Sri Krishna Janmastami

Sri Krishna Janmastami
    Krishna, who stands on the same pedestal as Rama in the esteem of the Indians, is worshipped as the fount of urge to action in fulfillment of oneself. His birth anniversary – Janmashtami is marked by ardent worship and devoted propitiation of Krishna. Gaily attired and fasting devotees congregate at well-lit temples all over the country and hold sessions of devotional music and dance.

    Sri Krishna Janmastami is also known as Gokulastami. It generally falls in the month of august or September. Some people celebrate Janmastami for two days, where the first day is called gokulastami and the second day is kalastami. Krishnastami is known as the birth day of lord Krishna. According to mythology, lord Krishna was born to eliminate evil from the world and taught us the most eminent “bhagavdgita”, which directs humans into a good path. He was born to kill the demon king Kansa. Krishna is known for purity and spirituality.

    People celebrate Janmastami with great pomp and gaiety. Idols of Radha and Krishna are placed in temples and homes. Ritual baths are performed and the idols are decorated with flowers beautifully. People put “Krishna’s feet “(small designs of feet with rangoli) in front of their houses believing that Krishna would come home on this day. Dahi-handi is a popular event performed on this day, where enthusiastic men try to break an earthen pot which tied at about 15-20 feet high. Person/group who breaks it will get the prize money. People also worship cows on this day. On the whole Krishnastami is a fun filled festival with spiritual values.

Saraswati Puja

Saraswati Puja
Goddess Saraswati is the goddess of learning and arts. Her appearance and attire represents peace and purity as she is fair skinned, in a white dress and seats on a swan and holds veena in her hands. She is goddess of arts like music, dance etc.  She symbolizes the supreme Vedic knowledge. It is also told worshipping the mother of Vedas, Goddess Saraswati, gives intellect, alertness and hence Saraswati puja is done. Saraswati is also said to be a form of river.

In North India, Saraswati puja is done on one of the days of navaratri. In south, Saraswati puja is done specially on Vasanth panchami/ Sree panchami. It falls in the month of Maagha (Jan/Feb). Vasantha panchami is said to be birthday of Goddess saraswati. In West Bengal, south India etc it is a big spring time celebration.
On this day various deities of Saraswati are placed and worshipped, with great respect and fervour. People put rangolis with a fish design in it, and believes that it beings luck to them. Goddess is worshipped with berries, flowers, and fruits. The idols of Saraswati are decorated with flowers and turmeric and then puja is done. Varieties of sweets are made on this day. Kids are made to write for the first time in their life, on this day. Students place their books in front of goddess and pray for her blessings.

Saraswati puja is celebrated with great pomp and joy in Saraswati peetams etc. Basara, in Andhra Pradesh performs many poojas and vratas on this day, with great reverence.

Ram Navami

Ram Navami
        Sri Rama Navami is one of the popular festivals of Hindus. Lord Sree Rama is known as uttampurusha in whole epics of India. Ram navami is celebrated on ninth day (navami) in the month of Chaitra (March / April). Lord sree Rama was born to kill the evil from the world. He is the one who set principles for humans how to lead life ethically. Sree Ram is known for his purity and righteousness.

        In Tretha Yuga, king Dasaratha had no kids for a long time. Then he performed a yagna and was blessed with four children and Lord Sree Rama was the eldest. He killed the evil demon, Ravana, and thus placed “rama rajya” in the world. Sree Rama was born on the day of navami and his birthday was celebrated as sree Rama navami. Rama is known as the ideal person in all aspects.

        People celebrate this festival with great pomp and gaiety. Temples are decorated with green leaves and banana plants. Deities of Sita and Rama are cleaned with ritual baths and decorated beautifully with flowers. Sita Rama kalyan is performed on this day for the idols with Vedic mantras. Pooja is performed with great reverence and respect. A special drink made with jiggery and water (panakam) is distributed as prasada. In many temples food is given to old and poor people (anna dhanam) after the kalyan of the deities. At the end of the day, various cultural programs like harikathas, bajans, keerthanas etc are performed in temples. Ram navami is performed with great respect and bhakti.

Puri Rath Yatra

Puri Rath Yatra
Studded with exquisite temples, Puri is one of the four great Hindu pilgrimage centers of India. The most beautiful, Jagannath temple, was built on the Nilgiris in 12th century A.D, in typical Oriya style of architecture. Puri rath yatra is also known as Rath Yatra or chariot procession draws pilgrims from all parts of India. The festival symbolizes Krishna’s journey from Gokul or Mathura. It takes place around june-july, when the image of Jagannath, the lord of the universe is taken out from Sri Mandir through the lion gate.

    It is then placed on an immense wooden chariot of temple structure for the processional journey to Gundicha Ghat, about two kms away. The chariot nearly forty five feet high, is supported by 16 wheels and is followed by two smaller ones of Balbhadra, lord Krishna’s brother and his sister, Subhadra. The images return to the temple after eight days. It is common belief that anyone who takes part in pulling the chariot becomes free from the cycle of birth and re birth.

    People from different parts of the world turn up to see the procession of Lord Jagannath, with retinue of elephants, camels and dancers. The festival of puri rath yatra is a full scale manifestation of the spiritual and cultural traditions deeply rooted in the name of Krishna. Many bajans and keerthan will be sung during the procession. Lord Jagannatha will be decorated beautifully with flowers etc and many rituals baths will be performed before the rath yatra begins. Pilgrimage to Puri is really a spiritual relief.

Mahashivratri

Mahashivratri

It is the grand night of Lord Shiva. It is said to be Shiva’s favorite day and believed that worshipping him on this day will being moksha/ liberation. Mahasivaratri falls on new-moon day in the month of Maagha (Feb/March).

    In mythology Mahasivaratri has got a eminent story. It is told that the re-union of Lord Shiva and Parvati (Shakti) took place on Mahasivaratri after the event at Dakshayagna where Shakti maatha burns her own self to ashes. It is the day when Lord Parameswara performed “Rudra-tandava”, which is the dance of creation, perpetuation and destruction. It also finds its mention in Mahabharata, where Bhismacharya, in his last stage, explain the greatness of Mahasivatri to king Chitrabhanu. He tells a story of a hunter who unconsciously does puja to Shivalinga with Bael (Bilva) leaves and does fasting on the day and night of Mahasivaratri. Lord Shiva blesses the hunter with liberation/moksha though he worshiped him unknowingly. Such is the love of Shiva on his creations.

    People on this day wake up early in the morning and does puja to Lord Shiva in “Lingam” form. Vratha and abhisheka/ ritual bath is performed to Shiva with milk, honey, sandalwood paste, water, ghee etc. People with great reverence recite the panchakshari manthra i.e. “Om Namah Sivayah”. Worshipping bola Shankar with great reverence pleases him and he grants all the wishes. People do fasting on the day and night and doesn’t sleep in the night. This is known as “Jagaram”. People drink “Thandri”, a special drink as prasada after puja.

    Shivaratri is greatly celebrated in Varanasi and watching it will be a great bliss. Shivaratri leaves you with a real peace of mind.

Kali Puja

Kali Puja
    Kaali maata is ferocious and fearful form of goddess Shakti. She is the personification of strength and Shakti. She is the omnipotent power and enlightens the divine purity. Kali puja is done as a remembrance of triumph over evil energies. It is done on the night of karthika amavasya in the month of ashwini (oct/nov). It is known to kill ego in people .She is one of the 10 incarnations of Shakti.

    Kali puja has a mythological instance. Once upon a time there were 2 demons, shambu and Nishambu got virtues from Lord Shiva and started thinking that were great. They started war on Indra and started disturbing all the gods. Then all the gods went Lord Vishnu who advised them to seek the help of Shakti maatha. Then all gods worshipped goddess Shakti and she took the form of Goddess Shakti and she took the form of Goddess kali and killed both the demons in a fearful way. She emerged/evolved to destroy evil from the world; Dakini and Jogini are the escorts of kali.

    People celebrate it with great respect and reverence. All the houses will be decorated with flowers and rangolis. People perform puja at the might time to gain blessings of Kali maatha. Many bajans and parayana’s are done in the memory of her. People lit lamps all over their houses and burn crackers as a symbol of triumph of good over evil.

    In all the Shakti peetas, Tantrik puja will be done. All Hindus perform kaali puja with great reverence.

Haridwar Kumbh Mela

    Kumbh mela is one of the greatest and the most important of the Indian fairs takes place once in every three years, at one of the four places: Nasik, Ujjain, Prayag and Haridwar. Hindus from all over the country come in millions for a holy dip in the river Ganges.  It is believed that the water of the river Ganges acquires the healing effects during the day’s ok Kumbh mela and can cure many ailments. It is also believed that taking a dip in the river Ganges during kumbh mela has the power of washing away all the sins and one can become free from the cycle of birth and re birth.

    Haridwar kumbh mela has a mythological value. When gods and demons were churning the ocean of milk (kshirasagara madhanam), a pot of nectar (amrutham) was evolved. To hide it from the demons, gods hide the pots of nectar in four different places and one drop falls on the ground, where kumbhamela is conducted.
    More than 15 million people take part in Kumbh mela. Sadhus of every sect, pilgrims in search of salvation, fakirs and teachers descend in huge hordes to these holy places, in an unprecedented exhibition of religious and commercial fervor. Originally the fair also served the purpose of having a meeting place and for theological debate among the religious heads of various sects of Hindu religion, called “Shastrartha”.

 People like scantily dressed fakirs from the Himalayas, yogis who sit on beds of nails can be seen here. Kumba mela is the most important fair in India. 

Holi

The festival of colors, Holi, is a famous festival of Hindus. It is pompously celebrated not only by Hindus but also people of other religions, strengthening the feeling of secularism in India. It is more of fun festival than religious where people of all ages enjoy the festival. Holi is also known as day of Dhulandi. Holi is “spring festival” where people celebrate with good harvests and fertility of land. It is celebrated on full moon day in the month of Phalguna (March). It is the festival of beauty and is fun filled. 
               
Holi is celebrated on the occasion of Holika Dahan, where the demon Holika with Prahalada, a great devotee of Lord Vishnu was set ablaze. Magically, demon Holika was burnt to ashes where as Prahalada was not harmed even an inch. This shows the victory of good over the evil. “Kamadahana” was another event where Kamudu (Manmadha) was burnt to ashes by Lord Shiva and was given a re-birth by the prayers of Rati devi.  The story of Radha Krishna was also in existence.
               
Beauty filled celebrations of Holi have lots of colours in it. People squirt coloured water on each other with syringes, water balloons, water guns etc. Abeer and Gulal make halchal in the celebrations. In olden days, traditional and natural colours like haldi, kumkum, neem etc were used. Pouring coloured water on their loved ones was called “Madhanotsav” or “Vasanthotsav”. It was a real fun filled festival for unmarried people in those days.
               
Now-a-days various chemicals are been used as colours. They have many side effects on skin, eyes, kidney etc causing blindness, skin allergy etc. So people should be really careful in selecting the colours and enjoy the festival glamorously.

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Navratri

Navratri is one of the important festivals in India. Navratri is a festival celebrated in the remembrance of “battle won by good over evil”. Goddess Shakti is worshipped during the festival of Navratri in various forms like Durga, Chandi, Ambica, Rajeswari devi etc.
           
In North, especially in West Bengal, Navratri is celebrated with radiance and Durga puja is done with great respect and bhakti. In south, Navratri is celebrated for nine days where goddess Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati are worshipped. Eighth day of navratri is Durgastami and ninth day is Maharnavami. On the tenth day “ayudhapuja” is done where puja is done to new vehicles, gadgets, agricultural instruments etc.
           
Coming to the mythological background, Navratri is celebrated in triumph when God Rama became victorious over the demon Ravan, the evil king. It is celebrated on the occasion of killing evil in the world. Another story tells about the return of Pandavas to their kingdom after aranyavasa on this day. It was also told that on this day Dakshayagna was conducted. Navratri is celebrated every year in the month of Ashwini (i.e. oct/nov).
                    
In those nine days of Navratri people celebrate the festival with pomp and gaiety. Dandiya and Garba dances are widely held during the nights of Navratri. People dress themselves in new clothes and different varieties of recipes are cooked. People greet and wish each other. On those nine days, young girls display dolls of different varieties and it is known as “bommala koluvu” in south India. “Ravana dahana” is done on the day of navratri as a remembrance of the victory of righteousness.
           
Navratri is a festival of radiance and joyous celebrations.

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Dussehra

Also called Vijayadasami in south India, is one of the famous festivals of Hindus. Dussehra means killing of evil/bad. It is the festival celebrated on the occasion of the victory of the righteousness over evil. The festival of Navratri is concluded by dussehra. It is celebrated on the tenth day of ashwini month (oct/nov). Goddess Durga is worshipped with great reverence on dussehra.
             
Dussehra epitomizes the victory of God Rama over the evil king Ravana. It also reminds the return of Pandavas to their kingdom, after 14 years of vanavaasa (residing in forest).

            Dussehra is celebrated with great fun and cheerfulness. Various statues of Durga devi are placed allover the towns and cities and worshipped an on the day of dussehra the deities are immersed in water. Kullu in Himachal Pradesh, uniquely celebrates dussehra. Mysore is the place that first comes to the mind when one thinks of dussehra. A grand procession of goddess Chamundeswari devi is taken on ambari(elephant) along the streets of Mysore. It is really splendid and feast to eyes to watch the ceremony.
           
On the day of Dussehra, people wear new clothes and wish each other. Buying new things is custom on day of Dussehra. People celebrate it with great joy and happiness. “Aksharaabhyasa” i.e. teaching a baby for the first time is mostly done on the day of Dussehra. Variety of sweets and recipes are made. Durga puja is done by the end of the day. Various dramas are played in the temples based on the stories related to Dussehra which will be a great pleasure to watch.
           
Dussehra is really a wonderful festival.

Tags: Dussehra Festival, Dusehra Festival, Vijoya Dashami, Vijayadashami, Dasara Festival, Navaratri, Durgotsav, Durga Puja Festival, Dasha-Hara, Vyasa puja Delhi Mumbai Chennai Kolkata Pune Bangalore Hyderabad Chandigarh London Canada USA UK Australia Europe Singapore Dubai Gulf France New York Chicago California America Africa

Diwali

Diwali is also called as Deepavali in south India. Diwali is the festival of lights. It is the most glamorous festival of Hindus.  Diwali means “Array of diyas” or “row of lights/ diyas”. This radiant festival is celebrated all over with great fun and joy. Lakshmi puja is done on the day of Diwali with great respect and people believe that worshipping goddess Lakshmi brings great prosperity to them.
               
Diwali has a mythological history, where Satyabhama, beloved wife of Lord Sri Krishna, killed the demon Narakasura. On the occasion of his death, people celebrated by lighting the lamps. It symbolizes the victory of righteousness over evil and also the empowerment of women. It is also the day when Vamana, the incarnation of Lord Vishnu, won over Mahabali. On this day, it is told that Lord Rama returned to Ayodhya after killing Ravana and ruled his kingdom thereafter happily. Diwali is celebrated on amavasya (newmoon day) in the month of ashwini (oct/nov).
               
Deepawali is celebrated with great fun and luminosity allover. It is especially a festival of children. People buy gold on this day and it is known as “dhanteras”. Festival starts with greetings and sweets. Sweets have a major part in the festival. Crackers/ fireworks are the special attraction of the day. From small children to an old person, everyone enjoys celebrating with crackers. It appears as if stars have come down to earth leaving the sky (hence a new moon day). “Harikathas are popular where some people enact the play of mythological stories.
               
Diwali is truly a festival of glow and brilliance, showering happiness on people.

Tags: Diwali Festival, Deepavali Festival, Deepawali Festival, Dipavali, Dipawali Festival of Lights India UK USA Canada Australia Punjab Rajastha Jaipur Delhi UP Himachal Pradesh Jammu Bihar MP Mumbai Bangalore Pune Hyderabad Bangalore Kolkata Chennai Lucknow Chandigarh Celebrate Festival of lights

Makar Sankranti

Makar Sankranti

The festival full of joy and pleasure for both childs and adults. It comes on 14 the january every year. People of India used to celebrate this festival. The speciality of this festival is "Kite".Lot 's of kites are flying in the sky on this day. Nowadays different types of kites available in lot of variety.

 

During this day people used to wake up early in the morning and worship the god "sun" by giving water and flowers. During this day people also do charity. People used to donate or give grains, money to brahmin and poor peoples. It was said by our ancient peoples that for doing punya makarsankrati is the best day.

 

Also one more story related to makarsankrati and it was that Bhishma had died during this day. And people used to tell that The person who dies during this day have no rebirth.

 

During this day people went to the terrace and fly the kites. Also they used to prepare their meal in terrace i.e 'Khichadi". Womens also come to the terrace and give til ladu and gur to everyone. As giving gur and til during this day is considered punya in this day. This day is ull enjoyment day for everyone.