Jain traditions

Jain traditions come from India and are among the oldest religious traditions in the world, built on ahimsa, non-violence, in thought, word and deed. They include strict vegetarianism that avoids roots and tubers, fasting, the Paryushana festival of forgiveness, Mahavir Jayanti, Diwali as the day of Mahavira's liberation, temple worship, pilgrimages to Shatrunjaya and Shravanabelagola and the lifelong vows of monks and nuns. Jains number several million, mainly in India, with communities in Britain, East Africa and North America.

Non-violence and food

Jain food rules follow from ahimsa: no meat, fish or eggs, no root vegetables that kill the plant on harvesting, no eating after sunset in many families and care to filter water. Jain kitchens are known for their ingenuity, with dishes made without onion or garlic. Many families fast on the eighth and fourteenth days of the fortnight, and monks and nuns observe stricter vows.

Forgiveness and festivals

Paryushana, an eight or ten day period in late summer, is the main festival, with fasting, study and reflection, and ends with Samvatsari, a day on which Jains ask each other for forgiveness with the words Micchami Dukkadam. Mahavir Jayanti celebrates the birth of the last teacher, Mahavira, and temple festivals involve processions of images and large pilgrimages to hill temples.