Festivals
Hindu Festivals are much more than celebrations. They are windows into the
history of rich Hindu legends. They reveal the mind and philosophy of a nation
through the different ages. Festivals have a cultural and social aspect
which many feel transcends even their spiritual significance. They bring people
together in friendship and love, and help heal broken relationships.
1. Deepavali
2. Navratri
3. Ganesh Chaturthi
4. Krishna Janmashtami
5. Kumbha Mela
Diwali is a contraction of the word Deepavali which means "a row of lights" or "billion lights". All festivals in India have a special social, cultural and religious significance. Most of our festivals in the Hindu Culture are to celebrate the victory of good over evil. In this sense, Diwali is a day of many blessings.
It is the day when Kaikai's wickedness, jealousy and greed accepted defeat and when Bharat's love, dedication and service won. It is the day when Shri Ram, Sita and Lakshmana returned to Ayodhya. Happiness, peace and harmony came back to Ayodhya - it became "The Land of No Conflict". Shri Ram represents honesty and firm adherence to duty; Sita embodies faith and devotion; Lakshmana personifies detachment and service.
For this home-coming, Lamps of Peace are lit...
It is the day Shri Krishna killed Naraka-asura - the demon of sorrow and hell, who had kidnapped and imprisoned 16,000 princesses for his harem. It is the day when the selfish ego which has entrapped all the 16,000 thought varieties, is killed and all thoughts get wedded to the One Infinite - Blissful - Consciousness - Shri Krishna Paramaatma - "The Supreme Self in All". When our mind turns towards the Infinite Self, the sense of limitation along with its selfishness ends.
For this knowledge, Lamps of Joy are lit...
It is the day we harvest the results of our hard work blessed with the wealth by Mother Lakshmi. We pray to her with gratitude and ask the gracious Mother to:
Shower Her blessings in abundance for the coming year
Give us the intelligence to use our wealth in the right manner
Give us the heart to share it generously with our fellow beings.
For this sharing, Lamps of Love are lit...
Fill the Heart with the oil of Love.
Place in it the wick of single-pointed mind.
Light it with the Knowledge of Truth and remove the darkness of Ignorance around you.
Just as one lamp can light many lamps; let each youth kindle this Light in many hearts.
The festival of Navratri falls during the Hindu month Aashwin, and is devoted to the worship of Shakti or Divine Mother. The nine nights are dedicated to the three Goddesses - Durga (Goddess of valour), Lakshmi (Goddess of wealth), and Saraswati (Goddess of knowledge), which symbolises the trinity of God through a female representation.
Days 1-3
The first three nights are dedicated to the goddess of action and energy. Her different manifestations Kumari, Parvati and Kali are all worshipped during these days. They represent the three different classes of womanhood. Firstly, the young child, followed by mother/wife and finally as a mature woman.
Days 4-6
Lakshmi is worshipped during the following three days as the Goddesses of peace and bliss. The essence of the worship is that fulfilment is more important than wealth itself. As the goddess of welath she also governs basic things such as family, friends, food etc. On the fifth day (Lalita Panchami), it is traditional, to gather all books, light a lamp and invoke Saraswati (Goddess of knowledge and art).
Days 7-9
Saraswati is worshipped during the final three days. She is the goddess of spiritual knowledge, which frees us from the bind of Samsara.
In West Bengal, Navratri is celebrated as 'Durga Pooja', which is the most important festival in that part of India. Idols of Goddess Durga are worshipped for nine days in beautifully decorated 'pandaals'. On the tenth day, the 'Visarjan' or immersion of idols in seawaters is performed.
Navratri is celebrated in Gujarat by the preformance of Garba and Dandia-Ras. This is Gujarat's popular folkdance, with people participating in traditional dancing late into the nights during the nine days. Women wear brightly coloured Chania choli and the Men wear Dhoti-Kurta. The participants move around in a circle around a mandvi (a structure to hold earthen lamps filled with water and to house the image or idol of mother goddess) singing 'Garba's' or traditional songs. A slow dance to begin with, the speed picks up along with the temp of the music to a rapid pace until the dance comes to a halt. 'Dandia-Ras' is played with wooden sticks or 'dandiyas'. Dancing to the the rythm of traditional and religious music, men and women strike the dandiyas together in an uniformed manor, adding to the joyous and festive atmosphere. Garbas are also performed in other states and cities like Mumbai.
In Southern India, houses are decorated with displays of dolls, toys and images of the gods. In various parts of India, the 'Ram-Leela' is performed. Ram Leela is a stage enaction of the Ramayana, the story of Lord Rama. The day after Navratri i.e., the tenth day, is observed as 'Dussera' or 'Vijaya Dashmi'. It marks the victory of good over evil, for example when Rama killed Ravana, and it's meaning when translated is 'Day of Victory'.
It is hoped that this email has given you an overview of the festival of Navratri. By educating Hindus as to the importance of Navratri, it is hoped that the joyous festival is celebrated in its true spirit all
around the UK.
CUHCS celebrates Navratri in association with the local Indian community each Michaelmas term, for more information please see the events pages.
Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated on the birthday of Lord Ganesh (Ganesha), the god of wisdom and prosperity on the fourth day of the moons bright fortnight, or period from new moon in the lunar month of Bhadrapada. The celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi continue for five, seven, or ten days. Some even stretch it to twenty one days, but ten the most popularly celebrated. In the tradition of the right hand path the first day is the most important. In the left hand path tradition the final day is most important.
Legend
Ganesha is the god of wisdom and prosperity and is invoked before the beginning of any auspicious work by the Hindus. It is believed that for the fulfillment of one's desires, his blessing is absolutely necessary. According to the mythology, he is the son of Shiva and Parvati, brother of Kartikeya - the general of the gods, Lakshmi - the goddess of wealth and Saraswati-the goddess of learning. There are numerous stories in Hindu mythology, associated with the birth of this elephant-headed god, whose vehicle is the Mooshak or rat and who loves Modaks (droplet shaped Indian sweet). Legend has it that Parvati created Ganesha out of the sandalwood dough that she used for her bath and breathed life into him. Letting him stand guard at the door she went to have her bath. When her husband, Shiva returned, the child who had never seen him stopped him. Shiva severed the head of the child and entered his house. Parvati, learning that her son was dead, was distraught and asked Shiva to revive him. Shiva cut off the head of an elephant and fixed it on the body of Ganesha. Another tale tells of how one day the Gods decided to choose their leader and a race was to be held between the brothers- Kartikeya and Ganesh. Whoever took three rounds of the earth first would be made the Ganaadhipati or the leader. Kartikeya seated on a peacock as his vehicle, started off for the test. Ganesh was given a rat, which moved swiftly. Ganesh realised that the test was not easy, but he would not disobey his father. He reverently paid obeisance to his parents and went around them three times and thus completed the test before Kartikeya. He said, " my parents pervade the whole universe and going around them, is more than going round the earth." Everybody was pleasantly surprised to hear Ganesha's logic and intelligence and hence he came to be known as the Ganaadhipati or leader, now referred to as Ganpati.
There is also a story behind the symbolic snake, rat and the singular tusk. During one of his birthdays, His mother, Parvati, cooked for him twenty-one types of delicious food and a lot of sweet porridge. Ganesha ate so much that even his big belly could not contain it. Mounting his little mouse, he embarked on his nightly rounds. His mouse suddenly stumbled upon seeing a huge snake. To adjust His belly, Ganesha put the snake on as a belt around his stomach. All of a sudden, he heard laughter emanating form the sky. He looked up and saw the moon mocking him. Ganesha infuriated, broke off one of his tusks and hurled it at the moon. Parvati, seeing this, immediately cursed the moon that whoever looks at it on Ganesh Chaturthi will be accused of a wrong doing. The symbology behind the mouse and snake and Ganesha's big belly and its relationship to the moon on his birthday is highly philosophic. The whole cosmos is known to be the belly of Ganesha. Parvati is the primordial energy. The seven realms above, seven realms below and seven oceans, are inside the cosmic belly of Ganesha, held together by the cosmic energy (kundalini) symbolized as a huge snake which Ganesha ties around Him. The mouse is nothing but our ego. Ganesha, using the mouse as a vehicle, exemplifies the need to control our ego. One who has controlled the ego has Ganesha consciousness or God-consciousness.
The Celebrations
The festival of Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated the states of Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh and many other parts of India. Started by Shivaji, the great Maratha ruler, to promote culture and nationalism, the festival was revived by Lokmanya Tilak (a freedom fighter) to spread the message of freedom struggle and to defy the British who had banned public assemblies. The festival gave the Indians a feeling of unity and revived their patriotic spirit and faith. This public festival formed the background for political leaders who delivered speeches to inspire people against the Western rule.
The festival is so popular that the preparations begin months in advance. Ganesha statues installed in street corners and in homes, and elaborate arrangements are made for lighting, decoration, mirrors and the most common of flowers. Poojas (prayer services) are performed daily. The artists who make the idols of Ganesh compete with each other to make bigger and more magnificent and elegant idols. The relevantly larger ones are anything from 10 meters to 30 meters in height. These statues are then carried on decorated floats to be immersed in the sea after one, three, five, seven and ten days. Thousands of processions converge on the beaches to immerse the holy idols in the sea. This procession and immersion is accompanied by drum- beats, devotional songs and dancing.
It is still forbidden to look at the moon on that day as the moon had laughed at Ganesha when he fell from his vehicle, the rat. With the immersion of the idol amidst the chanting of "Ganesh Maharaj Ki Jai!" (Hail Lord Ganesh). The festival ends with pleas to Ganesha to return the next year with chants of "Ganpati bappa morya, pudcha varshi laukar ya" (Hail Lord Ganesh, return again soon next year).
The birth of Lord Krishna, the incarnation of Vishnu in the Dwapar Yuga, is celebrated all over India as Krishna Janmashtami. This day is marked by religious festivity and devotion. Lord Krishna or "He who is all-attractive", descended on this earth to subdue the rakshasas ruthlessly and save mankind from all evils. He is regarded as the epitome of transcendental qualities which made him the most loved one.
As per mythology, the birth of Lord Krishna is as follows. Kamsa, who ruled Mathura after usurping it from his father Ugrasena, was a wicked king. None could stop his atrocities and save themselves from his torcherous deeds. One day, after the marriage of Devaki (his sister) and Vasudeva, Kamsa was charioteering, when suddenly a voice from the sky warned him that the eighth child of Devaki would one day destroy him and put an end to all his sinful deeds. Perturbed and furious, Kamsa ordered the imprisonment of his sister and brother-in-law at Vajra, a village eight miles across river Yamuna near Mathura.
When the first child was born to Devaki, Kamsa killed it immediately. Thus, everytime an infant was born it met with the same fate. However, before the birth of the eighth child, a voice from heaven instructed Vasudeva to exchange the child-to-be-born with his friend Nand's yet-to-be-born baby. On the fateful midnight when Devaki delivered her eighth child, there occurred a tempest with dark thundering clouds drowning the cries of the little-born. It was a divine ordain. Vasudeva put the baby boy in a cushion of leaves within a basket and carried him on his head. Braving the storm, he waded across the gushing waters of the Yamuna. Miraculously, the snake adisesha appeared around the basket and with its hood protected the infant from hail and storm.
Vasudeva reached Gokulam, where Yasodha had just given birth to a baby girl. His friend Nand, the ruler of Gokulam, took Vasudeva's boy and gave his own infant, promising to keep it a secret. With Nand's child in the basket, Vasudeva returned to the prison and suddenly the rage of the hurricane calmed down.
At the crack of dawn, the cries of the new-born filled the air and brought Kamsa straight to the prison. There, he saw the eighth child - his destroyer, with Devaki and Vasudeva and his blood curdled. He lifted the baby and threw her against the ceiling. Lo and behold, the infant, who was actually "Shakti" or "Durga", flew out of sight and a thunderous voice once again reverberated in the sky. It scorned at Kamsa's foolish killings and warned him that his destroyer was alive and will one day put him to death. The thought of an insecure life sent chills down his spine.
Meanwhile, at Gokulam (the place where cowherds and cowboys inhabited), news spread about the birth of a baby boy to Yasodha. The gopis or cowherds rushed to take a glimpse of the dusky new- born child. There was revelling all around to mark the birth of the little one who was named Krishna - the attractive one.
Since His early days itself, Krishna showed qualities of His supernatural being. He was frivolous and notorius for stealing His favorite "venna"/"maakhan" or butter. He was the apple of everyone's eyes. Every woman called Him her own child and held Him dear to their heart.
Krishna spent His adolescence at Brindavan where He won the hearts of the gopikas, the women who milked the cows. He aroused feelings of love in them and they were steeped in His devotion. For them, He was the embodiment of love and manhood and every woman wanted a husband like Krishna.
At every stage Krishna fulfilled the purpose of his reincarnation. He slayed Kamsa, exhibited incredible feats to save the people of Brindavan from disasters and went on to deliver the holy preachings of "Bhagwad Gita". Krishna was born on the "ashtami" day - the middle of a fortnight in the Lunar system. Any person born on this day exhibits extreme qualities, either very strong and handsome or cruel. The object of Krishna's birth was to bring about a victory of good over evil.
Thus, Janmashtami marks the celebrations of Krishna's birth, the incarnation of Vishnu, one of the Hindu Triumvarate, who came onto earth to cleanse the sins of the human beings. The modern day festivity recreates the birth of the Lord. It is celebrated with utmost gaiety and fervor in Mathura and Brindavan. The towns are colorfully decorated wearing a festive look. The main temple at Mathura and Brindavan are bedecked with flowers and Lord Krishna is clothed in jewellery. The rituals begin ahead of time in the evening and culminate at midnight, the time of Krishna's birth. A crawling image of Krishna is cradled amidst singing of bhajans and chantings of Hare Rama Hare Krishna.
In South India, Janmashtami or Gokulashtami, as it is called, is celebrated with prayers, devotional renditions and offering of fruits and special prasadams to Lord Krishna. People usually observe fast on this day. In the houses, mango leaves are tied to the doorways to mark the auspicious occasion. Colorful floral designs are drawn on the front yard. Inside the house, a small woodden mandapam is erected and decorated with flowers and plantain leaves. An icon of a crawling Krishna in a silver cradle or leaf is placed in the mandapam. In some houses, a typical setting of Gokulam is arranged with mud images of Devaki, Vasudeva with little Krishna perched in a basketon his head, a cow, besides other things related to Krishna's legends. Small foot marks produced by impressions with rice powder mixed with water are believed to symbolically recreate the coming of Krishna into peoples' homes. Janmashtami is thus yet another celebration of God's omnipresence.
In January 2001, over 25 million Hindus from across the world gathered on the sandy banks of the Ganges, just outside the North Indian town of Allahabad. Their goal was to celebrate a religious festival that is at least 2,000 years old, the Maha Kumbh Mela - the Great Fair of the Vessel of Immortality. Their intention was to bathe in the waters of the Ganges, which the faithful believe will cleanse their souls and lead them to salvation.
Kumbh Melas, in accordance with astrological cycles, take place every twelve years, but the Kumbh Mela 2001 has a special significance as it falls at a particularly auspicious alignment of the planets, occurring only once every 144 years. Hindus believe that this alignment radiates cosmic energy and transforms the waters of the Ganges into immortality-inducing nectar that first fell to Earth at the time of creation, according to Hindu Mythology.
Mythological Background
The festival of the Kumbh Mela is based on the ancient Hindu teachings that describe the earliest days of the universe. Exact versions differ but one common theme holds throughout:
There was a time when the Devas, the demi-gods, were under the influence of a curse that made them cowardly and weak. Brahma, the Creator God, advised them to churn the cosmic ocean (Samundra Manthan) in search of Amrit, a nectar that makes those who consume it immortal. The gods sought help from the demons in order to succeed in their mission. And in return for their help, the gods made an agreement to share the nectar equally.
The cosmic ocean was churned using Vasuki, the King of the Serpents, as a rope around the churning rod Mount Mandara, with gods on one side and demons on the other. Eventually Dhanwantari, the divine healer, arose from the ocean with the vessel (Kumbh) containing nectar in his hands.
On seeing the nectar, the demi-gods became anxious over what would happen if the demons drank their share, so they fled with the vessel. A great chase ensued and for twelve days and nights (equivalent to twelve human years) they battled in the sky. The gods finally overpowered the demons in this primeval tug of war, but before they succeeded, some drops of the nectar fell to four places on Earth: the Indian cities of Allahabad, Haridwar, Ujjain, and Nasik.
The Maha Kumbh Mela (literally translating to big pot fair) is a time when Sadhus, pilgrims and devotees converge to commemorate this divine event. Hindus believe that within the period of the Kumbh Mela the water of the Ganges turns into nectar in the place where it fell. By bathing in the Holy River they will be able to cleanse their souls and - if immortality takes effect - be able to escape the cycle of rebirth and reach enlightenment.
Astrology
Hindus view astrology as a sacred science. As well as being a predictive tool, certain planetary positions are thought of as having cosmic energy, which Hindus believe radiates onto them. This explains why so many of the fasts and festivals fall on dates that depend upon the position of the planets, sun, moon and stars.
The Kumbh Mela is no exception, in fact the word Kumbh not only relates to the vessel containing Amrit it is also the Sanskrit name for the constellation of Aquarius.
The Kumbh Mela takes place at an interval of twelve years coinciding with one round of Jupiter through the zodiac. At Allahabad, the Kumbh Mela usually takes place when Jupiter enters Aquarius and the sun enters Aries.
The reason for this is that it is believed that the water at the Sangam (the confluence of the Ganges, the Yamuna and the mythical underground river Sarasvati) is charged with positive healing effects, enhanced by electromagnetic radiations of the Sun, Moon and Jupiter. The magnitude of which also varies in accordance to phases of the moon (the foundation of the Hindu calendar). These special planetary, lunar and solar positions are also thought to medicate the waters of the Ganges and turn it into the nectar of the Gods. If pilgrims then bathe at this time, they increase their chance of escaping from the cycle of rebirth, gaining salvation and Moksha (release).
What else?
Pilgrims of every origin and background gathered for the 2001 Kumbh Mela, from Sadhus who spent the last twelve years in deep penance to the rich, showbiz stars of Hollywood.
The millions of pilgrims were not only there to bathe, but also to watch and participate in grand processions, religious conferences and initiation ceremonies, while worshipping at the hundreds of shrines at the site and getting the blessing of tens of thousands of Sadhus.
And all this for a budget of merely £2 million...
This was surely the "Greatest Show on Earth"!
DISCLAIMER:
The above information is provided purely to provide an introduction to
some common aspects of Hindu festivals and celebrations. Any opinions
or practices contained therein do not necessarily reflect those of our membership.
Artwork courtesy of The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, Inc. www.krishna.com.