HINDU FESTIVALS

Introduction

The Hindu calendar is based on the movement of the moon. This lunar calendar has twelve months, shorter than those used in the Western solar calendar. In the western calendar, a year is the time it takes for the earth to complete one orbit around the sun. In the Hindu calendar, the solar year is subdivided by lunar months.

Each lunar months is split into a 'bright half' (the period from a new moon to full moon) and a 'dark half' (the period between a full moon and the next moon). For this reason, it is quite common to see lunar symbols on a Hindu calendar. The difference between the shorter lunar and the longer solar calendar explain why Hindu Festival dates change from year to year.

If you are a follower of the Hindu calendar one of the most detailed explanations can found on the Swaminarayan website, click here.

Chaitra (New Year Festival)
This spring New Year festival marks the start of the Hindu calendar and is meant to bring good luck. Hindus celebrate by putting up a colour bamboo pole with the following items tied to it: brass pot, a garland of flowers, brightly coloured cloth and some raw sugar discs.

Ramnavami (Rama's Birthday)
Ramnavami is a nativity festival, a week after News Year's day, to celebrate the birth of Rama. In temples, a doll or coconut in a cot, with flowers, represents the baby Rama. The story of Rama's life is detailed in The Ramayana, written during the third century BC. On the island of Bali, enactment of the Ramayana, with silhouette puppets and in the famous Balinese dances, is a national pastime.

Ratha Yatra
The Ratha Yatra is the chariot or juggernaut festival worshipping Krishna; deriving from the Hindu word Jagannath meaning 'Lord of the Universe'. Huge chariots, bearing a statue of Krishna, are garlanded with flowers and pulled through towns in India. In the UK, ISKON organise a Ratha Yatra procession, featuring a huge chariot pulled by hand from Hyde Park to Trafalgar Square. Click here to read more details.

Raksha Bandhan (Brother & Sisters Day)
"Raksha" means protection and "Bhandhan" means to bind. To drive away evil, sisters tie a red and gold thread (called a Rakhi or Raksha) around their brothers' right wrists. In return, brothers give presents to their sisters and pledge to always protect them. The Rakhi symbolises the bond between brother and sister.

Janmashtami (Krishna's birthday)
Janmashtami is the celebration of the birth of Krishna. The day is to the celebrate "Dharma", righteousness over evil. During Janmashtami, devout Hindus observe a total fast until the midnight arti. The prasad offered to Krishna's deity on Janmashtami consists of 'makhan', a buttery favourite of his in youth, and Panchajiri. This is sweet made of five major ingredients - ginger, suva (dill), coriander, sugar and ghee. Khaskas (Couscous) and desiccated coconut are some of the other ingredients.

Ganesh-Chaturthi
A festival to honour the elephant-headed god, Ganesh, who is said to remove all obstacles. Ganesh is the son of Shiva and Parvati and is a deity of auspiciousness, wisdom and wealth. During this festival clay murtis of Ganesh are worshipped with pujas and prasad (usually 'ladus'). In Maharastra in India, Ganesh is worshipped until the Anant Chaturthi when the murti is taken to a river or lake and submerged to the singing of a holy chant.

Navaratri , Dusserah, Durga Puja
Navaratri is a nine-day festival to worship the mother goddess and her victory over the buffalo demon, Mahishasura. The goddess Parvati is also known in a darker incarnation as Durga. Navaratri is celebrated with garbas and dandia raas dances for each night of the nine-day festival. On the tenth day of battle, Durga attained victory ('Vijay') and slew the evil demon by invoking her 'shakti' (valor). Hindu women fast during Navaratri to invoke "shakti" to please the mother goddess.

Dusserah (also known as 'Vijayadashmi', literally translated as victory day) is celebrated on the tenth day and marks the success of Durga. In the Ramayana, the story is about Durga assisting Rama over the demon king Ravana. So on this day the Ramayana is re-enacted and effigies of the demon Ravana are burnt.

Mahashivaratri (often shortened to Shivratri)
A festival dedicated to the god Shiva, particularly in North India. It celebrates Shiva's marriage to the goddess Parvati. There are aspects of both good and evil in his nature. Shiva is known in many forms - god of life, god of death and lord of the dance. He said to have created the world in one cosmic dance. Shivratri is a day for fasting.

Holi
One of the most popular events in India, Holi is a spring festival that celebrates the wheat harvest. It usually begins on a night with a full moon and lasts no more than a day or two. Holi celebrates Krishna's defeat of the winter demon Holika. A sacred bonfire is lit and everybody throws red powder and coloured water at each other. Holi is a festival for fun & tricks - music, dancing, street parties and processions and harmless pranks are common.

Fire helps renew the land so that a new crop can grow afresh, hence its importance during Holi. Coconuts are thrown into the bonfire and the white flesh inside eaten as prasad after the outer shell is charred. The festival has many religious stories associated with it; the underlying theme of which is the triumph of good over evil. Fasting on the day of Holi is quite common. In Gujarat parents will walk around a Holi fire once with their offspring, asking God to bless their children with health & happiness.

Diwali (Deepawali)
Diwali is the Hindu festival of light celebrated near the end of each year. The Diwali festival lasts up to five days. The word 'Diwali' literally means a 'row of lights' and often, traditional clay lamps, called diwas are placed at windows and doors throughout the festive season.

Hindus regard Diwali as a time of hope and new beginnings. Krishna and Ganesh are particularly venerated at this time to celebrate the triumph of good over evil, light over hope and life over death. Many people light fireworks at Diwali to celebrate the burning of Ravana's kingdom by the monkey god, Hanuman. In the Ramayana it is written that Ravana captured Hanuman and set his tail of fire. Hanuman escaped by leaping out of the window and jumping across the houses setting everything on fire!

On the first of Diwali only one lamp is lit. This is to welcome Yama, the god of death. Diwali is the only time Yama is honoured and the spirits of the dead can return to earth. The 'diwa' is said to help the souls of the dead find their former home. On the following days of Diwali all the lamps are lit.

Dhanteras
The first day of Diwali is called Dhanteras. On this day, wealth is worshipped and prayers are offered for wisdom to use this wealth wisely. Money, in the form of coins is used in performing pujas.

Goddess of Prosperity
Lakshmi's birthday is celebrated on the second day of Diwali as part of the "new beginnings" philosophy. Lakshmi, the wife of Vishnu, is known as the goddess of wealth and good fortune. Hindus believe that a Diwali visit from Lakshmi will bring them wealth and good luck in the forthcoming year.

Chopda Pujan
In Gujarat, Diwali also represents the start of a new business year so all businesses close their accounts and present them to Lakshmi and Ganesh during the Chopda Pujan. Inside their account ledgers they write 'Subh' (auspiciousness) and 'Labh' (merit) to invoke the two deities.

Diwali Celebrations
Diwali is also the time for Hindus to buy themselves or each other new clothes; prepare special dishes and invite friends and relations for parties at home. Sweets including burfi, gulab jambu, ladus, kaju & pista rolls, jalebi, mohanthar, gundar pak, copra pak and all manner of calorific delicacies are enjoyed during Diwali. Diwali "get togethers" may also be accompanied by cards playing or dancing. Garbas or Dandia Raas are very popular during the festive period.

Diwali Preparation
Apart from carrying out a major "spring cleaning" exercise and cooking special delicacies for Diwali dinner or lunch, Hindus often decorate their homes with lights and rangoli patterns.

Rangoli
Rangoli, which literally means a mixture of colours, is seeing resurgence in recent years, on floors and porches outside Hindu homes. The patterns are made from coloured rice-flour patterned in the popular colours of red, yellow, white and green. Most designs feature a swastika (which is a symbol of good fortune and the god's blessing), an ohm (which means creation or 'I am'), a lotus flower that is a common symbol for the goddess Lakshmi and keri designs for decorative reasons.

Uttarayan (Uttaran)
This day is best known as "kites" day. In India, thousands of kites are flown heralding the gradual increase in day light hours. In recent years, kite flying has become a competitive activity with glass pieces attached to kite strings. The object of the exercise is to cut and bring down as many of your competitors kites as possible!

Vasant Panchami
This day signifies the onset of spring.

Mahavir Jayanti
The birthday of Lord Mahavir, founder of Jainism

Buddha Jayanti
The birthday of Lord Buddha, founder of Buddhism.

Bhai Beej
During bhai beej, brothers dine at their sister's house. By serving food to her brother, the sister strengthens the sibling bond. She wishes him good health and longevity.

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