The festival of lights, Diwali or Deepawali symbolizes the victory  of good over evil and the lifting of the spiritual darkness that envelops the soul. The festival commemorates Lord Rama's return to his kingdom, Adyodhya after completing his 14 years of exile.

The word Deepawali which means rows of lighted diyas (earthern lamps), brings a glow to the humblest home or the grandest houses. The festival is celebrated after Dussehra on the 13th day of the dark fortnight of the month of Asvin (Oct - Nov).

The whole country displays a twinkling glow of the oil lamps, inviting the Goddess of Prosperity, Lakshmi, to enter their homes and bring them good fortune, happiness and wealth. The festive occasion also marks the beginning of the Hindu new year. Lord Ganesha ( symbol of auspiciousness and wisdom is also worshipped on this day).

Deepawali is also meant to celebrate the destruction of the arrogant tyrant Bali at the hands of Vishnu when the latter appeared in his Vamana (dwarf) avatar.

In West Bengal, Deepawali is celebrated as Kali Puja and Kali, Siva's consort, is worshipped on this day.

For the occasion of  Diwali houses are spring cleaned, and decorated, new clothes are bought. Houses are adorned with beautifully designed and vividly colored rangolis, which are designs created on the outside of the doorways with rice powder and colored powder, a time for family members, relatives and friends to meet, exchange sweets and offer prayers. Fireworks light  up the night sky and render the cities and towns with a beautiful afterglow.

DEEP DEWALI

The festival is observed as a tribute to Lord Mahavira, the 24^th Teertahankar. He was finally liberated from the cycle of life on this day at the age of 75, at Pawapuri in Bihar. The festival is also observed as a tribute to Jain deities.

This day is celebrated with much zeal in Girnar, in Gujarat. Sweets are distributed when devotees gather in large crowds at Pawapuri. Houses are splendidly illuminated and sacred scriptures are recited.

A festival of color, pujas, a variety of foods to stir up the senses and of course the ubiquitous decorations, Dussehra (tenth day) is an important festival of Hindus. The entire country celebrates it with great zeal, though the pattern may differ a little from state to state. The festival commemorates the triumph of Lord Rama over the Demon king, Ravana, the victory of good over evil. Ramlilas, which are plays depicting the various phases of Rama's life are brilliantly enacted. On the tenth day i.e. Vijaydashmi, gigantic sculptures of Ravana, his brother Kumbhkarna and son Meghnath stuffed with explosive material are placed in vast open grounds. These effigies are shot with arrows of fire by Rama, accompanied with his consort Sita and brother Lakhshmana signifying the victory of Lord Rama over Ravana in the battle to rescue Sita. Theÿ sculptures burst with a deafening blast and all the people shout in triumph and joy.

The message of Dussehra is to burn the evil within ourselves and follow the path of virtue and goodness. It reminds people to keep in mind the instance of Ravana, who was a great scholar and ardent devote of Lord Shiva, but despite all his might and majesty he was destroyed due to his gross misuse of power.

West Bengal celebrates Dussehra as Durga Puja craftsmen make beautiful idols of Goddess Durga which are welcomed in the houses,    as a daughter who has come to visit her parents' home. The Goddess is ' Shakti ' the cosmic energy which animates all beings. The idols of the Goddess are worshipped for nine days and on the ninth day, the idols are immersed in rivers or ponds. The procession accompanying the immersion include drummers and conch blowers.

The day celebrates the magnificence and omnipotence of Goddess Durga The legends say that the mighty demon Mahishasur, vanquished the gods and their king, Indra, who subsequently fled, leaving behind their kingdoms. They then approached the Holy Trinity, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, who decided to destroy the atrocious demon and prayed to the divine mother Durga to do the needful. Equipped with lethal weapons riding a ferocious lion the Goddess in all her awesome majesty, destroyed the evil Mahishasur easily.

In Tamil Nadu the festival is celebrated by worshipping Laxmi, Goddess of wealth and prosperity for the first 3 days, then comes the turn of Goddess Saraswati for the next 3 days, who is the Goddess of learning and arts and the last three days  aare devoted to Goddess Shakti (Durga). The families in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka arrange dolls (Bommai Kolu) on artificially constructed steps and decorate it with lamps and flowers. Women traditionally exchange gifts of coconuts, clothes and sweets. Scenes picked from various stories in the epics and puranas are displayed. People visit their friends and acquaintances during these 10 days. They sing, tell stories that the dolls arranged on the steps might be depicting and eat a dish made out of chickpeas (choondal). The whole set-up is put up on the very first day of Navaratri and taken down. After the Saraswati pooja on the ninth day, is Vijayadashmi. Vijayadashmi is an auspicious occasion for children to commence their education in classical dances and music and to pay homage to their teachers.

In Gujarat, the evening and nights are occasions for the fascinating Garba dance. The dance full of zest and vigour display colorful costumes  worn by women who dance around an earthen lamp while singing devotional songs accompanied by rhythmic clapping of hands.

Navaratri is taken as a season of fasting in Punjab. Ramlila is the significant aspect of this festival in Northern India. A mass celebration of this festival marks the celebrations of Dussehra in Himachal Pradesh. In this ceremony big processions of the village deities are taken out. In Mysore, splendidly adorned elephants lead a colorful procession in the beautifully decorated streets of the city.

 

        

Holi is the festival of colors that brings the message of the onset of spring. It is celebrated on the day after the full moon in early March every year. People all over celebrate this colorful festival b smearing each other with colored water and spraying everyone with water from water pistons.

Holi is a festival to celebrate good harvests and fertility of the land. Some legends are also associated with the origin of this spring festival. The most popular among these involves Prince Prahlad, the  god-fearing son of the evil King Hiranyakasipu. The King and his sister, Holika devised many a plan to persuade Prahlad to give up worshipping the God, Vishnu. They went to the extent of planning to kill young Prahlad. But, Prahlad was undeterred in his devotion for Vishnu. Holika, who was immune to death by fire, took Prahlad and entered a blazing furnace built  specially for his destruction but she was burnt to ashes by divine intervention. Prahlad came out unharmed. Before Holika's death she realized her mistake and asked Prahlad to forgive her. As his gesture of forgiveness, Prahlad declared that her name would be remembered at least one day in the year.

Holi commemorates this event from mythology, and huge bonfires are  lit on the eve of Holi as its symbolic representation.

This exciting festival is also associated with the immortal love of Krishna and Radha. The young Krishna would complain to his mother Yashoda about Radha being so fair and he so dark. Yashoda advised him to apply color on Radha's face and see how her complexion would change.

Holi is celebrated with remarkable enthusiasm  in the villages around Mathura, the birth-place of Krishna. The festival of Holi is being celebrated since centuries with the same zeal and zest.

 Holi is incomplete without 'bhang' (Indian hemp, narcotic and intoxicant ), consumed by many in the form of laddoos (sweet dish) and ghols (liquid form). Processions accompanied by folk songs & dances are taken out on this day.

Special water tanks are built filled to the brim with colored water into which people are given a good dunking. A fun time is had by all.

 

                                                       

   

Janmashtami marks the birth of Krishna, a human incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Adorned flamboyantly, the temples of Vrindavan, celebrate this festival with grandeur. Raslila, a tableaux depicting scenes from Krishna's life especially the love for Radha, is performed. At midnight, Krishna's infant image is bathed and placed in a cradle. In Northern India, the festival is celebrated by singing devotional songs and dances.

The religious festival is celebrated in Maharashtra with great fervor too. People enact with great zeal and  enthusiasm, God's earnest attempt to steal butter and curd from earthen pots, beyond his reach during his childhood.

 

In India from time immemorial, the welfare of husbands has always been of prime importance for all married women. Nine days before Diwali, some time in October or November, on the Kartik ki Chauth, Karva Chauth is undertaken. A fast is undertaken by married Hindu women who offer prayers seeking the welfare, prosperity, well being and longevity of their husbands. It is probably the most important fast undertaken by women of North India.

This fast begins before sunrise and ends after worshipping the moon. During the interim no food or water is ingested. The preparation of the puja begins around 4 or 5 p.m.. A sari known as baya is sent to the married woman by her mother. The eldest lady of the house, usually the mother-in-law then presents the baya to her daughter-in-law. A place for the puja is prepared such that all the women invited for the puja can be accommodated. Maybe a courtyard or a terrace or even a verandah will do. A chowk like in any other puja - is decorated on the floor. This whole chowk should ideally be placed against a wall where on a really well decorated patta the Gaur Mata is seated. Earlier the Gaur Mata used to be made with cowdung in the shape of a human figure, just about two inches tall. Nowadays, a picture or an idol of Parvati , Lord Shiva’s consort, is placed on the patta. just about an hour or so before moonrise. Those who have observed the fast known as vrat in Hindi, dress up again in their chunris or in red or pink clothes with chonp and bindi on their foreheads.

The baya of the lady who is observing the fast is kept on a thaali (plate), over the karva, with a little water and seven pieces of pua in it (seven broken from one big pua). The karva itself is imbued with kharia, aipun and a little roli. A strand of (red thread) of any thickness is tied around the part of the karva. There is no taboo on widows doing the puja and during the ceremony, all the women sit facing the lady whose karva it is and chant and narrate the story. This is known as man which means to give away and never take back. First of all, roli teeka is applied on the forehead of Gaur before the start of the puja. All the women doing puja also apply roli teeka on their foreheads and parting (known as maang). Everyone does puja by dipping the third finger of the right hand in water sprinkling it with the help of the thumb three times over the deity; the same procedure has to be repeated with the aipun and roli and, lastly, the rice is showered.

 

       Lohri is an extremely auspicious day and is celebrated on the 13th of January, a day before Makar Sankranti. It is celebrated in the North where the winter is the coldest at this time. Celebrated with great enthusiasm and gusto it signifies their way of life. The day also marks the entry of the sun in 'Makar Rashi'. The day is celebrated all around  the country in different forms.

Bonfires are the most significant part of the Lohris. People sing with great vigour and sing with extreme zest around these bonfires, exchanging greetings. The people throw sweets, puffed rice and popcorn into the flames. The dinner traditionally consists of makki ki roti and sarson ka saag. The prasad is mainly made up of til (sesame seeds), moongphalli (groundnuts), popcorn, gur (jaggery), gazak and phuliya. The puja that takes place involves parikrama around the fire and then the prasad is distributed.

The puja is a prayer to Agni (the spark of life) for good and abundant crops and prosperity. Lohri holds great significance for a bride as well as a new born child.

 

  

Gurupurabs are festivals associated with the lives of the Sikh Gurus (their birthdays and martyrdom days). Of these the important ones are the birthdays of Guru Nanak and Guru Gobind Singh and the martyrdom days of Guru Arjun Dev and Guru Tegh Bahadur.

Guru Nanak Jayanti which falls in the month of Oct. or Nov. commemorates the birth of Guru Nanak, who was the founder of the Sikh faith. He was born in a Punjabi village Nankana which is now in Pakistan in 1469. The Sikhs celebrate this festival with great zeal and enthusiasm as Gurupurab.

Three weeks before the festival, early morning processions known as Prabhat Pheris, go around the place singing hymns called shabads. Three days before the festival the celebration is marked by akhand path, wherein Granth Sahib (the holy book of the Sikhs) is read fully without any breaks. The end of the reading coincides with the festival day.

On the day of the festival a huge procession carrying the Granth Sahib, which is placed on a float with flowers, goes round the whole village or city. The procession is headed by five armed guards who represent the panj pyaree, carrying the Sikh flags called Nishan Sahibs. The procession is accompanied by bands playing religious music, as well as marching school children.

Special programs are arranged in the Gurudwaras (Sikh temples). Religious songs called kirtans form a special part of these programs. Community lunch called Langar is also open to all people irrespective of their class or religion. The local volunteers serve food as a mark of devotion (bhakti) and for seva (service). The houses of the Sikhs as well as the gurudwaras are lit up and decorated.

The birthday of the tenth Guru, Govind Singh, which falls on 2nd December 1666 is also marked by prayers, kirtans and processions. He had named his followers Khalsa which means the pure.

The martyrdom day of the fifth guru Arjun Dev , who was burnt to death in the hot months of May and June is honored by prayers and processions. In the month of Nov., the ninth Guru, Tegh Bahadur's martyrdom day is observed. He was beheaded in Delhi.

 

 

    Muharram marks the martyrdom of Imam Hussain, grandson of Prophet Mohammed. Taziyas which are bamboo and paper replicas of the martyr's tomb, adorned with mica are carried throughout the streets of the city. The tragedy is expressed by mourners by beating their breasts and grieving over the murder of the Imam accompanied by drum beats. Scenes depicting the battle of Karbala are acted out by the wrestlers and dancers. At each step of this enactment the young men beat their chests crying "Hussain! Hussain!" in unison.

 

 

    Raksha Bandhan, also known as rakhi, is a day celebrating the love of a brother for his sister. As a mark of affection, the sisters tie rakhi (a silken thread or a decorative bracelet), on the wrist of their brothers to protect him from evil. In return the brother gives a gift to her.

On this day the Brahmins change the sacred thread they wear . The festival is celebrated in honor of  the Sea God Varuna, in some parts of India. Coconuts are offered to the sea in Mumbai.

According to the legends, during wars between Gods and the demons, the consort of Indra (the Puranic king of the heavens ) tied a rakhi around his wrist. It is said that it was because of  the power of goodness of this rakhi that the God won back his celestial abode from his enemies.

 

 

    This festival commemorates the birth of Lord Rama, a human incarnation of Lord Vishnu, and hence known as Ramnavami. Ayodhya and Pondicherry, the places which are said to have witnessed the events of Ramayana, are the main centres for this festival. Pilgrims congregate in the temples here and participate in the festivals. The atmosphere fills with vivid colors, gaiety and devotion. Processions accompanied by splendid floats of Rama, his wife Sita, his brother Laxman and his monkey-general, Hanuman are carried out with great zest.

 

Shivaratri falls during the night of Amavasya (moonless night ) in February, which is Phalgun according to the Hindu calendar. The devotees fast during the day time and stay up the whole night praying and singing kirtans. All over India people chant sacred texts and ring bells.

The devotees worship the Shiv Lingam which is the phallic symbol of God. The lingam is bathed with panchagaya. They are the 5 sacred offerings of the cow and consist of milk, urine, sour milk, butter and dung. An offering of dhatura and jati are made, which are poisonous yet considered to be sacred. Five foods of immortality are placed before the lingam. The five foods are milk, clarified milk, honey, sugar and curd. The sacred number of Shiva is eleven. The devotees worship Shiva to release themselves from the cycle of birth and rebirth. The important Shiva temples at Chidambaram, Kalahari, Khajuraho and Varanasi hold elaborate ceremonies to celebrate this festival.

Shivaratri is said to be the night when He performed the Tandava, which is the dance of primeval creation, preservation and destruction.

According to the legends once two of the holy trinity, Brahma the Creator, Vishnu the Preserver were having  a quarrel on who was supreme. Amidst their argument an ablaze lingam appeared whose size would not stop increasing. In an attempt to determine its size Brahma in the form of a boar, went to the netherworld and Vishnu in the form of a swan ascended the skies. In this attempt they forgot their argument and suddenly Shiva appeared from the lingam. He declared that he was the progenitor of both of them and that he was the Creator, Preserver and Destroyer. He demanded that He be worshipped in the form of a lingam. Hence from then on he is worshipped in his phallic form, the lingam.
 

Several Indian festivals coincide with the harvest time and Baisakhi is one of them. Baisakhi is celebrated by the people of Punjab on the 13th of April every year, it was on this day that the tenth Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh, founded the Khalsa Panth (the Sikh brotherhood) in 1699. Once in 36 years this festival is celebrated on the 14th of April. It is also celebrated by different names and with different rituals almost all over India, when the Rabi crop is ready for harvesting. The Vaishakha period of April and May is filled with festivals of fun, frolic and merry-making and Baisakhi, derived from the word Vaishakh, falls in this auspicious period. Based on the Indian solar calendar, this festival falls on April 13 every year and on April 14 once every 36 years. Other festivals celebrating the harvest are Bihu in Assam, Pongal in South India.

 The Sikhs celebrate this as a collective birthday, filling the atmosphere with gaiety, music, dancing and good cheer.

On this day Sikhs listen to kirtans / religious songs and discourses in the Gurdwara and kada prasad or sweetened semolina is served to every body after the prayers. Langar or the community lunch is the last event of the function. Processions led by panj piaras include mock duels and bands playing religious tunes. Everybody from school children to elders take part in this procession.

After the processions and the feast are over holy scriptures of the Sikhs,  the Guru Granth Sahib are read. This festival is an opportunity in villages to enjoy with sheer abandon because they know that a season of hard work follows soon after which is the time for harvesting corn and other grains.

 

 

    Towards the close of winter during January-February, Vasant Panchami, the Festival of Kites is celebrated. It is during this time that in Punjab the mustard fields are in full bloom, giving the impression of yellow carpets laid out on acres of land. Punjabis welcome this change of season by wearing yellow clothes, organizing kite flying and having lots of feasts.

Saraswati is the goddess of learning and the wife of Brahma. She bestows the wealth of Knowledge to humanity. Thus during this day, prayers are offered to her.

It is a really festive time and an occasion when the ladies dress up in yellow with yellow and red bangles on the arms, bindi, the chonp and looking like goddess Lakshmi. Incidentally, all married women are always alluded to as Lakshmi, the wife of Vishnu.

At the beginning of the puja the youngest girl of the house or the one present, applies teeka on everyone’s forehead and then sprinkles water, aipun and roli in turn. Teeka is applied to the deity also at least thrice with each liquid. The rice and flowers are picked up by the fingers and thumb and showered on to the gods. Everyone puts a little color onto the gods. Summer is heralded with a bit of color sprinkled even today (before Holi) on the gods. The lady of the house then takes a few bers (red berries), some sangaris and a laddoo and a paan ( paan is known as beetel leaf and the same paan along with the nariyal or coconut can be given to everyone since paan is now a very expensive item) and gives them to each member present.

In fact kite flying is also undertaken during Makar Sankranti which is also celebrated during January by Maharashtrians.

Such similarities can be found in different parts of the country where maybe the same festival is known by another name. That is the beauty and diversity of this rich land called India.

 

 

Just as it is celebrated around the world, Good Friday is observed in India, too, in April every year. All Christians attend Mass held in the churches on this day. Following Good Friday comes Easter Sunday, which is also celebrated with great enthusiasm and fun. In some parts of the country you can also see processions being taken.