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India is a land of often
bewildering diversity. It is a jigsaw puzzle of people - of every
faith and religion, living together to create a unique and colourful
mosaic. There is a festival for every reason and for every season.
Many festivals celebrate the various harvests, commemorate great
historical figures and events, while many express devotion to the
deities of different religions. Every celebration centres around the
rituals of prayer , seeking blessings, exchanging goodwill, decorating
houses, wearing new clothes, music, dance and feasting. Dates for most
of the Hindu festivals vary from year to year, as the as Hindus follow
the lunar calendar. Listed below are festivals for the Year 2005.
Lohri
Amidst the freezing cold weather you would be amazed to find a
palpable wave of activity going on. People, especially in the northern
Indian states of Punjab, Haryana and parts of Himachal Pradesh, are
busy making preparations for Lohri — the long-awaited bonfire festival
.
Makar Sankranti
Sankranti is the colourful kite festival, where the sky is enveloped
in kites of an amazing hue of colours. It is a celebration of spring,
on the occasion of the ascent of the sun into the north(uttarayana).
Sesame and jaggary 'laddoos' or round sweets are made and distributed,
as a symbol of goodwill towards all.
Pongal
Pongal, the harvest festival of the South, is celebrated with prayers
and rituals including the famous boat rave which takes place on the
backwaters of Kerala.
January 26 -Republic day (National holiday) .
Republic Day is celebrated with pomp and ceremony to mark the day the
Indian Constituition was formed in 1950. A colourful parade is held in
New Delhi, which showcases everything from folk dances, march pasts to
the impressive air show by the India Air force.
Id-ul Zuha ( Bakrid )
Celebrates the sacrifice of Hazrat Ibrahim, who willingly agreed to
kill his son at the behest of God. To celebrate the event, Muslims
sacrifice one animal per family or group of families. There are
prayers in mosques, feasting, and rejoicing. New clothes are worn and
visits and greetings are exchanged. September
Desert Festival.
Once a year in winters and on the middle of the continually rising and
falling stark yellow sands of the great Thar Desert, the empty sands
around Jaisalmer come alive with the brilliant colour, music and
laughter of the Desert Festival. The festival is organised by the
tourist authorities as tourist entertainment around January-February.
The very rich and colourful Rajasthani folk culture is on show here
for a few days. Rajasthani men and tall beautiful women dressed in
their brightly costumes dance and sing lingering ballads of valour,
romance and tragedy. Traditional musicians attempt to outdo each other
in their musical superiority
Muharram
Commemorates the martyrdom of Imam Hussain, the grandson of the holy
Prophet Mohammed, and observed by the Shi'ite Muslims, who take out
processions of colourfully decorated 'Tazias', which are paper and
bamboo replicas of the martyr's tomb at Karbala in Iraq. The
processions are specially impressive at Lucknow. In parts of the
South, tiger dancers -- men painted over with stripes and wearing
tiger masks -- lead the procession.
Vasant Panchami.
Vasant Panchami heralds the arrival of spring in the North. Hindus
worship Saraswati, the Goddess of Learning, Shiva- Durga and Lakshmi-Vishnu.
Floating Festival.
The Floating Festival in Madurai, the temple town in Tamil Nadu, South
India is celebrated on the night of the full moon. Beautifully
decorated idols from the temples are taken in a floating procession
from the Meenakshi temple. Devotees dance in the procession while the
onlookers spray coloured water on them.
Mahashivratri
Mahashivratri marks the festival of Lord Shiva. Thousands of devotees
flock to the Shiva temples all over India and celebrations go on all
night long. Shiva is the destroyer in the Hindu trinity of Gods. When
almost all other festivals are celebrated in day time, Mahashivaratri
is celebrated in the night. Shiv it is saved the world from Tamogun
(darkness and ignorance). Shiv is known as Har because he defleced the
submersion of the universe into complete darkness. Snakes, lions,
peacocks and bulls shown along with Shiva?s images symbolize freedom
from evil exhibiting fearlessness. So on the night prior to Amavasya,
Shiv is specially worshipped to drive away the dark evil.
Holi
Holi is one of the most exuberant Hindu festivals in the north of
India. It marks the end of winter and is celebrated by people throwing
coloured water and powder on each other. The night before, people
gather together and light bonfires to burn the twigs and dried leaves
of winter.
Elephant Festival Jaipur.
The Elephant Festival is an inimitable event held annually in Jaipur.
Groomed flawlessly, rows of elephants do a catwalk before an
enthralled audience liked best fashion models to make this festival an
amazing one. The elephants move with poise in pageant, run races, play
the regal game of polo, and finally participate in the spring festival
of Holi. It is festival time with elephants typically celebrated one
day before the Holi, Indian festival of colours.
Meenakshi Kalyanam.
Meenaskhi Kalyanam, the wedding festival of Goddess Meenakshi and Lord
Sundareshwara is celebrated for twelve days from the second day of the
lunar month (i.e. two days after the new moon). This is a spectacular
festival celebrated at Madurai?s Meenakshi temple in the month of
Chaitra (April-May). The festival is characterized with royal
decorated umbrellas, fans and traditional instrumental music. Scenes
from mythology are enacted and the deities of Lord Siva, Goddess
Shakti and Goddess Meenakshi are taken out in a colorful procession.
Mewar Festival Jaipur.
The Mewar Festival is celebrated to welcome the advent of spring. It
coincides with the festival of Gangaur in Udaipur, and has a unique
charm about it. The women folk gather to dress the images of Isar and
Gangaur and then carry them in a ceremonial procession through
different parts of the city. The procession winds its way to the
Gangaur Ghat at Lake Pichhola. Here, the images are transferred to
special boats amidst much singing and festivity.
Gudi Padwa (New Year).
The Hindu Year begins on the first day of the month of Chaitra,
Shuddha Pratipada.New Year is celebrated in different states of India
under various names, for e.g. Ugadi in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka,
Gudi Padava in Maharashtra. The Sindhis celebrate it as Cheti chand.
Ugadi and Gudi Padava share the same legends and customs. The Prasad
of neem leaves and jaggery is common to all the three. Read on to have
a brief insight on the common factor that binds all these festivals.
Good Friday.
This Christian festival marks the memory of the crucifixion of Jesus
Christ. Christians fast and pray. 15
Baisakhi.
This Sikh spring festival commemorates the day Guru Gobind Singh
organised the order of the Khalsa
Ambedkar Jayanti
Birthday of Dr Ambedkar celebrated. Born in a class considered low and
outcast, Dr. Ambedkar fought untiringly for the downtrodden. The boy
who suffered bitter humiliation became the first Minister for Law in
free India, and shaped the country’s Constitution. A determined
fighter, a deep scholar, human to the tips of his fingers.
Ram Navmi
Ramnavmi celebrates the birth of Rama, the celebarted hero of the epic
Ramayana. Temples are decorated and prayers are offered. Chariot
processions of Ram, Seeta and Lakshman are taken out from mant temples
Mahavir Jayanti
The birth anniversary of the jain Tirthankara, Mahavir, is celebrated
by Jains all over India. People meditate and offer prayers.
Gangaur Fair.
Gangaur Fair takes place in Rajasthan. Amidst much singing and
dancing, the women worship the Goddess Parvati, or Gauri as she is
called, and pray for a good husband. The festival lasts for 18 days.
Hanuman Jayanti
The full moon day of Chaitra is celebrated as Hanuman Jayanti. Hanuman
is known for his valour, courage, deep devotion and dedication towards
Lord Rama. Images of Hanuman are usually made of red stone, painted
with vermilion. Hanuman also symbolises supreme physical strength.
Hanuman Jayanti is celebrated in all the temples of Rama.
Pooram In the quaint town of Trichur in Kerala, this magnificent
temple festival is celebrated with richly caprisioned elephants,
trumpets and fireworks, and is one of the most spectacular festivals
in India. Two rows of elephants face each other, and while the
nadaswarams create a cresendo of music, each side displays a mind
boggling array of richly ornamented parasols.
Buddha Purnima
This is the birth anniversary of Lord Buddha, and is celebrated by
Buddhists all over India.
Ratha Yatra
The spectacle of the Rath Yatra in Puri involves the gigantic temple
car of Lord Jagannath making its annual journey, pulled by thousands
of eager devotees. Images of the god and his brother Balbhadra and
sister Subhadra are placed in giant large yellow chariots or raths
which are then drawn by pilgrims. The procession or rath yatra draws
huge crowds from all over the country.
15 August Independence Day (National holiday)
On this day in 1947, India became independent from the British Empire.
The occasion is celebrated with flag hoisting ceremonies all over the
country.
Teej
Teej is the festival of swings. It marks the advent of the monsoon
month of Shravan (August). The monsoon rains fall on the parched land
and the pleasing scent of the wet soil rises into the air. Swings are
hung from trees and decorated with flowers. Young girls and women
dressed in green clothes sing songs in celebration of the advent of
the monsoon. This festival is dedicated to the Goddess Parvati,
commemorating her union with Lord Shiva. Goddess Parvati is worshipped
by seekers of conjugal bliss and happiness. An elaborate procession is
taken out in Jaipur for two consecutive days on the festive occasion
which is watched by people in large numbers. The teej idol is richly
decorated with ornaments and gaudy dresses. The Teej idol is covered
with a canopy whereas the Gangaur idol is open.
Parsi New Year
It is the New Year's Day for the Parsi community. They celebrate the
day with feasting. It goes back to the time of ancient Persia and
describes how the kings of Persia celebrated their own glory and
nature's glory and springtime on this day. Parsi's decorate their
homes with flowers and rangoli patterns. They don their traditional
kustis and caps made of gold and silver brocade and visit the fire
temple(agiary), to perform a thanksgiving or Jashan. Then they visit
friends and family and share special sweets.
Nagpanchami
This snake festival is celebrate din honour of the cosmic thousand
headed snake belonging to Lord Visnu, called Shesha. There is a
colourful fair in Jodhpur where huge cloth effigies of the serpent are
displayed. Women offer cooked rice and milk to snakes. Clay snakes are
worshipped during the day and immersed into the sea in the evening.
Onam
Onam is celebrated in Kerala to mark the harvest time, and involves
lots of singing and fasting. The famous snake boat races take place at
this time.
Raksha Bandhan
On this day sisters tie a ‘rakhee ’or decorated coloured thread on the
brother’s wrist, as a symbol of love and protection.
Janmashtami
The birthday of Lord Krishna is celebrated with prayers and enactment
of stories of his childhood. Krishna was one of the Avataars of Lord
Vishnu, the Preserver in the Hindu Trinity.
Ganesh Chaturthi
This extremely popular festival is dedicated to the much loved
elephant-headed god Ganesh. It's celebrated widely, but with
particular enthusiasm in Maharashtra. Ganesh is the God of good omens
and is worshiped by most Hindus. Clay models of the deity are
worshiped and taken out in grand procession accompanied by the sound
of cymbals and drums.
October 02-Gandhi Jayanti (National holiday)
The birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, known as the father of the
nation, is celebrated with prayer meetings.
Navratri
the festival of nine nights is celebrated with great zest in all parts
of the country. Garba & Dandiya-Raas dance is performed by people
wearing colourful dresses and by dancing in a circle, singing 'Garbas'
or traditional songs. Dandiya-Raas is played with wooden sticks (dandiyas).
Described in the following pages is more about this festival of
whirling ghagras, traditional music and colourful dandiyas.
Diwali
This festival is celebrated with lights and fireworks to commemorate
the return of Rama from exile. Every Hindu home is lit with oil lams
and decorated with coulourful pattern on the floor, to welcome the
Goddess of wealth, Lakshmi.
Bhai Dooj
The fifth and final day of the Diwali Festival is known by the name of
"Bhai Duj" in the Hindi-speaking belt "Bhau-Bij" in the
Marathi-speaking communities and in Nepal by the name of "Bhai-Tika".
On Bhai Duja sisters apply tilak to their brothers and pray for their
long and happy life. In all likelihood, this ritual was originally
intended only for married women. Since they celebrated Diwali with
their in-laws, this festival allowed them to come to their parent's
home during this auspicious time. Nowadays however, among many
communities Bhai Duja is observed by both married and unmarried
sisters.
Id -ul-Fitr
The Holy Koran was revealed this month according to the Muslim belief.
Muslims fast every day during this month, which are called Roza. Food
is taken once after sun down during this whole month. Friends and
families join the Iftar (the breaking of fast) and share the meal
irrespective of religion. On the completion of the period, which
depends on the appearance of the new moon, Id-ul-Fitr is celebrated
with great fervour. Community prayers are offered in mosques and
Idgahs and it is celebrated as a joyous occasion. People visit friends
and greet them. New clothes, good food and fireworks all form an
important part of merrymaking.
Pushkar
The famous Pushkar Fair is a great tourist attraction. People from
around the globe come to the ancient religious town of Pushkar which
is transformed into a spectacular fair ground in the month of Kartik.
People bathe, worship and delight in the dazzling wares of roadside
stalls. Camels are bought, sold, beautified, raced and parade. Most
unusual are the small groups of men and women seen busy tattooing
their hands and other parts of the body. The fair is predominantly a
rural gathering. Villagers come from different parts of the state and
bring their cattle with them. On spectacular sanddunes camel, horse
and bullock races are great crowd pullers. All roads lead to the lake,
which is flooded with pilgrims. The movement of the crowd is like a
tide of colour with currents of crimson, yellow and turquoise.
Guru Nanak Jayanti
The birth of anniversary of Guru Nanak is celebrated by the Siks with
the recitation of verses from the Akhand Path.
Christmas
Christians from all over India celebrate with midnight mass, hymms and
feasting.
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