FESTIVALS OF

INDIA
Lipilekha Bengali Association

DURGA PUJA

DASSEHRA

DIWALI

KALI PUJA

RAKSHA BANDHAN

BHAI PHOTA

JANMASHTAMI

HOLI

EID UL FITR

BAISHAKHI

INDEPENDENCE DAY

REPUBLIC DAY

SARASWATI PUJA

GANESH CHATURTHI

CHRISTMAS

PONGAL

ONAM

MAHAVIR JAYANTI

GURU NANAK JAYANTI

BUDDHA PURNIMA

FESTIVALS of INDIA

.-

DURGA PUJA : Celebrated in autumn, oJrleflyin BengaL The Divine Mother (good) is
represented as trampling underfoot the demon Mahishasur (evil) who terrorized the earth
until he was slain by her. Her image everywhere is surrounded by the images of her children
Ganesba ( 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 wear
new clothes and exchange gifts of new clothes.

DASEHRA: Celebrated in tandem.(at the same time) with Durga Puja, throughout northern
India. It is devoted to the memory oithe great hero Raroa, who lived a million and three
hundred thousand years ago~ftom one of India's greatest epics the Ramayana. The festival
lasts 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 annual
pageant (procession) '~
Li1a~'is presented for two bours each day for the ten successive
4aYsover which Dasehra is celebrated.

DIWAU : Celebrated mainly by merchants in autumn, after Dasehra, chiefly in northern

India. The word diwall comes ftom the Hindi word deepavali which means "row of lights." It
lasts fur two days. On the first day families light "diye" in the hope that Laksbmi the goddess
ofprosperity will visit their homes. They also pray to Ganesha, god of wisdom and good
luck. On the second night, families pray, feast and setoff fU'Cworksto ward off eviL

KALIPUJA : Celebratedin Bengal at the same time as Diwali.Dwga's incarnationKali is

worshiped,and the form of:fustivitiesis muchthe same as that ofDiwali. Lakshmiand
..
Ganeshare not worshfed
at this festivalhowever.
"

RAKSHA BANDHAN : A brother-sister custom which is celebrated during a full moon

toward the end of July. Sisters bind their brother's wrists with 'rakbi'; or amulets consisting
of silk threads, or silver or gold wire~ cora1s)strings of pearls or even precious jewels! The
amulets are supposed to protect the brothers nom evil during the ensuing year, and pledge
1hem to protect their sisters in time of need. This tradition dates back more than SOOyears,
when siSters tied rakhis on their brother~s wrists to protect them on the battlefield.

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

and sisters; sisterscook good fOodfor 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 baby
Krishna (eight incarnation of Vishnu, the Preserver, came to earth to save manlcindh cast in
gol~ bfass or plaster, is sun:ounded by all the other people in his infancy. Sometimes the
infant is placed in a swinging cradle and decorated with garlands offtagrant flowers. This
may be compared with and is Vf:fYsimilar to the way the birth of .JesusChrist (son of God in
Christian.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 since
Krishna as a child was very fond:of milk, many varieties ofdairy dishes are prepared on this
holiday. Children are given sweets, especia1lysince the child Krislma is worshipped.

UP1LE~

BANGLASCHOOL:FestivalsOfIndia

HOLl: Celebrated in February or March-on the day after the full-moon. In Bengal, tbis
festival 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 a
mood to get good and dirty! Probably children in India love this festival as much as children
in the western countries love Halloween. Everyone robs colored powder on each other and
also drench each other with colored liquid. This goes on until lunch after which people take a
bath. Sometimes it takes days until the colors are completely removed. There are two ancient
legends that explain the origin ofHoIi. One is about Krishna and Radha and the other is
about 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 celebrate
the end oftms period of &sting with Bid ut-Fitr, a joyous testivaI of feasting that lasts for
three days. At Eid Muslims eat celebratory meals, give food to the poor, visit relations and
friends, and exchange gifts and cards.

BAISHAKHI: The Bengali New Year, called Baishakhi, is celebrated in April. It is a harvest
festival. Houses are decorated, people wear new clothes and doorsteps are painted jn
traditional patterns or 'a1pana~to welcome new year's visitors, who are served sweets. In
town, shopkeepers settle all their accounts ttom the old year, decorate their shops with
flowers and streamers~and hand out sweets to children.The highlight of the celebration is the
Baisbakhi 'me1a' or fair, with amusement-park rid.esand rows of stalls selling everything
imaginable. In Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, the fair goes on for an entire week. At one
minute 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. On
New Year's Day, people Jine the streets to watch the long procession of musicians and
dancers perform.

INDEPENDENCE DAY: Celebrated on August 15, which is the anniversary of the day in
1947 when independence was fonnally granted at midnight to India. Prior to this the British
had roloo India for over 200 years. No battles were fought, and uniquely the independence
was gained by non-violent negotiations and civil disobedience. There is a flag hoisting
ceremony in schools, institutions and homes where the national anthem (written by
Rabindranath Tagore) is sung.
REPUBLIC DAY: Celebrated on Januaxy 26, which is the anniversary of the day in 1950
when India stood on its own teet, separate at last from the British, with its own newly written
constitution and government of the people's own forming (elections). In New Delhi thet'elis a
long parade, where the armed forces --- anny. navy, and air force --- pass inreview~ fonowed
by floats nom the various states, showing in pantomime and dress some of the scenes ftom
their history. The schoolchildren march and so do camels and elephants! On this day and on
Independence Day there is a spirit that bas the same unifying effect all over India. India was
before a land of many princely states that was first unified by the British, and then came
together as a Republic after its independence from the British with a common constitution
and system of government.

LIPlLBKHA BANGLA SCHOOL: festivalsOfJndia

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.