Here is your short paragraph on Draupadi Amman festival

In the month of Adi (July—August), in many parts of South India, women’s rituals take place and are participated by different castes and communities.

Married women were traditionally enjoined to stay celibate during this month. Brahmin women pray for domestic peace and prosperity to the deity Lakshmi.

Non-Brahmin women carry special pots of water and other ritual items to temples of a local goddess and offer prayer for the well being of the family.

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Other cook rice and milk dishes in the temples of local deities and distribute the food. During this month, in the temple of ‘Draupadi Amman’, heroine of the Mahabharata epic, women along with men may go into a trance and walk over hot coals in a ceremony called ‘walking on flowers’. As stated, the festival is held in the months of July—August in Southern Part of India in glory of Draupadi, the consort of the five Pandava brothers.

This is observed for 22 days and fire—walking the main attraction, as Draupadi herself was the product of sacrificial life. On the 18th day, fire-walking takes place at Vellavari (near Pondicherry) and the idol is taken out from the temple. Devotees walk on the fire. Strict celibacy and austerity has to be observed for forty days. After the festival, the idol is again brought back in the temple. The epic Mahabharata is recited during the celebrations.

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