Festivals are celebrated annually to commemorate events occurred in the past holding some purpose and significance in the eternal cycle of world history. India's rich bequest including its festivals spread the message of relief and faith through its morals, charms, and rituals. Out of such Indian festivals, Ugadi/Yugadi is celebrated with enthusiasm in Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh., In Maharashtra, it is celebrated as Gudi padava, while Sindhis of Sindh name it as Cheti Chand. The name Yugadi is an amalgamation of two words namely, ‘yuga’ meaning ‘era’ and ‘aadi’ meaning ‘start’, which literally convey - The Start of an Era. The festival marks the first day of the new year for the population residing in the Deccan region of India. Every year, the date varies,  [...]

Mahavir Jayanti marks the birth of the 24th last Tirthankara, Lord Vardhaman Mahavira. This day falls on the 13th day of the waxing moon of the Hindu month Chaitra, which is April according to the Gregorian calendar. A soul dweller and messenger of non-violence and peace, he actually showed the world the only path to liberation supported by four auspicious pillars of a sacred life: Real Knowledge Acquire the knowledge of your pure soul from a gnani (an Enlightened human who can rarely found in current time cycle) and dwell in it to destroy the namely ego. Real Worship Bow down to the soul in each deity and living being intentionally to achieve the real character, as he/she is the ultimately the soul. Real Character Become like the soul and feel the oneness with it to acquire eternal  [...]

Nowruz, literally meaning the New Day, is the new year of the Iranian (Persian) people. It is celebrated on the first day of spring that marks the beginning of the new year according to the Iranian calendar. Astrologically, it is the day of the March/Vernal equinox when the sun directly faces the equator and the sunlight evenly falls between the north and south hemispheres equalizing the day and night. This day is March 21 or the previous/following day. Being also of great significance to Zoroastrians as it was in their ancestors of current Iranians, the day also brings rituals and joy in the Indian sub-continent for the Parsis. Faslis, a sect of the Parsis, consider the day as the Parsi new year. Nevertheless, all followers greet each other, perform special prayers, be present at the Thanksgiving  [...]

Lohri, a great harvest festival in India, especially in Punjab and Chandigarh states of North India, falls on 13th January every year in the Hindu month of Paush. This festival commemorates the end of winter and is celebrated just before Makar Sankranti, the festival of kites. Astrologically, the sun is nearest to the Earth, leaves the Sagittarus (Dhanu) zodiac sign, and is about to enter in the Capricorn (Makar) zodiac sign (14th January). This transition is celebrated as Lohri. From the end of first week of January, children start chanting Lohri folk songs to pay a tribute to Dulha Bhatti, a thief according to a legend who assisted the poor and struggled for their rights. As they sing by ringing the house bell at each door, they obtain sweets, popcorn, peanuts, sesame seeds, crystal  [...]

Kumbh Mela, a mass sacred fair, is celebrated to commemorate the transition of the planet Jupiter into the zodiac sign of Aquarius and Sun enters into Aries along with the historic legend of churning the cosmic milk ocean. The name of the fair is Kumbh, which is a Sanskrit word meaning pitcher or pot, also known as the Kalash. This Kalash indicates the zodiac sign of Aquarius in Indian astrology, for which the mela meaning fair, gathering, or meet is held. This is a fair of pilgrimage that takes place 4 times among 4 different locations every 12 years. The location and dates are astrologically computed based on the special conditions of zodiac positions of Sun, Moon, and Jupiter. The four rotating locations are listed below. Prayag, at the junction of the Ganga, Yamuna, and Saraswati  [...]

Buddha Poornima is the sacred festival that beholds the spiritual significance for all the Buddhists followers across the globe. It is the holy day that commemorates the three main events in the life of Lord Buddha – his birth, enlightenment (Nirvana), and the sad demise (Parinirvana). This day comes on the full moon (poornima) of the lunar month, Vesakha, that is between April and May according to the Gregorian calendar. Due to this reason, the festive day has its own variants, which is differently named in different regions. In India, it is known as Vesak, Visakah Puja, Vaishaka, or Buddha Poornima; Visakha Bucha in Thailand, and Wesak in Sri Lanka. The exact day of Vesak is subject to change based on the several lunar calendars used in different societies, but is in April or May. For  [...]

The Pushkar Fair, Pushkar ka Mela, is the yearly camel and livestock fair held for five days in the Pushkar town of the desertscape Rajasthan state in India. Holding its religious significance, it is held from the Kartik Ekadashi – the 11th day towards the full moon day (November) to the Kartik Poornima - the full moon day of Kartik month according to the Hindu calendar. Among these five days, the full moon day is the main day as it holds its legend that the Hindu god Brahma, the Creator of Universe, sprung up the Pushkar Lake. Thus, thousands of Hindus gather here to bath in the lake’s sacred waters. One can think of the current population strength from the Imperial Gazetteer of India specification of about 1,00,000 pilgrims in 1900s. The fair is not only the globe’s largest camel  [...]

Baisakhi, also called Vaisakhi, is a prehistoric reaping festival that also commemorates the advent of the new Sikh/Solar year and the establishment of the Khalsa at Anandpur Sahib in 1699 by Guru Gobind Singh – the 10th Sikh Guru. Religiously, it is the festival of Sikhs of Punjab and Haryana that comes on the first day of the Baisakh month according to the solar Nanakshahi calendar. This matches with the date of April 14 according to the Gregorian calendar. Besides Punjab and Haryana, Baisakhi is also observed in different manner across India. For the people of Kerala, Orissa, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Nepal; it marks the onset of the Hindu solar year. In Himachal Pradesh, the Hindu Goddess, Jwalamukhi is revered on this day, whereas in Bihar, the Sun-god Surya is worshipped. In Assam,  [...]

Durga Puja, Durgotsab (Festival of Goddess Durga) in Bengali, is an annual Hindu festival especially of the West Bengal wherein Goddess Durga is worshipped during the last six days of Navratri including Dusshera (September/October). These days are observed as Mahalaya, Shashthi , Maha Saptami, Maha Ashtami, Maha Nabami, and Bijoya Dashami. According to the traditional Hindu calendar, the dates of Durga Puja are decided. The day that precedes the fortnight of the festival, the last day of the previous fortnight called as Pitri Pokkho (Fortnight of the Forefathers), is known as the Mahalaya. This is the beginning of the festival that ends on Kojagori Lokkhi Puja (Worship of Goddess Lakshmi on Kojagori Full Moon Night). During the Durga Puja festival, Hindu deities such as Lord Shiva  [...]

Raksha Bandhan is a festival celebrated on the full moon day of the holy Shraavan month (Shravan Poornima – mostly in August) that honors the relationship among brothers and sisters. On this day, sisters tie rakhi, a sacred decorated thread, on the wrist of their brothers who in turn provide gifts. On this exchange, the brother promises to protect the sisters from all worldly threats by feeding each other with sweets. The festival is not limited among the brothers and sisters having blood relationship. In fact, a female can adopt any male as a blood brother by tying a rakhi. Such males could be their cousins, friends, or could be even deities such as Lord Krishna, Lord Shiva, or Lord Ganesha in temples. The rakhi can also be considered as a symbol of team spirit and understanding. This  [...]