Indian festivals

Rahul Bansal (Finalist) (35929 Points)

13 August 2011

INDIAN FESTIVALS

Friday 14 January 2011– Makara Sankranti
	Makara Sankranti is one of the most important festivals of the Hindu calendar which celebrates the sun's journey into the northern hemisphere, a period which is considered to be highly auspicious. It is a harvest festival mostly celebrated by Hindus all over the world. In India in different states the festival is celebrated in different names. In Tamilnadu as Pongal, in Assam as Bhogali Bihu, in Punjab as Lohri, in Gujarat and Rajasthan as Uttarayan. The festival is celebrated with much fanfare. Children used to enjoy a lot by flying Kites. People used to distribute sweets to friends and relatives. The festival is celebrated in other countries also. Nepal being a Hindu country used to celebrate Makara Sankranti as Maghe Sankranthi or Maghi. In Thailand it is celebrated as Songran and in Myanmar as Thingyan. In a nut shell Makara Sankranthi is worshipping of Sun.

Wednesday 26 January 2011 - Indian Republic Day

In Lahore Session of the Indian National Congress at midnight of December 31, 1929 - January 1, 1930, the Tri-Color Flag was unfurled by the nationalists and a pledge was taken that on January 26 every year, "Republic Day" would be celebrated and that the people would unceasingly strive for the establishment of a Sovereign Democratic Republic India. India became Republic on January 26, 1950, when the Constitution of India framed by the Constituent Assembly of India came into force.

Tuesday 8 February 2011 - Vasant Panchami

Basanth Panchami is the worshipping of Goddess Saraswathi, the goddess of knowledge and music. It is very unique that the Hindu festivals have a flow of natural requirement for every human being. The first festival of the New Year is Makara Sankranthi which is dedicated to Sun which is the source of light without which the universe cannot survive. The 2nd festival is Basanth Panchami which is the festival of Knowledge and Music. Every human being requires knowledge only through which he can survive. During this festival children are inducted the first words of knowledge. The colour of yellow which is considered as auspicious is widely used during this festival. Sweets are distributed and Musical concerts are conducted. This festival is widely celebrated in India, Nepal and Bangladesh.

Tuesday, 15 February 2011 - Milad-Un-Nabi
Milad-Un-Nabi is celebrated as the birthday of Prophet Muhammed. The main thrust of Milad-un-Nabi gatherings is to remember, observe, discuss and celebrate the advent of the birth and teachings of the holy Prophet Muhammad

Thursday 3 March 2011 - Mahasivarathri

This is a Hindu festival dedicated to Shiva, one of the deities of the Hindu Trinity. This festival reminds of sacrifice. The importance of this festival is that it is celebrated in night. The devotees used to stay awake during the night and fast. They will take food prasadam only on the next day. This festival is celebrated, that when the milk ocean was churned using Vasuki the snake god as rope, the snake god got tired and spit venom. It is believed that if the venom falls, the universe will be destroyed. So Shiva drank the venom, seeing this Parvathi wife of Shiva was very desperate, that if the venom falls out, the universe will be destroyed, if the venom goes into Shiva’s body he will be killed. So Parvathi caught hold of Shiva’s neck with one hand to obstruct the venom from going into the body of Shiva and with other hand closed his mouth so that the venom will not come out. The whole night Parvathi sat holding Shiva’s neck and mouth and in the morning the venom got frozen in the neck and Shiva came to know as Neelakantan. There are other stories also regarding Mahasivarathri. During this festival young girls used to fast and worship Lord Shiva to get good husbands.

Saturday 19 March 2011 – Holi

Holi is a spring festival of fertility and harvest. This festival is celebrated as the victory of good over evil. Holika the female demon and sister of Hiranyakasyapu tried to kill Prahlad in fire, but Holika was reduced to ashes and Prahlad has survived. Holi is a festival of colours. People used to sprinkle colours on each other and make toe festival colourful to mark the victory of good over evil. Holi is the most energetic Indian festival, filled with fun and good humor; even the strict rules of separation between castes are abandoned.

Tuesday 12 April 2011 – Sri Rama Navami

Birthday of Lord Rama, an incarnation of Vishnu and the hero of the Ramayana who is known as the maryada purushothaman means the ideal man. People used to go to temple and chant Rama mantrams and read Ramayana.

Monday 18 April 2011 – Hanuman Jayanthi
This festival marks the birth of Hanuman, the Monkey God who is an ardent devotee of Lord Ram. He is considered to be eternal. It is believed that Hanuman is still alive and doing penance in the Himalayas. People into martial arts celebrate this festival with much gusto.

Friday, 22 April 2011 - Good Friday
	Good Friday is traditionally a time of fasting and penance, commemorating the anniversary of Christ's crucifixion and death. For Christians, Good Friday commemorates not just a historical event, but the sacrificial death of Christ, which with the resurrection, comprises the heart of the Christian faith.

Monday, 25 April 2011 - Easter Monday

Easter is known as the resurrection day of Jesus Christ. Easter Monday is the day after Easter Sunday, which commemorates Jesus Christ's resurrection, according to the Christian Bible. Eggs of all types are an important symbol of Easter. They represent the rebirth of nature in the spring and the promise of new life in the spring and summer months to come and are seen as a reflection of the resurrection of Christ after his crucifixion.

Saturday 13 August 2011 – Raksha Bandhan

Raksha Bandhan is the Hindu festival that celebrates brotherhood and love. "Raksha Bandhan" means a thread for protection. During this festival girls used to tie rakhis in the hand of gents. When a girl ties rakhi in the hand of a man he has to consider her as his sister and protect her from any difficulties. Usually when a rakhi is tied the men used to give money to the girl. This is celebrated with much fanfare almost throughout India. This festival embarks the responsibility of brotherhood and his duty to protect his sister.

Monday, 15 August 2011 - Independence Day

Independence Day of India is celebrated on Fifteenth of August to commemorate its independence from British rule and its birth as a sovereign nation in 1947. All over the country, flags are given out to citizens who wear them proudly to show their patriotism towards India. Schools and colleges around the country organize flag hoisting ceremonies and various cultural events within their premises, where younger children in costume do impersonations of their favourite characters of the Independence era.

Monday 22 August 2011 – Janmashtami or Sri Krishna Jayanthi

The Janamashtami festival marks the birth of Krishna, the most highly venerated God in the Hindu pantheon. Krishna was born in the midnight. So devotees used to be awake throughout the night and sing bhajans praising Lord Sri Krishna. Sri Krishna is the author of Bhagavad-Gita. The Mahabharata tells us whatever will happen in the world and how that can be solved. Bhagavad-Gita gives us the direction in our life. Janmashtami is celebrated in India with much fanfare.

Tuesday, 30 August 2011 - Id ul Fitr

Eid-ul-Fitr, popularly known as the "Festival of Breaking of the Fast". This occurs as soon as the new moon is sighted at the end of the month of fasting, namely Ramadan. This festival celebrates the end of Ramzan, the Muslim month of fasting. It is an occasion of feasting and rejoicing. Fitr is derived from the word ‘fatar’ meaning breaking. Fitr has another meaning derived from another word fitrah meaning ‘alms’. Special foods and delicacies are prepared for the day and are distributed among neighbors and friends.

Monday, 12 September 2011 - Ganesh Chaturthi

Hindu Festival to celebrate the birthday of Lord Ganesh. Anant Chaturdashi will be celebrated on the last day of Ganesh Chaturthi, Monday, 12 September 2011. Ganesh chaturthi is celebrated with great devotion all over India. People bring home murtis of Lord Ganesha and celebrate the festival by worshiping the Lord depending on the family tradition and commitment of each individual.
On the last day of worship the idol is taken out in a colourful and musical procession to be immersed traditionally at a beach. This is one of the most popular festivals in the Country. There are several reasons for this. Ganpati is after all a popular God. His blessings are invoked at most religious ceremonies as He is the one who can remove all obstacles to success. He is the giver of fortune and can help to avoid natural calamities. Ganpati, the god of wisdom and the benevolent deity of the dynasty of Peshwas who ruled Maharashtra inculcating a special culture in the state. Ganpati is the herald of auspicious beginnings and is the beloved deity of all.

Wednesday 28 September 2011 – Navarathri

Navaratri (nine nights) symbolizes the triumph of good over evil and marks the start of autumn. Navaratri is also known as Durga Puja. During this period, Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswathi are worshipped as three different manifestations of Shakti, or cosmic energy. Durga the mother goddess, Lakshmi the goddess of prosperity and Saraswathi the goddess of knowledge. Festival is celebrated for nine days and during this time devotees used to perform music and dance in front of the deity. During the festival weapons are also kept for worship. Books are also kept for worship. It is believed that the festival will bring abundance of prosperity.

Sunday, 2 October 2011 - Gandhi Jayanthi

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi, the apostle of peace and the Father of the Nation was born on 2nd October 1869 at Porbandar in Gujarat. Gandhi Jayanti is celebrated on the very day every year as the birthday ofMahatma Gandhi, Father of India. Gandhi, as he was popularly called, proved that non-violence is the most effective instrument of social change. hrough his sheer dedication and self-belief,Gandhi freed India from the British Raj (British Rule). He proved to the world that freedom can be achieved through the path of non-violence.

Thursday 6 October 2011 - Dussera

Dussera or Vijayadashami is celebrated as the day of victory to rejoice about Durga's triumph over the demon Mahishasura in Mysore in the hilltop Chamundi temple, Dussera is a picturesque festival. In Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, families arrange dolls (Bommai Kolu) and artifacts with decorative displays of lamps and flower. In the northern states Dussera also celebrates the homecoming of Rama the hero of the epic Ramayana, after his victory over Ravana. Larger than life figures of Ravana and other demons are burnt on cold dark nights with fireworks lighting up the sky.

Wednesday 26 October 2011 - Diwali

Diwali, the festival of lights, is the most popular of all the festivals from South Asia. It is an occasion for celebrations by Hindus as well as Jains and Sikhs. Diwali is one of the biggest festivals of Hindus, celebrated with great enthusiasm and happiness in India. It is known as the festival of lights. Different colorful varieties of fireworks are always associated with this festival. On this auspicious day, people light up diyas and candles all around their house. They perform Laxmi Puja in the evening and seek divine blessings of Goddess of Wealth. Most Indian business communities begin the financial year on the first day of Diwali. In Jainism, Diwali marks the attainment of moksha or nirvana by Mahavira in 527 BC. In Sikhism, Deepavali commemorates the return of Guru Har Gobindji to Amritsar after freeing 52 Hindu kings imprisoned in Fort Gwalior by defeating the Emperor Jahangir; the people lit candles and diyas to celebrate his return. This is the reason Sikhs also refer to Deepavali as Bandi Chhorh Divas, "the day of release of detainees".

Sunday, 6 November 2011 - Idu’l Zuha / Bakrid
The feast of sacrifice, Idul-Adha, in India pronounced Idul Azha and popularly known as Baqri Id, is celebrated on the tenth day of the month Dhu'l Hijja. It is the sacrifice made by the pilgrims and performed as part of the ceremonies of the great pilgrimage. While the pilgrims are making their sacrifices at Mina, the ceremony is observed simultaneously by Muslims everywhere.

Saturday, 26 November 2011 - Muharram

Contrary to popular belief, Muharram is not a particular day, but the name of a month that marks the beginning of the year according to the Islamic calendar. Muharram is one of four months that have been designated as holy according to the Islamic calendar, the other three being - Dhul-Qa'adah, Dhul-Hijjah and Rajab. Fasting is advocated in the month of Muharram. The Prophet is believed to have said: "The best fasts after the fasts of Ramadan are those of the month of Muharram." Although the fasts of the month of Muharram are not obligatory, yet one who fasts in these days out of his own will is entitled to a great reward by Allah Almighty. Fasting on the tenth day of Muharram, called Ashura, is particularly important, as it supposed to lead to great rewards.

Sunday, 25 December 2011 - Christmas Day

Every year December 25th is celebrated as the birth day of Jesus Christ all over the world. The followers of Christianity worship Jesus as their lord. The date of Christmas coincides closely with the winter solstice in the Northern hemisphere, a time of rejoicing among many ancient cultures. Christmas, as the great popular festival of Western Europe, dates from the Middle Ages. From the mid 19th century Christmas began to acquire its associations with an increasingly secularized holiday of gift-giving and good cheer.