Festivals
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Festivals India is the land of festivals and festivities. The festivals of Hindus are basically the celebrations to express gratitude to the nature. The festivals are not only the family and social occasions of fun but also to worship various Gods and Goddesses. Special delicacies are cooked and offered to Almighty. Each of these festivals have their own significance relevant to nature. Makara Sankranti is the festival of the Harvest and it is celebrated on the occasion of bringing home the first harvest. The Cattles are decorated and are offered pooja to show the gratitude. Til seeds and jaggery are the main ingredients of the special delicacies prepared during the festival time which has relevance to nature & season. The Til generates heat in the body and jaggery acts as a balancer. Rathasaptami is a ritual which falls on margasira suddhasaptami, in margasira masam is known as the Rathasaptami. It is a festival which is celebrated to show gratitude to the surya bhagavan.The prasadam which we prepare is called the “pala payasam” which is the combination of the jaggery,rice and milk. MahaShivaratri is the day when Lord Shiva has incarnated in the form of Shivalinga on Bahulapaksha chaturdasi which falls in the month of maghamasam which we all celebrate it as Shivaratri . The “Shiva Parvathi kalyanotsavam” will be performed on this day during the late evening, special pooja’s will take place at Lingodhbhava samayam i.e from midnight (00:00 AM) till the early hours of the following day. Holi is the festival of colours. In some places it is celebrated as New year. There are lot of mythological stories behind this festival. Colours which are used as the part of the festival are supposed to be prepared from vegetables. Chandramana Ugadi is the festival which falls on the Chaitrasuddha Padyami in chaitra masam and is celebrated as New year by the people who follow the lunar (more specifically lunisolar) calender. The special delicacy which is prepared on this day known as ugadi pachhadi, is the significance of ups and downs of the human life. On this day Chaitramasa navaratri (choti dasera) will commence. Sri Rama Navami (chaitrasuddha navami in chaitra masam) is the day when Lord Vishnu incarnated as Sri Rama , “Sri Sita Rama Kalyanam” took place , the day when Sri Rama returned to Ayodhya after defeating Ravana. A very traditional ritual “ Sita Rama Kalyanostavam” will be performed in some place on this special occation and vadapapu (soaked moong dal salad) and panakam (delicious elaichi and jaggery juice) will be served which helps the devotees to overcome the seasonal heat. The following day “Sri Rama Patabhisheka mahostavam” will take place. Ashada or Guru paurnami or Vyasa purnima is celeberated to offer salutations to the gurus in gratification. The people are suggested to put on mehandi to soothen the summer heat in Asada masam(mid summer). Varamahalakshmi vratam, Mahalakshmi on this day is considered to be the incarnation of 9 durgas (nava durga) i.e the reason we prepare 9 different delicacies as an offering to the Goddess,the festival which we celebrate in the month of Sravana is considered as a very auspicious day for all the women. Sravan paurnami or Rakhi paurnami is an very important day, in other words it is also known as dhandhyala puarnami, where in all the men are suppose to perform the upakarma. The Rakhi festival or Raksha Bandhan has a special significance in hearts of brothers and sisters.The silken thread of Rakhi symbolizes the love between siblings. Ganesha chaturdi This festival does not need any introduction to the Indian’s,the Badhrapada chaturdi (chaviti) is known to be the Vinayaka chaviti(ganesh chaturdi) one of the most important Gods of the Hindu Mythology. According to the Hindu belief Ganesha is worshipped first on all auspicious occasions, whether it is a marriage or a religious function. During the festival people purchase small Moulds of Ganesha from shops and brought into home, Larger clay Moulds of the Ganesha which are made by the professional craftsmen are set up in public places throughout the country. After the festival is over they immerse the idols in the nearby water body, which are supposed to sacred. Dasara or sharan navaratrulu 'The Festival of Nine Nights', is celebrated during the first nine days of the Hindu month of Ashvija masam. The festival is dedicated to the worship of Mother Goddess or Shakti and her nine forms. This season is considered to be an auspicious. The last three days are especially considered most important. The nine-day is equally divided in worshiping three goddesses. The first three days are dedicated to Goddess Durga. The next three days are spent in worshipping goddess Lakshmi and the last three days are dedicated to Goddess Saraswati. The day after Navratri the festival of Dussehra is celebrated.The rituals are based according to the culture and traditions of that particular region. Deepavali The festival of Lights is celebrated by Indians wheather in India or in Abroad with special enthusiasm and zeal. This festival of lights brings along with itself immense enthusiasm and pleasure. As Deepawali is the festival of Goddess Lakshmi,the goddess of wealth, it is celebrated with great pleasure. Lights, crackers, sweets and abundant shopping are the most awaited features of the Diwali season. |
