DIWALI - The Festival of Lights
Diwali, the popular Festival of
India, celebrates the return of Lord Rama and Sita from
exile. Diwali is also called as the festival of lights. It
usually falls between 15th October and 15th November. It is
celebrated since on that day hundreds of years ago lord ram
returned home to Ayodhya after 14 years of being into exile. It
also celebrates the day Mother Goddess destroyed a demon called
'Mahisha' & Victory of Good over evil. The day is celebrated by
lighting lamps, diyas, visiting relatives, feasting, and
displaying fireworks.
The first day of Diwali is called the
Dhanteras, Dhanwantari Triodasi or Dhantryaodashi, which falls on
the thirteenth day of the month of Ashwin. On this day, Lord
Dhanwantari came out of the ocean with Ayurveda for mankind. This
day marks the beginning of Diwali celebrations.
The second day is called the Narak Chaturdasi.
It is the Choti Diwali celebration. On this day Lord
Krishna killed the demon Narakasur and made the world free from
evil power. It falls on the fourteenth lunar day of the dark
fortnight of the month of Kartik and the eve of Diwali. The
third and the most important day of Diwali are marked with Lakshmi
Puja. It is the main day of celebration. On this day Goddess Laxmi
is worshipped. All the Hindu family clean their house and
themselves and join with their families and relative the puja of
divine Goddess Lakshmi to achieve the blessings of wealth and
prosperity, the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness.
Diwali marks the last day of financial year in traditional Hindu
business and businessmen perform Chopda Pujan on this day on the
new books of accounts. Any new business or venture starts with
Diwali puja.
Pongal Festival in India
The spirit of Pongal,
the harvest Festival of Tamil Nadu, is giving thanks to
God for a bountiful produce as people prepare a special dish
called 'Sarkkarai Pongal' and pray for the blessings of the Sun
God. One of the most popular Tamilian festival, it is celebrated
on January 14th every year coinciding with Makar Sankranti in
the North, Lohri in Punjab, Bhogali Bihu in Assam and Bhogi of
Andhra Pradesh. One of the very few Dravidian festivals that
have survived the Indo-Aryan influences, Pongal finds
little reference in Puranas. Falling just after the winter
solstice and a bountiful harvest, Pongal marks the season of
celebration and happy activities. Mainly a three-day festival,
the fourth day just after the festival is devoted to outdoors
and excursions.
Janmashtami
Lord Krishna's birth
anniversary is the Festival of Janmashtami. The temples
of Vrindavan, where He was born, witness an extravagant and
colorful celebration. On this occasion. Raslila is performed to
recreate incidents from the life of Krishna and to commemorate
his love for Radha. The idol of the infant Krishna is
bathed at midnight and is placed in a cradle. Devotional songs
and dances mark the celebration of this festive occasion all
over Northern India.
Dussehra
The festival of Dassehra,
also known as Vijayadashmi, is one of the fascinating festivals of
India and is celebrated with joy and enthusiasm. Dussehra
literally means the tenth day. It marks the end of the nine days
of Navratri. The first nine nights are spent in the worship of
goddess Durga and therefore these nights are known as Navaratri.
This festival falls in the month of Ashwin (Sep - Oct). The tenth
day of the Dussehra day is in honor of Durga Devi.
Mahavir-Jayanti
Mahavir Jayanti is
the main Jain festival. Mahavirswami is the twenty-fourth
Tirthankar. He was born in 599 BC at Kshatriyakund near modern
Patna in Bihar. His father, King Siddhartha, and his mother,
Queen Trishla, were very devout people and followers of Lord
Parshwanath, the twenty-third Tirthankar. When Queen Trishla was
expecting the baby she had 14 beautiful dreams (some believe
sixteen dreams). When the learned scholars were asked about the
dreams they said she was going to have an extraordinary child.,
one who will show the path to true happiness to humanity.
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