one the mother and father are worried as to where to admit the child and the documents necessary to put the child into school. They start collecting the papers from this stage onwards. It is a hard job for the parents who are staying on rent or parents who are temporarily in a place. But I am not telling this is a bad idea. But it is a strain on the parent. They have to prepare documents to put the child into a good school. It has to be for the past six years. One way this is a good idea if things are done in the proper way.

Entering the child to a school is a big procedure. I feel that sometimes it is not necessary too because most of them are not genuine. The parents who have the correct papers are rejected and the ones with forged documents are taken into the school. They also charge a high donation which most of the parents find it difficult to pay. Some are not done in the straight way.

Most of the children have the problem of getting a good school due to various problems. Some are man-made problems. Another aspect that I feel not necessary is rating the percentage of the different races. In this way many do not get the closest school.

My idea is that in the future, to maintain peace and harmony in this country is to have all communities studying in the school. They should not differentiate among the races and religions. All should get the same treatment. They should put it into the child's head that there is no Sinhalese, Muslims, Tamils and Christians, but that all are SRI LANKANS. They should start this in schools first. Then I think the growing generations will not have communal problems. The country too will benefit from this.

The Principals in the respective schools should understand the culture and the background of the child and go according to that. There are some heads and teachers who force the child to do what they should not do. These things cause a non friendly atmosphere. We all should understand the other ones religion and act accordingly. If PEACE, UNDERSTANDING and HARMONY are maintained in the schools it will carry a long way. The home environment is also important. All should make the world a better place to live in.

I hope that no one takes this personally. I wish that all children are given a good education and background beginning from the home environment to the school environment. All should learn and not misuse the government funds. They should make use of the knowledge they get to do the correct things in life and be useful citizens. I wish all the future generations GOOD LUCK.


EDUCATION AND YOUNG MINDS.

Sunday, November 15, 2009 at 3:31pm | Edit Note | Delete
I feel that all the children in this world have the right to education. It should be given on a fair scale. In our country there is free education which many people are not making use of. Some parents do not like to put their children to school. As a teacher i would like to encourage all parents to put their children to school at the correct age. Every child learns from the day it is conceived. It is inside the womb but it learns. Then when it is out, the child looks at pictures and learn. They learn the colors, names and shapes. A child should be put into a Montessori at the age of 2 1/2, but many parents do not do this. They think that the child is small and just leave it to play and run around without giving it the correct backing. Its a shame. Many do not understand the point that the child s mind is open from the age zero to five years. They take in all that happens around them. They can learn faster. This is a stage where even their surroundings have to be good. The home front has to be good. There should be a calm and clean environment.

Another important factor that I want to tell all is that the child s first stage is at home, the second stage is at school. This is the next place that the child has to be treated well. Where the teachers should understand the mental situation of the child, their behaviour, their thoughts, specially the age gap. Otherwise the child s life will turn into a disaster. This we have seen at many schools. All schools should give a chance to all children from all races and religions. They should not look at them differently. Then this will lead to peace in the country too.

I hope this does not make many angry. This is just a thought. What I feel I wrote. Thanks for reading this.

UNDERSTANDING CHILDREN

Children are as I have already mentioned very delicate matter. They should be handled very nice and good. They should tackled in the correct manner. If they are mishandled they will go astray and lose their lives.

Now in many homes and schools, the children are not taken care of or given the right backing in life. They are given very rough punishment and some of them are ridiculed. They are made a laughing stock in front of all their friends. This is not a good sign for adults to have. To my knowledge school children committing suicide is a sinful act. I feel that the parents and the teachers are to blame for this situation. Things done by the child during their young age is not a blunder. The adults should correct them and let them have a peaceful and a good future. Whereas now in certain areas this is not happening. All try to corner the child and find fault with him and then he is confused and gets alarmed, thinking that he has made a great mistake. I feel sorry of this situation.

In most of the homes and schools children are found running away from home or committing suicide because of this blunder. I really ask the parents and the teachers to understand the child and their age. They should correct mistakes privately and not let the child become a laughing stock in front of his friends or relations.

I hope this point is understood and whoever reads this please let me know if I am correct or not.

CHILD LABOR

THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD.

Children's rights are the perceived human rights of children with particular attention to the rights of special protection and care afforded to the young,[1] including their right to association with both biological parents, human identity as well as the basic needs for food, universal state-paid education, health care and criminal laws appropriate for the age and development of the child.[2] Interpretations of children's rights range from allowing children the capacity for autonomous action to the enforcement of children being physically, mentally and emotionally free from abuse, though what constitutes "abuse" is a matter of debate. Other definitions include the rights to care and nurturing.[3]

MY GENERAL IDEAS ON CHILDREN.

Children are like flowers. They should be given the proper care and the correct guidance towards life. Over here many people use children in a very bad way. They are used for sexual purposes, labor, and begging. Although we have many people talking about it, we do not see anyone taking quick action. These must be stopped and let the child have its freedom to live. The beauty of life is missed by these poor kids.

I think the first place to start this is at home.

The children should be treated with special care. They should be educated, clothed and given proper food. The most important thing which they should have is the LOVE of the parents, which most of the children do not have.

They should be sent to school because mixing up in school prepares them for the future. They learn to deal with different problems and they learn to face them. All kids MUST go to school. The same way they should be put into religious institutions to be given the formation of their character. These two are important places the child should visit.

My way of thinking is IF the country needs good citizens it should help with the upbringing of these children. They should not let them take to the roads. They should put a stop to child abuse. The children of today need love and caring.
In most of the homes today the child does not have its mother to guide them. In this rat race world all are working to earn money, but they do not realize that the children are being neglected.

Every parent and teacher should have the right to correct the child. Correction means not making the child lose its self respect and confidence. If we can do something about this. Please join hands. I know it can be done.

MARRIAGE IN GENERAL

Marriage is a social union or legal contract between individuals that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged by a variety of ways, depending on the culture or demographic. Such a union may also be called matrimony, while the ceremony that marks its beginning is usually called a wedding and the marital structure created is known as wedlock.

People marry for many reasons, most often including one or more of the following: legal, social, emotional, economical, spiritual, and religious. These might include arranged marriages, family obligations, the legal establishment of a nuclear family unit, the legal protection of children and public declaration of love.

Marriage practices are very diverse across cultures, may take many forms, and are often formalized by a ceremony called a wedding. The act of marriage usually creates normative or legal obligations between the individuals involved. In some societies these obligations also extend to certain family members of the married persons. Almost all cultures that recognize marriage also recognize adultery as a violation of the terms of marriage.

External recognition can manifest in a variety of ways. Some examples include the state, a religious authority, or both. It is often viewed as a contract. Civil marriage is the legal concept of marriage as a governmental institution irrespective of religious affiliation. The act of marriage changes the personal and social status of the individuals who enter into it.

RELIGION

A religion is a system of human thought which usually includes a set of narratives, symbols, beliefs and practices that give meaning to the practitioner's experiences of life through reference to a higher power, deity or deities, or ultimate truth. Religion is commonly identified by the practitioner's prayer, ritual, meditation, music and art, among other things, and is often interwoven with society and politics. It may focus on specific supernatural, metaphysical, and moral claims about reality (the cosmos and human nature) which may yield a set of religious laws, ethics, and a particular lifestyle. Religion also encompasses ancestral or cultural traditions, writings, history, and mythology, as well as personal faith and religious experience.

Religion and its beliefs are put into the child when they are small and growing. The fear of doing something bad and getting into trouble can be avoided. If the parents or the elders forget this aspect, then they can find themselves with problematic children.

Each one has his own way of doing things. They following a particular routine and they have their own beliefs which noone can change.
Being a Muslim, I can talk of Islam. We are taught from the age of understanding about it. Who is our Lord and the principles and the prayers of the Quran. These things work in our mind from the age of two. We learn what is good and what is bad. What punishments are given if we do not pray or recite. We are taught from our young days to respect our elders and do what is right.

All parents should spend a little time with their children and try to organize their life to the better side. Teach them the main things from which they can go further. They should be guided and helped through to become good children and good people in society. Religion is just as important as education. These two things together go hand in hand.

You can be of any religion but you should train the child during his small days otherwise you will be the person who is losing a lot in life. The children will be the targets in the future.

So please help the little ones to go straight and correct them where necessary. Give them a firm and strong background. Help them to learn the good and the bad. They will then lead a peaceful life and have a happy future.

Quotes on EDUCATION.

An education isn't how much you have committed to memory, or even how much you know. It's being able to differentiate between what you know and what you don't.

Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.

Education is learning what you didn't even know you didn't know.
Daniel J. Boorstin

Education's purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open one.

Education is what survives when what has been learned has been forgotten.

HUMOUR

A joke is a very serious thing.
Winston Churchill

A person without a sense of humor is like a wagon without springs. It's jolted by every pebble on the road.
Henry Ward Beecher

A sense of humor is a major defense against minor troubles.
Mignon McLaughlin

A sense of humor is the ability to understand a joke - and that the joke is oneself.
Clifton Paul Fadiman

A well-developed sense of humor is the pole that adds balance to your steps as you walk the tightrope of life.
William Arthur Ward

Humor is perhaps a sense of intellectual perspective: an awareness that some things are really important, others not; and that the two kinds are most oddly jumbled in everyday affairs.
Christopher Morley

FAITH

Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase.

Faith consists in believing when it is beyond the power of reason to believe.

Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe.

He who has faith has... an inward reservoir of courage, hope, confidence, calmness, and assuring trust that all will come out well - even though to the world it may appear to come out most badly.

Faith indeed tells what the senses do not tell, but not the contrary of what they see. It is above them and not contrary to them.

He who has faith has... an inward reservoir of courage, hope, confidence, calmness, and assuring trust that all will come out well - even though to the world it may appear to come out most badly.

POLLUTION

Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into an environment that causes instability, disorder, harm or discomfort to the ecosystem i.e. physical systems or living organisms. Pollution can take the form of chemical substances, or energy, such as noise, heat, or light. Pollutants, the elements of pollution, can be foreign substances or energies, or naturally occurring; when naturally occurring, they are considered contaminants when they exceed natural levels. Pollution is often classed as point source or nonpoint source pollution. The Blacksmith Institute issues annually a list of the world's worst polluted places.


Pollution is found all over the world today and most people are suffering from different types of sicknesses due to all types of pollution.

AIR POLLUTION: It is from breathing in the dust, smoke and the particles in the air that many persons fall sick. They get diseases like asthma, phlegm, and other cardio sicknesses. The vehicles in our country have increased so there is no solution for this problem. But the government sector can make it a point to see that the vehicles are cleaned up.





WATER POLLUTION: This is another factor that is very common in my country. The industrial development has spoilt the beauty of places and also created the water to be polluted. The throwing of waste products in the water, specially from the factories, this is another way in which the water is polluted. The people in our country should be educated and taught of other methods to dispose their waste.





I feel that as citizens of a country, we should try to save it from disaster, and try to keep it clean and free of all pollution.

THIS IS AN ADVICE TO ALL PEOPLE LIVING ON OUR BEAUTIFUL MOTHER EARTH. KEEP IT FREE OF POLLUTION AND MAKE IT A BETTER PLACE FOR LIVING.

MEDICINE/MEDICAL EDUCATION.

In common usage, an antibiotic (from the Ancient Greek: ἀντί – anti, "against", and βίος – bios, "life") is a substance or compound that kills, or inhibits the growth of, bacteria.[1] Antibiotics belong to the broader group of antimicrobial compounds, used to treat infections caused by microorganisms, including fungi and protozoa.
The term "antibiotic" was coined by Selman Waksman in 1942 to describe any substance produced by a microorganism that is antagonistic to the growth of other microorganisms in high dilution.[2] This original definition excluded naturally occurring substances that kill bacteria but are not produced by microorganisms (such as gastric juice and hydrogen peroxide) and also excluded synthetic antibacterial compounds such as the sulfonamides. Many antibiotics are relatively small molecules with a molecular weight less than 2000 Da.[citation needed]
With advances in medicinal chemistry, most antibiotics are now semisynthetic—modified chemically from original compounds found in nature,[3] as is the case with beta-lactams (which include the penicillins, produced by fungi in the genus Penicillium, the cephalosporins, and the carbapenems). Some antibiotics are still produced and isolated from living organisms, such as the aminoglycosides, and others have been created through purely synthetic means: the sulfonamides, the quinolones, and the oxazolidinones. In addition to this origin-based classification into natural, semisynthetic, and synthetic, antibiotics may be divided into two broad groups according to their effect on microorganisms: those that kill bacteria are bactericidal agents, while those that only impair bacterial growth are known as bacteriostatic agents.

MEDICINE/MEDICAL EDUCATION.

MEDICINE/MEDICAL EDUCATION.

Medicine is the art and science of healing. It encompasses a range of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness.
Contemporary medicine applies health science, biomedical research, and medical technology to diagnose and treat injury and disease, typically through medication, surgery, or some other form of therapy. The word medicine is derived from the Latin ars medicina, meaning the art of healing.[1][2]
Though medical technology and clinical expertise are pivotal to contemporary medicine, successful face-to-face relief of actual suffering continues to require the application of ordinary human feeling and compassion, known in English as bedside manner.[3]
The Rod of Asclepius is the symbol associated with medicine, which comes from the Greek God of medicine and healing, Asclepius. The Caduceus is sometimes wrongly used for this purpose, though this practice is mainly seen in North America.

Medical education and training varies around the world. It typically involves entry level education at a university medical school, followed by a period of supervised practice or internship, and/or residency. This can be followed by postgraduate vocational training. A variety of teaching methods have been employed in medical education, still itself a focus of active research.
Many regulatory authorities require continuing medical education, since knowledge, techniques and medical technology continue to evolve at a rapid rate.

DISTRIBUTION OF MOORS IN SRI LANKA

Distribution of Moors in Sri Lanka based on 2001 and 1981 (italic) census. (Note: Large population movements have occurred since 1981, hence 2001 data for Northeastern areas (italic) do not exist

The Sri Lankan Moors (commonly referred to as Muslims) are the third largest ethnic group in Sri Lanka comprising 8% of the country's total population (approx. 2 million people in 2005). They are predominantly followers of Islam. The Moors trace their ancestry to Arab traders who settled in Sri Lanka some time between the eighth and fifteenth centuries. The Arabic language brought by the early merchants is no longer spoken, though many Arabic words and phrases are still commonly used. Until the recent past, the Moors employed Arwi as their mother tongue,[1] though this is also extinct as a spoken language.

Moors today use Tamil as their primary language with influence from Arabic.[1] Those from central and southern Sri Lanka also widely use Sinhala, an Indo-European language spoken by the ethnic Sinhalese majority in Sri Lanka.

The Sri Lankan Moors lived primarily in coastal trading and agricultural communities, preserving their Islamic cultural heritage while adopting many Southern Asian customs. During the period of Portuguese colonisation, the Moors suffered widespread persecution, and many fled to the Central Highlands and the East Coast, where their descendants remain.

Religion
Islam in Sri Lanka

Sri Lankan Moors are predominantly followers of Islam, hence their cultural identity is strongly defined by their religion. Unlike the Sinhalese and Tamil people who adhere to several faiths, virtually all Moors adhere to Islam, hence in a Sri Lankan context the term Muslim is often used interchangeably as both a religious and ethnic term to describe the Moors. Most Sri Lankan Moors follow Sunni Islam through the Shafi school of thought, though there are also small populations that follow other Islamic sects such as Shia Islam.


Culture

The Sri Lankan Moors possess a unique culture that differentiates them from the dominant Sinhalese and Tamil ethnic groups on the island. The cultural domain of Sri Lankan Moors has been strongly shaped by Islam, hence most customs and practices are dictated by Islamic law. While preserving many of their ancestral customs, the Moors have also adopted several South Asian practices.

HADJJ FESTIVAL.

Islamic Pilgrimage "Hajj"
&
Festival of Sacrifice "Eid Al-Adha"

"Hajj" is one of the "five pillars" of the Islamic faith. (The other "Pillars" include a declaration of faith, daily prayers, offering regular charity, and fasting during the month of Rmadan). Hajj activities take place during six days (8th-13th) of the Islamic lunar month of Dhul-Hijjah. Pilgrimage is a once-in-a-lifetime obligation for those Muslims who have the physical and financial ability to undertake the journey. It is also a form of worship that involves the entire being: body, mind and soul.

The Obligatory and optional activities of "Hajj" include:
* Entrance into a state of self-control called ihram, during which pilgrims are forbidden to harm living cretures or even raise the voice in anger. The state of ihram is signified (for men) by the wearing of two pieces of unsewn white cloth. No specific clothing is prescribed for female pilgrims.

* Circling of the Holy Ka'aba, the stone building Muslims believe was originally built by Abraham and his son Ishmael. The Ka'aba is viewed as the first sanctuary on earth dedicated to the worship of the One God. It is a symbol of unity for Muslims because all prayers, wherever they are performed, are oriented in the direction of Ka'aba.

* The Sa'i, or "hastening" between two small hills near the Ka'aba, to commemorate Hagar's search for water to offer her son Ishmael.

* The stoning of three pillars representing Satan's temptation of Abraham. The stoning indicates the pilgrim's rejection of evil deeds.

* Cutting the hair to symbolize the completion of "Hajj".

* Sacrifice of an animal to help the poor, and in remembrance Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son Ishmael at God's command. The meat is distributed to relatives and to the needy.

When the major portion of the pilgrimage is completed, Muslims worldwide gather for communal prayers on the first day (March 16*) of Eid ul-Ad'ha (eed-al-odd-ha), the second of the two major Muslim holidays.

NOTE - Because the beginning of Islamic lunar months depends on th eactuals sighting of the new moon, the start date for Hajj and Eid ul-Ad'ha may vary.

HUMAN BEINGS