Diwali also known as the "festival of lights", is an ancient Hindu festival celebrated in
autumn every year.
[2][3] The festival spiritually signifies the victory of light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance, good over evil, and hope over despair. [4][5][6] The festival preparations and rituals typically extend over a five day period, but the main festival night of Diwali coincides with the darkest, new moon night of the Hindu Lunisolar month Kartik. In the Gregorian calendar, Diwali night falls between mid-October and mid- November. Before Diwali night, people clean, renovate and decorate their homes. [7] On Diwali night, Hindus dress up in new clothes or their best outfit, light up diyas (lamps and candles) inside and outside their home, participate in family puja typically to Lakshmi - the goddess of wealth and prosperity. After puja (prayers), fireworks follow, [8] then a family feast including mithai (sweets), and an exchange of gifts between family members and close friends. Diwali also marks a major shopping period in nations where it is celebrated. [9]
Diwali is an important festival for Hindus. The name of festive days as well as the rituals of Diwali vary significantly among Hindus, based on the region of India. In many parts of India, [10] the festivities start with Dhanteras, followed by Naraka Chaturdasi on second day, Diwali on the third day, Diwali Padva dedicated to wife-husband relationship on the fourth day, and festivities end with Bhau-beejdedicated to sister-brother bond on the fifth day. Dhanteras usually falls eighteen days after Dussehra. On the same night that Hindus celebrate Diwali, Jains celebrate a festival of lights to mark the attainment of moksha by Mahavira, [11][12] and Sikhs celebrate Bandi Chhor Divas. [13]
Diwali is an official holiday in India, [14] Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Mauritius, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Suriname, Malaysia,Singapore and Fiji. History[edit] Diwali dates back to ancient times in India, as a festival after the summer harvest in the Hindu calendar month ofKarthikai. The festival is mentioned in Padma Purana, the Skanda Purana, and other Sanskrit Hindu scriptures; thedivas (lamps) are mentioned in Skanda Purana to symbolically represent parts of sun, the cosmic giver of light and energy to all life, who seasonally transitions in the Hindu calendar month of Kartik. [16][22]
Eid al-Fitr (Arabic: d al-Fir, IPA: [id al fitr], "festival of breaking of the fast"), also called Feast of Breaking the Fast, theSugar Feast, Bayram (Bajram), the Sweet Festival [3] and the Lesser Eid, is an important religious holiday celebrated by Muslimsworldwide that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting (sawm). The religious Eid is a single day during which Muslims are not permitted to fast. The holiday celebrates the conclusion of the 29 or 30 days of dawn-to- sunset fasting during the entiremonth of Ramadan. The day of Eid, therefore, falls on the first day of the month of Shawwal. This is a day when Muslims around the world show a common goal of unity. The date for the start of any lunar Hijri month varies based on the observation of new moon by local religious authorities, so the exact day of celebration varies by locality. However, in most countries, it is generally celebrated on the same day as Saudi Arabia. [2]
Eid al-Fitr has a particular Salat (Islamic prayer) consisting of two Rakats (units) and generally offered in an open field or large hall. [4] It may be performed only in congregation (Jamaat) and, has an additional extra six Takbirs (raising of the hands to the ears while saying "Allhu Akbar", literally "God is greatest"), three of them in the beginning of the first raka'ah and three of them just before Ruku' in the second raka'ah in the Hanafi school of Sunni Islam. [5] Other Sunni schools usually have twelve Takbirs, seven in the first, and five at the beginning of the second raka'ah. This Eid al-Fitr salat is, depending on which juristic opinion is followed, Fard (obligatory),Mustahabb (strongly recommended, just short of obligatory) or mandoob (preferable). Muslims believe that they are commanded by Allah, as mentioned in the Quran, to continue their fast until the last day of Ramadan [6] and pay the Zakat and fitra before offering the Eid prayers. Timing[edit] Main article: Islamic calendar Astronomical considerations Traditionally, it is the day (beginning at sunset) of the first sighting of the crescent moon shortly after sunset. If the moon is not observed immediately after the 29th day of the previous lunar month (either because clouds block its view or because the western sky is still too bright when the moon sets), then it is the following day. Before the advent of Islam in Arabia, there is mention of festivals as well as some others among the Arabs. The Israelites had festivals as well, but as is evident from the Old Testament and other scriptures, these festivals related more to commemorating certain days of their history.
Christmas (Old English: Crstesmsse, meaning "Christ's Mass") is an annual commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ [6][7] and a widely observed cultural holiday, celebrated generally on December 25 [3][4][5] by billions of people around the world. [8][2][9] A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, it closes the Advent season and initiates the twelve days of Christmastide, which ends after the twelfth night. [10] Christmas is a civil holiday in many of the world's nations, [11][12][13] is celebrated by an increasing number of non-Christians, [1][14][15] and is an integral part of the Christmas and holiday season. While the birth year of Jesus is estimated among modern historians to have been between 7 and 2 BC, the exact month and day of his birth are unknown. [16][17] His birth is mentioned in two of the four canonical gospels. By the early-to-mid 4th century, theWestern Christian Church had placed Christmas on December 25, [18] a date later adopted in the East, [19][20] although some churches celebrate on the December 25 of the older Julian calendar, which corresponds to January in the modern-day Gregorian calendar. The date of Christmas may have initially been chosen to correspond with the day exactly nine months after early Christians believed Jesus to have been conceived, [21] or with one or more ancient polytheistic festivals that occurred nearsouthern solstice (i.e., the Roman winter solstice); a further solar connection has been suggested because of a biblical verse [a] identifying Jesus as the "Sun of righteousness". [21][22][23][24][25]
The celebratory customs associated in various countries with Christmas have a mix of pagan, pre-Christian, Christian, andsecular themes and origins. [26] Popular modern customs of the holiday include gift giving, Christmas music and caroling, an exchange of Christmas cards, church celebrations, a special meal, and the display of various Christmas decorations, includingChristmas trees, Christmas lights, nativity scenes, garlands, wreaths, mistletoe, and holly. In addition, several closely related and often interchangeable figures, known as Santa Claus, Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, and Christkind, are associated with bringing gifts to children during the Christmas season and have their own body of traditions and lore. [27] Because gift-giving and many other aspects of the Christmas festival involve heightened economic activity among both Christians and non-Christians, the holiday has become a significant event and a key sales period for retailers and businesses. The economic impact of Christmas is a factor that has grown steadily over the past few centuries in many regions of the world. The Chronography of 354 AD contains early evidence of the celebration on December 25 of a Christian liturgical feast of the birth of Jesus. This was in Rome, while in Eastern Christianity the birth of Jesus was already celebrated in connection with theEpiphany on January 6. [40][41] The December 25 celebration was imported into the East later: in Antioch by John Chrysostomtowards the end of the 4th century, [41] probably in 388, and in Alexandria only in the following century. [42] Even in the West, the January 6 celebration of the nativity of Jesus seems to have continued until after 380. [43] In 245, Origen of Alexandria, writing about Leviticus 12:18, commented that Scripture mentions only sinners as celebrating their birthdays, namely Pharaoh, who then had his chief baker hanged (Genesis 40:2022), and Herod, who then had John the Baptist beheaded.
Ganesha Chaturthi ( ) is the Hindu festival celebrated in honour of the god Ganesha, the elephant-headed, remover of obstacles and the god of beginnings and wisdom. The festival, also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi, is observed in the Hindu calendarmonth of Bhaadrapada, starting on the shukla chaturthi (fourth day of the waxing moon period). The date usually falls between 19 August and 20 September. The festival lasts for 10 days, ending on Anant Chaturdashi (fourteenth day of the waxing moon period). The festival involves installing clay images of Ganesha in public pandals (temporary shrines), which are worshipped for ten days with different variety of herbal leaves, plants and immersed at the end of the festival in a water(lake) along with the Idol. After adding herbal and medicated plants and leaves(patri) in lakes, the water in the lake becomes purified. This was in practice because, in early days people used to drink lake water, and to protect people with infections and viral diseases especially in this season, this tradition was introduced. Some Hindus also install the clay images of Ganesha in their homes. It is believed that Ganesha bestows his presence on earth for all his devotees during this festival. The festival is celebrated as a public event since the days of Shivaji (16301680). While celebrated all over India, it is most elaborate in Maharashtra and other parts of Western India [1] and Southern India. [2] Outside India, it is celebrated widely in Terai region of Nepal and by Hindus in the United States, Canada, Mauritius, [3] Singapore, Indonesia,Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Burm a, Fiji, New Zealand, Trinidad & Tobago, and Guyana. Date[edit] The festival is observed in the Hindu calendar month of Bhaadrapada, starting on the shukla chaturthi, the fourth lunar day of the waxing moon fortnight. [6] The date usually falls between 20 August and 20 September. The festival lasts for 10 to 12 days, ending on Anant Chaturdashi. Celebration, rituals and Weeks or even months before Ganesh Chaturthi, artistic clay models of Lord Ganesha are made for sale by specially skilled artisans. They are beautifully decorated and depict Lord Ganesh in vivid poses. The size of these statues may vary from 3/4 of an inch to over 70 feet. The tallest Ganesha Idol made which stood 117 feet tall was situated in the city of Visakhapatnam in 2012.
Navratri (Hindi: Gujarati: Oriya: Bengali: Kannada: Assamese: Marathi: Punjabi: Kashmiri: / Telugu: Tamil: Malayalam: ) is a festival dedicated to the worship of theHindu deity Durga. The word Navaratri means 'nine nights' in Sanskrit, nava meaning nine and ratri meaning nights. [2] During these nine nights and ten days, nine forms of Shakti/Devi are worshiped. The tenth day is commonly referred to as Vijayadashami or "Dussehra" (also spelled Dasara). Navratri is an important major festival and is celebrated with great zeal all over India. Diwali the festival of lights is celebrated twenty days after Dasara. This festival corresponds to a nine-day Taoist celebration beginning on the eve of 9th lunar month of the Chinese calendar, which is observed primarily by the ethnic Chinese of Min Nan linguistic group in Southeast Asian countries like Myanmar, Singapore, Malaysia,Thailand and also the Riau Islands called the Nine Emperor Gods Festival. The beginning of spring and the beginning of autumn are considered to be important junctions of climatic and solar influences. These two periods are taken as sacred opportunities for the worship of the Divine Mother Durga. The dates of the festival are determined according to the lunar calendar. Navaratri represents a celebration of the Goddess Amba, (the Power). Navaratri or Navadurga Parva happens to be the most auspicious and unique period of devotional sadhanas and worship of Shakti (the sublime, ultimate, absolute creative energy) of the Divine conceptualized as the Mother Goddess-Durga, whose worship dates back to prehistoric times before the dawn of the Vedic age. A whole chapter in the tenth mandal of the Rigveda addresses the devotional sadhanas of Shakti. The "Devi Sukta" and "Isha Sukta" of the Rigveda and "Ratri Sukta" of the Samveda similarly sing paeans of praise of sadhanas of Shakti. In fact, before the beginning of the legendary war between the Kauravas and Pandavas in the Mahabharata a foundational Sanskrit epic in the Hindu tradition Lord Krishna worshipped Durga, the Goddess of Shakti, for the victory of the Pandvas. Vasanta Navaratri[edit] This is celebrated during Vasanta Rhitu (beginning of summer) (March- April). This is also known as Chaitra navarathri as it falls during the lunar month of Chaitra.