Gurupurab or Guru Nanak Jayanti

    Gurupurab or Guru Nanak Jayanti

 

November 12, 2019

Guru Nanak Dev Ji Gurpurab, also known as Guru Nanak's Prakash Utsav and Guru Nanak Dev Ji Jayanti, celebrates the birth of the first Sikh guru, Guru Nanak.This is one of the most sacred festivals in Sikhism, or Sikhi.This is the most sacred festival for Sikhs all over the world. It is celebrated on full month day as the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji. A day before it procession takes place and is led by Panj Pyare(five Beloveds). Early morning and night prayer sessions take place in gurudwaras. Traditional gatka teams perform martial arts, showcasing swordsmanship.  Massive celebrations take place in Punjab.

👉About:

The festivities in the Sikh religion revolve around the anniversaries of the 10 Sikh Gurus. These Gurus were responsible for shaping the beliefs of the Sikhs . Their birthdays, known as Gurpurab, are occasions for celebration and prayer among the Sikhs.

Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, was born on Puranmashi of Kattak in 1469, according to the Bikrami calendar in Rai-Bhoi-di Talwandi in the present Shekhupura District of Pakistan, now Nankana Sahib. It is a Gazetted holiday in India.

According to the controversial Bhai Bala Janamsakhi, it claims Guru Nanak was born on the Full Moon (Pooranmashi) of the Indian Lunar Month Katik. The Sikhs have been celebrating Guru Nanak's Gurpurab around November for this reason and has it been ingrained in Sikh Traditions.

However, some scholars and organizations believe the Birthday should be celebrated on Vaisakhi, which falls on 14 April according to the original Nanakshahi Calendar passed by Sri Akal Takht in 2003. However, many people and organizations would like to keep the traditional date by celebrating on the Full Moon Day (Pooranmashi or Purnima) of the Lunar Month Kartik. The original Nanakshahi Calendar follows the tradition and celebrates it on Kartik Purnima due to demands by various Sikh Saints.

Onam

                         Onam 

Dates: August 22, 2020 - September 2, 2020 (Dates May Vary)

Onam is an annual holiday and festival celebrated in Kerala, India. It is also a harvest festival, and falls on the 22nd nakshatra Thiruvonam in the Malayalam calendar month of Chingam, which in Gregorian calendar overlaps with August–September. According to legends, the festival is celebrated to commemorate King Mahabali, whose spirit is said to visit Kerala at the time of Onam.Onam is the harvest festival of Kerala falling on the month of Chingam in the Malayalam Calendar. The festival is the commemoration of the Vishnu Avatar- Vamana and the homecoming of the King Mahabali. It is one among the three major Hindu festivals of Kerala along with Vishu and Thiruvathira. Although Onam is a Kerala festival, it is celebrated among Malayali communities around the world with the same vigour and pomp.

👉About: Onam is a major annual event for Malayali people in and outside Kerala. It is a harvest festival, one of three major annual Hindu celebrations along with Vishu and Thiruvathira, and it is observed with numerous festivities. Onam celebrations include Vallam Kali (boat races), Pulikali (tiger dances), Pookkalam (flower Rangoli), Onathappan (worship), Onam Kali, Tug of War, Thumbi Thullal (women's dance), Kummattikali (mask dance), Onathallu (martial arts), Onavillu (music), Kazhchakkula (plantain offerings), Onapottan (costumes), Atthachamayam (folk songs and dance), and other celebrations.It is the New Year day for Malayalis.

Onam is the official state festival of Kerala with public holidays that start four days from Uthradom (Onam eve) Major festivities take place across 30 venues in Thiruvananthapuram, capital of Kerala. It is also celebrated by Malayali diaspora around the world.Though a Hindu festival, non-Hindu communities of Kerala participate in Onam celebrations considering it as a cultural festival. However, some non-Hindus in Kerala denounce its celebration as a cultural event because they consider it as a religious festival.

Muharram

                         Muharram

Date: August 21, 2020

It is the first month of the Islamic Calendar. The dates of the festival keep on rotating in the Georgian calendar. Shia Muslims mourn in remembrance of martyred Hussein ibn Ali. They take it as a mourning month whereas Sunni Muslims observe it on a more peaceful note. The mourning continues for the first day of the month to the next two months and eight days. On the 10th day, Shia Muslims take out processions with banners out in streets. On the other hand, it is a fasting month followed by legendary feats for Sunni Muslims. The choice of fasting is on the individual itself.

👉About:It is one of the four sacred months of the year during which warfare is forbidden. It is held to be the second holiest month, after Ramaḍān. The Tenth day of Muharram is known as the Day of Ashura. Sometimes, as part of the Mourning of Muharram, Shia Muslims practice partial fasting, and Sunni Muslims practice fasting on Ashura.

Shia Muslims mourn the martyrdom of Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī and his family, honouring the martyrs by prayer and abstinence from joyous events. Shia Muslims do not fast on the 10th of Muharram, but some will not eat or drink until Zawal (afternoon) to show their sympathy with Husayn. In addition there is an important ziyarat book, the Ziyarat Ashura about Husayn ibn Ali. In the Shia sect, it is popular to read this ziyarat on this date.

Nowruz-Parsi New Year

            Nowruz-Parsi New Year

Date: August 15, 2020

   Nowruz is the Iranian New Year,also known as the Persian New Year,which is celebrated worldwide by various ethno-linguistic groups.The Zoroastrians in Mumbai commemorate their father's escape from Persia by conducting rituals at fire temples, including traditional feasts and visiting friends.

👉About:

Nowruz has Iranian and Zoroastrian origins; however, it has been celebrated by diverse communities for over 7,000 years in Western Asia, Central Asia, the Caucasus, the Black Sea Basin, the Balkans, and South Asia.It is a secular holiday for most celebrants that is enjoyed by people of several different faiths, but remains a holy day for Zoroastrians, Bahais,and some Muslim communities.

Nowruz is the day of the vernal equinox, and marks the beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere. It marks the first day of the first month (Farvardin) of the Iranian calendars.It usually occurs on March 21 or the previous or following day, depending on where it is observed. The moment the Sun crosses the celestial equator and equalizes night and day is calculated exactly every year, and families gather together to observe the rituals.

Dussehra

 Dussehra

Date: October 25, 2020 

Also known as Vijayadashmi, it marks the end of Durga Pooja and celebrates the victory of Good or Evil in the form of victory of Lord Rama over Ravana. Northern India observes Ravana idols being burnt signifying the restoration of faith in good. Thousands of dances and dramas take place portraying the story of Lord Rama's victory. In Kullu Valley, Himachal a large fair is organised, and half a million people visit the parade. In Mewar, Rajasthan, it is observed as the major festival of Rajputs. In Eastern India, goodbyes are bid to the idols of Durga as they are immersed in water. West Bengal celebrates the festival at the most exceptional level with hundreds of parades taking place. One can also visit Mysore to be a part of Grand Mysore Dasara.

👉About:

Vijayadashami also known as Dussehra, Dasara or Dashain is a major Hindu festival celebrated at the end of Navaratri every year. It is observed on the tenth day in the Hindu calendar month of Ashvin or Kartik, the sixth and seventh month of the Hindu Luni-Solar Calendar respectively, which typically falls in the Gregorian months of September and October.

Vijayadashami is observed for different reasons and celebrated differently in various parts of the Indian subcontinent. In the southern, eastern, northeastern, and some northern states of India, Vijayadashami marks the end of Durga Puja, remembering goddess Durga's victory over the buffalo demon Mahishasura to restore and protect dharma.In the northern, central and western states, the festival is synonymously called Dussehra (also spelled Dasara, Dashahara). In these regions, it marks the end of "Ramlila" and remembers God Rama's victory over the Ravan. On the very same occasion, Arjuna alone decimated more than 1,000,000 soldiers and defeated all Kuru warriors including Bhishma, Drona, Ashwatthama, Karna and Kripa, a significant example of victory of good (Dharma) over evil (Adharma). Alternatively, it marks a reverence for one of the aspects of goddess Devi, such as Durga or Saraswati.

Vijayadashami celebrations include processions to a river or ocean front that involve carrying clay statues of Durga, Lakshmi, Saraswati, Ganesha and Kartikeya, accompanied by music and chants, after which the images are immersed in the water for dissolution and farewell. Elsewhere, on Dasara, towering effigies of Ravan, symbolising evil, are burnt with fireworks, marking evil's destruction. The festival also starts the preparations for Diwali, the important festival of lights, which is celebrated twenty days after Vijayadashami.

Ganesh Chaturthi-Maharashtra Special

Ganesh Chaturthi

Date: August 22, 2020

Ganesh Chaturthi also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi (Vināyaka Chaturthī), is a Hindu festival celebrating the arrival of Ganesha to earth from Kailash Parvat with his mother Goddess Parvati/Gauri. The festival is marked with the installation of Ganesha clay idols privately in homes, or publicly on elaborate pandals (temporary stages). Observations include chanting of Vedic hymns and Hindu texts such as, prayers and brata (fasting). Offerings and prasadam from the daily prayers, that are distributed from the pandal to the community, include sweets such as modaka as it is believed to be a favourite of Lord Ganesh.The festival ends on the tenth day after start, when the idol is carried in a public procession with music and group chanting, then immersed in a nearby body of water such as a river or sea. In Mumbai alone, around 150,000 statues are immersed annually.Thereafter the clay idol dissolves and Ganesha is believed to return to Mount Kailash to Parvati and Shiva.

👉Where & About Of Ganesh Chaturthi:-

It is celebrated as a grand public festival in the states of Maharashtra, Goa, Gujarat, and Chhattisgarh. Mandaps and Pandals are set up With the idols of Ganesha. Many cultural activities like singing, dancing, theatre and orchestral performances take place. The festival is known as  Vinayaka Chaturthi in Tamil Nadu. Ganesha idols are made out of clay. In Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, procession marches involving great idols of Ganesha take place from Pazhavangadi Ganapathi Temple to Shankumugham Beach and the icons are immersed in the sea. Modak is the primary sweet dish of the festival.

The festival celebrates Lord Ganesha as the God of New Beginnings and the Remover of Obstacles as well as the god of wisdom and intelligence and is observed throughout India, especially in the states such as Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Telangana, Odisha, West Bengal, Gujarat and Chhattisgarh, and is usually celebrated privately at home in Tamil Nadu.Ganesh Chaturthi is also observed in Nepal.

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Gandhi Jayanti

Gandhi Jayanti

Date: October 2, 2020

The festival is celebrated on October 2 to mark the birthday occasion of The Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi. It is observed by commemorating his sacrifices by offering prayers at his memorial in New Delhi, schools, colleges, offices and other institutions.

👉Gandhi Jayanti is an event celebrated in India to mark the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. It is celebrated annually on 2 October, and it is one of the three national holidays of India. The UN General Assembly announced on 15 June 2007 that it adopted a resolution which declared that 2 October will be celebrated as the International Day of Non-Violence.

Gandhi Jayanti is celebrated yearly on 2 October. It is one of the official declared national holidays of India, observed in all of its states and territories.

Gandhi Jayanti is marked by prayer services and tributes all over India, including at Gandhi's memorial Raj Ghat in New Delhi where he was cremated. Popular activities include prayer meetings, commemorative ceremonies in different cities by colleges, local government institutions and socio-political institutions. Painting and essay competitions are conducted and best awards are granted for projects in schools and the community encouraging a non-violent way of life as well as celebrating Gandhi's effort in the Indian independence movement.Gandhi's favourite Bhajan (Hindu devotional song), Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram, is usually sung in his memory.Statues of Mahatma Gandhi throughout the country are decorated with flowers and garlands, and some people avoid drinking alcohol or eating meat on the day.Public buildings, banks and post offices are closed.

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