FESTIVALS OF FESTIVALS OF INDIAINDIA

LipilekhaLipilekha Bengali AssociationBengali Association

DURGA PUJADURGA PUJA

DASSEHRADASSEHRA

DIWALIDIWALI

KALI PUJAKALI PUJA

RAKSHA BANDHANRAKSHA BANDHAN

BHAI PHOTABHAI PHOTA

JANMASHTAMIJANMASHTAMI

HOLIHOLI

EID UL FITREID UL FITR

BAISHAKHIBAISHAKHI

INDEPENDENCE DAYINDEPENDENCE DAY

REPUBLIC DAYREPUBLIC DAY

SARASWATI PUJASARASWATI PUJA

GANESH CHATURTHIGANESH CHATURTHI

CHRISTMASCHRISTMAS

PONGALPONGAL

ONAMONAM

MAHAVIR JAYANTIMAHAVIR JAYANTI

GURU NANAK JAYANTIGURU NANAK JAYANTI

BUDDHA PURNIMABUDDHA PURNIMA

FESTIVALS of INDIA. -

. DURGA PUJA : Celebrated in autumn, oJrleflyin BengaL The Divine Mother (good) isrepresented as trampling underfoot the demon Mahishasur (evil) who terrorized the earthuntil he was slain by her. Her image everywhere is surrounded by the images of her childrenGanesba ( god of wisdom and the bestower of success), Kartikeya (god of war), SaraSwati(goddess of learning and the arts) and Laksbmi (goddess of wealth and beauty). People wearnew clothes and exchange gifts of new clothes.

. DASEHRA: Celebrated in tandem.(at the same time) with Durga Puja, throughout northernIndia. It is devoted to the memory oithe great hero Raroa, who lived a million and threehundred thousand years ago~ftom one of India's greatest epics the Ramayana. The festivallasts ten days and tales are told with great pomp and drama about the triwnph ofRama(good) over Ravana(evil) who was a wicked king whom Rama vanquished. An annualpageant (procession) '~ Li1a~'is presented for two bours each day for the ten successive4aYsover which Dasehra is celebrated.

. DIWAU : Celebrated mainly by merchants in autumn, after Dasehra, chiefly in northernIndia. The word diwall comes ftom the Hindi word deepavali which means "row of lights." Itlasts fur two days. On the first day families light "diye" in the hope that Laksbmi the goddessofprosperity will visit their homes. They also pray to Ganesha, god of wisdom and goodluck. On the second night, families pray, feast and setoff fU'Cworksto ward off eviL

· KALIPUJA : Celebratedin Bengalat the same timeas Diwali.Dwga's incarnationKali isworshiped,and the form of:fustivitiesis muchthe sameas that ofDiwali. Lakshmiand ..Ganeshare not worshfed at this festivalhowever."

· RAKSHA BANDHAN : A brother-sister custom which is celebrated during a full moontoward the end of July. Sisters bind their brother's wrists with 'rakbi'; or amulets consistingof silk threads, or silver or gold wire~ cora1s)strings of pearls or even precious jewels! Theamulets are supposed to protect the brothers nom evil during the ensuing year, and pledge1hem to protect their sisters in time of need. This tradition dates back more than SOOyears,when siSters tied rakhis on their brother~swrists to protect them on the battlefield.

.BHAIPHOTA: Celebrated in Bengal. few days after Kali Puja..;This is also a brother-sisterfestival in which the sister applies a spot or "photaUon her brother's forehead and recites aprayer for his strength and immortality (well-being). Gifts are exchanged between broth,ersandsisters; sisterscook goodfOodfor thcirbrothers. l'

· JANMASHT AMI : Krishna"s birth is celebrated during summer throughout India by Hindus~In the homes a space is cleared to represent the birth-roorn, where the jmage of the babyKrishna (eight incarnation of Vishnu, the Preserver, came to earth to save manlcindh cast ingol~ bfass or plaster, is sun:ounded by all the other people in his infancy. Sometimes theinfant is placed in a swinging cradle and decorated with garlands offtagrant flowers. Thismay be compared with and is Vf:fYsimilar to the way the birth of .JesusChrist (son of God inChristian.religion who came to earth to save mankind) is depicted during Christmas.

:Mantras, similar to the Psalms, are sung at midnight. There is music and dancing. And sinceKrishna as a child was very fond:of milk, many varieties ofdairy dishes are prepared on thisholiday. Children are given sweets, especia1lysince the child Krislma is worshipped.

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· HOLl: Celebrated in February or March-on the day after the full-moon. In Bengal, tbisfestival is called ''DoL7tAfter the wheat harvest is brougbtinpeop1e have 'spring fever' and'in a gay mood ce1ebratethe "Festival ofColor"~ People we~ their worst clothes and are in amood to get good and dirty! Probably children in India love this festival as much as childrenin the western countries love Halloween. Everyone robs colored powder on each other andalso drench each other with colored liquid. This goes on until lunch after which people take abath. Sometimes it takes days until the colors are completely removed. There are two ancientlegends that explain the origin ofHoIi. One is about Krishna and Radha and the other isabout Prahlad an(!HoIika the demon ogress. The name Holi is derived ftom Holika.

. EID UL-FITR : Celebrated after the ninth lunar month, called Ramadan, by the Muslims.They avoid food and drink between sunrise and sunset dming Ramadan. Then they celebratethe end oftms period of &sting with Bid ut-Fitr, a joyous testivaI of feasting that lasts forthree days. At Eid Muslims eat celebratory meals, give food to the poor, visit relations andfriends, and exchange gifts and cards.

. BAISHAKHI: The Bengali New Year, called Baishakhi, is celebrated in April. It is a harvestfestival. Houses are decorated, people wear new clothes and doorsteps are painted jntraditional patterns or 'a1pana~to welcome new year's visitors, who are served sweets. Intown, shopkeepers settle all their accounts ttom the old year, decorate their shops withflowers and streamers~and hand out sweets to children.The highlight of the celebration is theBaisbakhi 'me1a' or fair, with amusement-park rid.esand rows of stalls selling everythingimaginable. In Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, the fair goes on for an entire week. At oneminute past midnight on New Year~sDay, BengaJis set off string after string of firecrackers.Later they greet the first sunrise of the new year with choral singing and poetry readings. OnNew Year's Day, people Jine the streets to watch the long procession of musicians anddancers perform.

. INDEPENDENCE DAY: Celebrated on August 15, which is the anniversary of the day in1947 when independence was fonnally granted at midnight to India. Prior to this the Britishhad roloo India for over 200 years. No battles were fought, and uniquely the independencewas gained by non-violent negotiations and civil disobedience. There is a flag hoistingceremony in schools, institutions and homes where the national anthem (written byRabindranath Tagore) is sung.

. REPUBLIC DAY: Celebrated on Januaxy26, which is the anniversary of the day in 1950when India stood on its own teet, separate at last from the British, with its own newly writtenconstitution and government of the people's own forming (elections). In New Delhi thet'elis along parade, where the armed forces --- anny. navy, and air force --- pass inreview~ fonowedby floats nom the various states, showing in pantomime and dress some of the scenes ftomtheir history. The schoolchildren march and so do camels and elephants! On this day and onIndependence Day there is a spirit that bas the same unifying effect all over India. India wasbefore a land of many princely states that was first unified by the British, and then cametogether as a Republic after its independence from the British with a common constitutionand system of government.

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• GANESH CHATURTHI: Celebrated mainly in Maharashtra, Goa, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh as the birth of Lord Ganesh who is worshiped by the Hindus for his ability to remove obstacles and bring good fortune.The exact time of the festival is determined by the lunar cycle and it is celebrated for ten days, sometime in August or September. The deity is worshiped both in private and in community sites. At the end of the ten days, the idols are immersed to the sound of drumbeats and devotional songs.

• CHRISTMAS: Celebrates and honors the birth of Jesus Christ on the 25th of

December. This date is not thought to coincide with the actual date of birth of Jesus of Nazareth and may have been chosen because of the fact that ancient Roman solar festivals were celebrated on that day. Modern customs of the holiday include church celebrations, the singing of Christmas carols and display of various decorations including Christmas trees, lights, mistletoe, nativity scenes and holly. Santa Claus is a popular mythological figure and he is associated with the giving of gifts. Christmas gifts are also exchanged between family members and donations are given to charity. Christmas is celebrated by the Christians of India but is also celebrated by many non-Christians as a secular, cultural festival. Interestingly enough, local Indian customs and traditions have had an impact on Indian Christians. This may be visible in their mode of decorations when houses are adorned with mango leaves or when small clay lamps are placed on the rooftops and walls of houses. Also Indians may decorate banana or mango Christmas trees instead of a traditional pine trees.

• PONGAL: Celebrated in Tamil Nadu sometime in January or February, at the end

of the harvesting season for four days."Ponga" literally translated, means "overflowing", and the festival is named thus due to the tradition of cooking the new rice in pots until they boil and overflow the pot. This is symbolic of abundance and prosperity. During Pongal people give their thanksgiving to nature. Briefly, on the first of the four days called Bhogi, the people clean out their homes and light an evening bonfire; on the second day called Perum Pongal or Surya Pongal, they worship Surya and this is the most important day;on the third day called Mattu Pongal people give thanks to the cows and buffaloes and on the last day people go for a picnic.

• ONAM: Celebrated in Kerala either in the end of August or at the beginning of

September. It is a harvest festival. Also according to popular belief the spirit of Kerala's beloved and legendary King Mahabali is said to visit his beloved State(Kerala) at this time and all preparations are made to give him a royal reception. Flower mats adorn courtyards and a sumptuous feast is cooked in order to welcome him. The Onam carnival lasts ten days and is secular in nature.Folk songs, elaborate dances, energetic games, elephants and boats are a part of Onam. The Government of India has recognized Onam as a dynamic and spectacular festival. It promotes Onam in a big way internationally as "Tourist Week" in Kerala. Thousands of tourists, both domestic and foreign visit Kerala during Onam.

• MAHAVIR JAYANTI: Celebrated by the Jains in late March or early April to

commemorate the birth anniversary of Lord Mahavira who taught that complete non-violence and the practice of austerity was the path to spirituality and salvation. Grand chariots and processions with the images of Mahavira are taken out, rich ceremonies are held in the temples and fasts and charities are observed. The Jains visit sacred sites such as ancient sites in Gujarat, Rajasthan and Bihar.

• GURU NANAK JAYANTI: Celebrated by the Sikhs sometime in November as

the birthday of the founder of Sikhism. The celebrations are especially colorful in Punjab and Haryana. Sikhs do not worship idols and their festivities revolve around the ten Sikh Gurus. These Gurus were responsible for shaping the beliefs of the Sikhs and their birthdays, known as Guruparabs are occasions for celebration and prayer among the Sikhs.On the day of the Guruparab, hymns,lectures and recitations are performed in honor of Guru Nanak. Following this, a special community lunch is arranged at the Gurudwara by volunteers. The idea behind the free communal lunch is that people should be offered food in the spirit of service (seva) and devotion (bhakti).

• BUDDHA PURNIMA: Celebrated by Buddhists to commemorate the birth

anniversary of Lord Buddha. Lord Buddha was born on a full moon night in Vaishakh which usually falls in April or May, he attained "nirvana" or enlightenment on this day and he died on this same day at the age of eighty. Thus Buddha Jayanti or Buddha Purnima celebrates the three most important events in Gautam Buddha's life. Siddhartha, who later became Gautam Buddha was born a prince, and lived in the lap of luxury. Upon perceiving old age, disease and death he renounced worldly pleasures and wandered around in search of enlightenment. Lord Buddha attained enlightenment under a "pipal" tree in Bodh Gaya.Pilgrims from all over the world congregate there to participate in the Buddha Purnima or Buddha Jayanti celebrations that highlight prayer meets, recitation of Buddhist scriptures, group meditation, processions and worship of the statue of Buddha on the site.