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Festivals from South Asia
By: Meeta Sharma
Festivals and celebrations
in South Asian are celebrated with exuberance. There are many
religions in each country, but the primary religions are Hinduism,
Islam, Buddhism, Sikhism and Christianity. The following are
a list of the major religious festivals which are celebrated
throughout the year in South Asia. National festivals are also
celebrated with great pride, such as Independence Day in each
country.
Hindu Festivals
Diwali
Diwali is the festival of lights and is the most auspicious celebration
for Hindus. Diwali is a five- day festival, beginning on the
15th day of the Hindu calendar month of Kartika (Ashwin). For
Hindus, this is the beginning of the New Year and is celebrated
with the lighting of clay lamps (diyas), candles and fireworks.
Hindus put flowers and mango leaves on their doors and windows,
make rangoli patterns in front of their houses and worship Lord
Ganesha (the bringer of good fortune) and Goddess Lakshmi (Goddess
of wealth and prosperity). People exchange gifts and sweets with
neighbors, relatives and friends. In Canada, prayers are done
at home, in the temple and friends and family get together to
celebrate.
Holi
Holi, the second main festival for Hindus, is celebrated on the
day after the full moon in early March every year. It is called
the festival of colours. Holi is also a festival of romance,
fun and enjoyment. People of all religions and castes colour
each other with gulal (red, green, orange, pink and yellow powder)
and other dyes. During Holi, Hindus go to the temple and worship
God Krishna. A puja (worship) tray shows devotion to the images
of the Gods. After praying in the temple, everybody goes outside
to light a huge bonfire. This reminds Hindus of how good always
wins over evil.
There is a famous legend about
Holi. According to this legend, King Hirnaya Kasyap's wicked
sister Holika tried to burn the King's son, Prahlad (because
he worshiped God, which was not allowed in this kingdom). But
Prahlad was saved by God. The morning after Holi is called 'Dhuledi'.
On this day, people colour each other with gulal. Some people
spray wet colours on each other, they even pour buckets full
of water colours on each other. In the evening, people go to
each other houses to wish them a Happy Holi (Holi Mubarak) and
to eat sweets. The celebration of Holi is very fun!
Onam
Onam is the National Festival of Kerala (1961) and is the most
famous festival in South India. It is the Harvest Festival celebrated
throughout Kerala. This 10-day festival falls in the month of
Chingam. According to the Gregorian calendar, Chingam falls in
the months of August and September. People of all castes and
religions celebrate this festival.
According to legends this festival
celebrates the return of King Mahabali, the Demon King, who once
ruled the land. Special floral carpets called pookalam decorate
people's homes to welcome King Mahabali. People wear new clothing,
visit temples to offer their prayers to the Gods and perform
traditional dances.
Pongal
Pongal is a harvest festival and is known across India by different
names. It is celebrated in the month of Shravan and lasts four
days. The first day is called Bhogi; throughout this day old
clothes and objects are thrown out and burned to mark the beginning
of new life. The second day is Perun Ponga. On this day, people
worship the Sun God and his consorts, Chaya and Samgnya. People
decorate their central courtyards with beautiful kolans (also
known as rangoli, which is a powdered color design) with rice
flour and red clay. On the third day, which is Mattu Pongal,
people thank animals for ploughing their lands and on the last
day, Kanum Pongal, people go out to celebrate by having picnics.
Ganesh Chaturthi
Ganesh Chaturthi is the celebration of the birth of Lord Ganesha,
one of the most significant Gods in the Hindu mythology. This
festival is celebrated on the fourth day of Bhadarva Shukla or
paksh of the Hindu calendar (August and September). Lord Ganesha
is the foremost God of the Hindu phantom and is regarded as the
destroyer of all problems and obstacles. During this festival
people do prayers and distribute sweets at temples and in their
homes. Larger clay sculptures are made by professional craftsmen
and are sold all over the country. This festival is the advent
of other festivals which are dedicated to other Hindu Gods.
Rakhi
The festival of Raksha Bandhan is celebrated in the month of
August on the day of the full moon, in the month of Shravan,
according to Hindu mythology. Raksha Bandhan signifies the bond
of protection between sisters and brothers. On this day, sisters
tie silk thread on the wrists of their brothers and pray for
their well being and happiness; in turn the brothers take a pledge
to protect their sisters from any obstacles in their lives. This
festival is extremely unique; nowhere else in the world is a
sibling relationship celebrated like this.
Krishna Janmashtami
This festival is celebrated on the 8th day of Shravan's full
moon (Hindu calendar) which is the birthday of Lord Krishna.
It is celebrates with great devotion throughout the country.
Some of the famous Lord Krishna Temples are in Vrindhavan, Mathura
and Dwaraka, and it is believed that Lord Krishna was born and
lived in one of these places. Pictures of Lord Krishna are bathed
and set where moonlight can shine on them. A conch shell is blown
and devotees of Lord Krishna celebrate a newborn world by singing
devotional songs and dancing with joy.
Karwa Chauth
This festival is celebrated on the fourth day of the dark fortnight
of Ashwin (according to Hindu calendar), also called Kartik by
married women in India. A married woman who celebrates this festival
by vrat or fasting is called Saubhagyavati (in a joyous and happy
state of wifehood). Hindu women believe that this fast ensures
the well being, prosperity and longevity of their husbands. It
is imperative that married Hindu women maintain the fast throughout
the whole day and then worship the karva (a clay pot filled with
water and sweets). They later exchange their karvas with other
married women and the elderly women in their families narrate
the legend of Karva Chauth. The women then wait for the moon
to rise and when the moon is sighted they offer many prayers
to it. The women are then able to break the fast and the first
sip of water and food is offered by the husband.
Durga Puja and Dussehra
This festival starts with the Celebration of Navaratri or 'the
festival of nine nights.' It is celebrated during the nine days
of the Hindu month of Ashvin (Gregorian calendar: September-October).
Dussehra is dedicated towards the worshiping of the mother Goddess
or Shakti and her nine forms. During the first day, people sow
seeds and watch them sprout. This is the most important festival
in the west of Bengal and lasts for five days. The celebration
starts with welcoming the Goddess Durga and ends with immersing
the idols in nearby water. The first three days of this festival
are dedicated to the Goddess Durga, the next three days are spent
worshipping the Goddess Lakshmi and the last three days are dedicated
to the Goddess Sarawati. The tenth day of Dussehra is celebrated
by performances of Dandiya - Raas (colorful stick dance) by men
and women. In the East, Durga Pooja is performed (prayers for
the Goddess Durga).
Ram Navami
This festival is the celebration of the birthday of Lord Rama
and is celebrated in the month of Chaitra (Gregorian calendar:
March or April), according to the Hindu calendar known as Ramnavami.
Lord Rama was famous for his prosperous and righteous reign which
was called Ramrajya (the reign of Rama). It has become symbolic
of a period of peace and prosperity. This festival has specific
significance in Ayodhya, Uttar-Pradesh, where Lord Rama was born.
Maha Shivaratri
This festival falls on the 14th day of the dark half of Magh
(Gregorian calendar: March-April). Devotees fast and perform
puja (worship) to please Lord Shiva or Mahadeva, one of the Gods
of the Hindu trinity. In different parts of India devotees pour
water from the Ganges River over stone sculptures of Lord Shiva.
Unmarried girls fast and worship Lord Shiva so that they may
be blessed with good husbands.
Buddhist Festivals
Budha Jayanti
Buddha Jayanti is the birth anniversary of Lord Buddha. It is
celebrated on a full moon night in Vaiskha (usually falls in
April or May in the Hindu calendar). This is a very important
festival in Buddhism. Buddha was born around 560 B.C. and died
in 480 B.C. He was the greatest spiritual teacher of mankind.
His teachings and message traveled very far and wide and gave
birth to the Buddhism.
Muslim Festivals
Bakri Id or Id-Ul-Zuha
This is one of the most celebrated festivals among Muslims. It
falls on the 10th to 12th day of the Islamic month of Dhu'l Hija.
The festival also coincides with the anniversary of the day when
the Quran was declared complete (the Quran is the holy book of
Muslims). This is the time when pilgrims undertake Haj (a trek)
to Mecca and offer prayers in mosques. These special prayers
take place on the three days of Id.
Barah Wafat
This festival falls on the 12th day of the Muslim calendar and
is also known as Id-e-milad. The word "barah" means
the twelve days of the Prophet Mohammad's sickness. It is also
the birth and death anniversary of Prophet Mohammed. He was born
in Mecca in 570 A.D. and from 610 A.D., he was sent revelations
from Allah (the God) through the Angel Gabriel. The Prophet spread
the word amongst people and soon had a community of followers.
This community of followers eventually became a widespread group
of followers who are part of the Islamic faith.
Id-Ul-Fitr
This festival is celebrated on a new moon night in the ninth
month of the Muslim calendar called Ramzan. Muslims fast for
every day of this month. This is in complete devotion to Allah.
People pray at all prescribed times, recite the Quaran and celebrate
nights with feasts and family. Special sweet meats and vermicelli
pudding is prepared.
Sikh Festivals
Guru Nanak Jayanti
This is the birthday of Guru Nanak, founder of the Sikh faith.
He was born in 1469 A.D.
Lohri
This is a bonfire festival and is celebrated on 13 January every
year. This day marks the beginning of the Sun's journey towards
Uttarayan (North). It is a very famous festival in the state
of Punjab.
Christian Festivals
Christmas
On 25 December, people celebrate the festival of Christmas. It
marks the birth of Jesus Christ. People in the Indian state of
Goa (a former Portuguese colony) celebrate this day by decorating
their houses with banana and mango trees instead of pine trees.
They also light small oil burning lamps as Christmas decorations
and fill churches with red flowers.
Sources:
http://www.bangla2000.com/Bangladesh/festivals.shtm
http://www.travel-culture.com/festivals.shtml
http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/southasia/Culture/Festivals/
http://www.pakistanpaedia.com/cul/CUL_4.html
http://www.srilankainstyle.com/
sri_lanka_experience_festinstyle.php
http://festivals.iloveindia.com/holi/gifts/gift-rituals.html
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