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BAISAKHI
Religion : Hindu & Sikh
In the month of : April
In April, this day marks the beginning of the Hindu
solar new year. In fact this day is celebrated all over
the country as new year day under different names. It is
also the time when the harvest is ready to cut and store
or sell. For the Sikh community Baisakhi has a very
special meaning. It was on this day that the last Guru
Gobind Singh organised the sikhs into Khalsa or the pure
ones. By doing so, he eliminated the differences of high
and low and established that all human beings were
equal.
Baisakhi has special significance for two of Indias
major religious groups. For Hindus, its the start of the
new year, and is celebrated with requisite bathing,
partying, and worshipping. Its believed that the goddess
Ganga descended to earth thousands of years ago, and in
her honor many Hindus gather along the sacred Ganges
River for ritual baths. The action is centered in the
holy cities along the Ganges in north India, or in
Srinagars Mughal Gardens, Jammus Nagbani Temple, or
anywhere in Tamil Nadu.
Hindus plant poles wrapped in flags of god-embroidered
silk in front of their homes, and hang pots of brass,
copper or silver on top. Children wear garlands of
flowers and run through the streets singing "May the new
year come again and again!" In Kerala the festival is
called Vishu, and includes fireworks, shopping for new
clothes and interesting displays called Vishu Kani.
These are arrangements of flowers, grains, fruits,
cloth, gold, and money are viewed early in the morning,
to ensure a year of prosperity. In Assam, the festival
is called Bohag Bihu, and the community organizes
massive feasts, music, and dancing.
Sikhs assign quite a different meaning to Baisakhi, and
if you happen to be in a Punjabi village to catch the
men performing the wild bhangra dance, youll get the
picture. This strenuous dance tells the story of the
agricultural process, from tilling the soil through
harvesting. As the dholak (drum) changes beats, the
dancing sequence progresses, dramatizing plowing,
sowing, weeding, reaping, and finally celebrating.
Baisakhi also commemorates the day in 1689 when Guru
Gobing Singh founded the Khalsa, the fighting Sikh
brotherhood that donned the distinctive Sikh outfits.
Sikhs visit temples, such as the Golden Temple in
Amritsar, where the holy Granth is read, commemorating
the day on which the Guru asked five volunteers to offer
their lives, then took them one at a time into a tent.
He emerged each time with a bloody sword, although he
had in fact sacrificed a goat. In honor the "Beloved
Five," a series of parades are held, in which sets of
five men walk in front of the holy book with swords
drawn. When the ceremony is over, a round of feasting,
music-making, and dancing begins, amid the blossoming
flowers and harvested grain.
GURU POURNIMA
Significance : The Worship of the Guru and Offering of
Obeisance His Feet
Religion : Hindu
In the month of : July - August
Guru is the entity who dispels the darkness of ignorance
and illumines our lives with pure knowledge and hence
this day signifies the worship of the Guru and offering
of obeisance his feet. The full moon symbolises the mind
filled with delight and signifies the elimination of
darkness and evil from the mind. Guru Pournima is an
occasion for cleansing the mind to make it absolutely
pure
A qualified spiritual master is essential to learn self-realisation.
Bhagavad Gita asks one to learn the truth through a Guru
or spiritual master, inquire from him submissively and
render service unto him. The self-realised soul imparts
knowledge as he has seen the truth. A real Guru imparts
Gynana (true knowledge) and teaches how to raise ones
consciousness beyond material physical boundaries. He
teaches meditation to attain real peace of mind, true
self-knowledge, eternal happiness, and liberation from
karmas, develop true love for God.
Achieving spiritual perfection by oneself through yoga
(meditation) is impractical. One must learn spiritual
practices under the guidance of a genuine spiritual
master. We repose our faith in a Guru whose feet are
roots of worship and the root of liberation. He opens
our eyes blinded by ignorance and darkness and guides us
to our goals.
Qualities of A True Guru
Bhagavad Gita gives guidelines and qualities of a
genuine Guru. A true Guru has credentials to impart true
knowledge free from speculation and never claims he is
god. He knows god is supreme and we are subordinate to
him. He knows the truth and lives it, is free from lust,
anger, and greed. He exemplifies wisdom, peacefulness,
self-control, austerity, piety, tolerance and strong
faith in god. He must be from a succession (e.g. Brahma,
Narada, Vyasa, Shankaracharya).
At the time of Deeksha (initiation), the Guru absorbs
the past sins and karmas of his disciples and reveals
true spiritual knowledge. The disciple develops strong
love for the Guru who delivers him from the bondage of
birth and death. Bhagavad Gita shows that when Arjuna
was confused about his duties, put his faith in Krishna,
regarded him as his Guru and Krishna showed him the
right path.
The Guru is a man of profound intellectual and spiritual
sensitivity and compassion.
Celebration of Guru Pournima Day in Shirdi
The celebration of Guru Pournima began in Shirdi around
1908. One day Shri Baba told his disciple Shri Dada
Kelkar, "Do you know this day is the day to approach
Gurus? Bring your worship articles". Then Shri Kelkar
and his friends looked up the calendar and found that
the day was Guru Pournima day. They started worshipping
Shri Sai Baba as their Guru, and that practice has
continued till today not only in Shirdi but all over the
world where prayers are offered to Shri Sai.
Guru Pournima is celebrated by devotees by performing
Guru Pooja (offering prayers to the Guru) to their Lord
Shri Sai Baba. Each Sai Devotee can either perform the
Sai Guru Puja (prayer) at home or attend a Sai Guru Puja
or sponsor a Sai Guru Puja being performed at a Sai
temple by offering donation or other articles used in
Puja.
OM NAMO LOASAVASAHUNAM--I bow before all the spritual
gurus all over the globe irrespective of his religion,
this is the 5th part of the Navkar Mahamantra a mantra
which is of great reverence to the jains.
PONGAL
Celebrated In : Tamilnadu
Celebrated to mark : Withdrawl of the Southeast Monsoons
as well as the reaping of the Harvest.
Duration : 4 days
In the month of : Thai (January)
A majority of the population of India depends on
agriculture. As a result, most of the festivals are also
related to the agricultural activities of the people.
These festivals are celebrated with different names and
rituals in almost all the states of India. Pongal is an
important festival of Tamil Nadu, which is celebrated to
mark the withdrawal of the Southeast monsoons as well as
the reaping of the harvest. It falls in the month Thai
and is strictly a rural festival.
The Legend Behind The Celebrations
There are few interesting legends behind the Pongal
celebrations. The most popular among them related to the
celebrations of the first day of the Pongal festival
goes like this - Lord Krishna lifted the Govardhan
Mountain on his little finger to shelter his people and
save them from being washed away by the rains and
floods.
According to another the third day of Pongal is
celebrated because Lord Shiva once asked Nandi, his
bull, to go to earth and deliver his message to the
people - to have an oil bath every day and food once a
month. But Nandi got it all mixed up when he delivered
the message, and told the people that Shiva asked them
to have an oil bath once a month and eat every day.
Shiva was displeased, and told Nandi that since the
people would now need to grow more grain, Nandi would
have to remain on earth and help them plough the fields.
Mattu Pongal is also called "Kanu Pongal", and women
pray for the welfare of their brothers. This is similar
to the festivals of Raksha Bandhan and Bhai Dooj
celebrated in some states of North India.
About The Festival
The festival is celebrated for four days and the
celebrations on the first day of the Tamil month Thai
and continues for the three days. The month of Thai is
supposed to be very auspicious for every kind of
activity. The Sun is worshipped for his rays are
responsible for the life on earth.
It is the biggest harvest festival, spread over four
days. Bhogi is celebrated on January 13, Pongal on
January 14, Mattu Pongal on January 15, and
Thiruvalluvar Day on January 16. Thiruvalluvar has done
a great contribution to Tamil literature with
Thirukkural. There are 1,330 verses in this work and
they talk about all aspects of life.
In fact, the name of the festival is derived from Pongal,
a rice pudding made from freshly harvested rice, milk
and jaggery. The first day, "Bhogi Pongal", is a day for
the family. "Surya Pongal", the second day, is dedicated
to the worship of Surya, the Sun God. The third day of
Pongal, "Mattu Pongal", is for the worship of the
cattle.
Cattle are bathed, their horns polished and painted in
bright colours, and garlands of flowers placed around
their necks. Pongal is associated with cleaning and
burning of rubbish, symbolizing the destruction of evil.
All the four days of Pongal have there own individual
significance. On the first day, delicious preparations
are made and homes are washed and decorated. Doorways
are painted with vermilion and sandalwood paste with
colourful garlands of leaves and flowers decorating the
outside of almost every home. On this day Bhogi or the
Rain God is worshipped.
Rituals Followed
A typical traditional Pongal celebration has a number of
rituals attached to it. The place where the Pongal Puja
is to be conducted is cleaned and smeared with dung, a
day prior to the festival. People generally choose an
open courtyard for this purpose.
Kolams (Rangoli) generally drawn with rice flour are
special to the occasion. The idea behind using rice
flour is that the insects would feed on it and bless the
household. At the centre of it a lump of cow dung holds
a five-petal pumpkin flower, which is regarded as a
symbol of fertility and an offering of love to the
presiding deity. In a similar way the houses are also
cleaned, painted and decorated. Kolams (Rangoli) are
made in the front yards of the houses and new clothes
for the whole family are bought to mark the festivities.
Even the cattle are gaily caparisoned with beads, bells
and flowers-their horns painted and capped with gleaming
metals.
The Tempting Recipes
Sweet rice, known as "Pongal", is cooked in a new
earthenware pot at the same place where puja is to be
performed. Fresh turmeric and ginger are tied around
this pot. Then a delicious concoction of rice, Moong Dal,
jaggery and milk are boiled in the pot on an open fire.
This Pongal, according to ritual, is allowed to boil and
spill out of the pot. Pongal, once ready, is offered to
God first, on a new banana leaf along with other
traditional delicacies like Vadas, Payasam, etc. Besides
this, sugarcane, grain, sweet potatoes, etc are also
offered to the Sun God.
Processions
A procession is taken out from the Kandaswamy (also
spelt as Kandaswami) Temple in Chennai. In Madurai,
Tanjore and Tiruchirrapalli, where Pongal is known as
Jellikattu, bundles of money are tied to the horns of
bulls, and villagers try and wrest the bundles from
them. Community meals are made from the freshly gathered
harvest and enjoyed by the entire village.
MYSORE DUSSEHRA
Celebrated In : Mysore, karnataka
To Celebrate : The Victory of good over evil
Duration : 10 days
In the month of : September - October
The Dussehra of Mysore or Mysore Dassara as it is
famously called is a 10-day long festival. On the day of
Dussehra, a procession of caparisoned elephants carrying
the idol of goddess Chamundi is taken through the city.
While most parts of India celebrate Dussehra in
commemoration of Lord Ramas victory over the demon-king
Ravana, Karnataka celebrates it in honour of Goddess
Chamundeswari who killed the great demon, Mahishasura.
The festival is celebrated in a grand style with scores
of cultural performances in the great Durbar Hall of the
Maharajas Palace.
The Main Highlight
Caparisoned elephants marching together in a procession
are a unique feature of the Mysore Dassara. The festival
is celebrated with a lot of pomp and show.
On Vijaydashami, the 10th day of the festival, a
colourful procession featuring caparisoned elephants
winding through the gaily-decorated streets of the city,
mark the occasion.
The procession of mounted guardsmen on horse back and
decorated elephants, one carrying the palace deity,
Chamundeshwari, on a gold howdah marches from the palace
to the Banni Mantap.
There is also a floating festival in the temple tank at
the foot of Chamundi Hill and a procession of chariots
around the temple at the top. A torch light parade takes
place in the evening followed by a massive firework
display and much jubilation on the streets.
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All over India
Also known as : Vijayadashmi
Religion : Hindu
In the month of : October - November
Dussehra means the Tenth Day, being the 10th day of the
bright half of Ashvin. This day is also known as
Vijayadashmi, or Victory Tenth, because of the Victory
of Rama over Ravana.
In North India it is Ram Lila and consists of plays,
recitations and music that recall the life of the
legendary hero, Ram. In Delhi, many amateur troupes
perform plays based on this epic story. On the tenth
day, an elaborate procession leads to the Ram Lila
grounds where immense cracker-stuffed effigies of the
demon Ravana and his brother and son explode to the
cheers of thousands of spectators. In Kulu, the
celebrations have a different flavor. Against the
backdrop of snow-covered mountains, villages dressed in
their colorful best, assemble to form procession of
local deities while pipes and drums make music.
In Mysore, it is celeberated with a pomp and pageantry
reminiscent of medieval times. In Bengal and other parts
of eastern India, Dussehra is celebrated as Durga Puja.
Devotees wear new clothes and entertain with music,
dance and drama. On the last day, images of the warrior
goddess are taken out in procession immersed in a river
or the sea. In the south, the festival is celebrated as
Navaratri. Dolls and trinkets are artistically arranged
in tiers by young girls. Friends and relatives visit
each others homes to exchange greetings.
Rams Victory over Ravan
On this day in the Treta Yug , Ram (7th incarnation of
Vishnu), killed the great demon Ravan who had abducted
Rams wife Sita to his kingdom of Lanka. Ram, along, with
his brother Lakshman follower Hanuman, and an army of
monkeys fought a great battle to rescue his lovely wife
Sita. The war against Ravan lasted for ten days and the
story of is recounted with affection and love in the
great epic Ramayana.
Kautsas Gurudakshina
Kautsa, the young son of Devdatt, a Brahmin, was living
in the city of Paithan. After learning under the
guidance of the rishi Varatantu, he insisted on his guru
accepting a present, or "gurudakshina". But the guru
said, "Kautsa, to give dakshina in return for the gift
of wisdom is not proper. The disciple has become
learned, this makes the guru happy, and this is the real
gurudakshina."
Kautsa was not satisfied. He still felt it was his duty
to give his guru something. Finally the guru said,
"Alright, you insist on giving me dakshina, so give me
14 crore gold coins, one crore for each of the 14
sciences I have taught you."
Kautsa went to king Raghu. Raghuraja was an ancestor of
Rama, famous for his generosity. But just at that time
he had emptied all his coffers on the Brahmins, after
performing the Vishvajit sacrifice. He asked Kautsa to
give him three days time. He immediately left to get the
gold coins from Indra. Indra summoned Kuber, the god of
wealth. Indra told Kuber, "Make a rain of gold coins
fall on the "shanu" and "apati" trees round Raghurajas
city of Ayodhya."
The rain of coins began to fall. King Raghu gave all the
coins to Kautsa, and Kautsa hastened to offer the coins
to Varatantu Rishi. But the guru had asked only 14
crores, so he gave the rest to Kautsa. But Kautsa was
not interested in money. In those days honour was
considered more valuable than wealth. He asked the king
to take the remaining coins back. But the king would
not. Finally Kautsa lavishly distributed the coins to
the people of Ayodhya city. This happened on the day of
Dussehra. In remembrance of this event the custom is
kept of looting the leaves of the "apati" trees, and
people present each other these leaves as "sone" (gold).
War and Peace
In ancient times kings used the feast of Dussehra to
cross the frontier and fight against their neighbouring
kingdoms. This border crossing is known as "simollanghan".
Dussehra marked the beginning of the war season.
This was also the day to worship the weapons. According
to legend, Pandav went to dwell in the forest. On the
way he hid his weapons in the hole of a "shami" tree.
After one year he returned from the forest and on
Dussehra day he took again his weapons and worshipped
the shami tree and the weapons. Hence the custom of
worshipping weapons on this feast.
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