Festivals for Jan 2007

January 12, 2007

India - The Land of Festivals

Hinduism is often described as a religion of fasts, feasts and

festivals. In India, the celebrations of fairs and festivals form a

wondrous and joyful series of events, marking the rites of passage

between birth, death and renewal. There are said to be more festivals in

India than there are days of the year. There is celebration for every

religious occassion, change of season and for every harvest. They are

times when people gather together, linked by ties of shared social and

religious beliefs. Vibrant colours, music and festivities make the

country come alive throughout the year.

Festivals in India are characterized by color, gaiety, enthusiasm,

prayers and rituals. Foreign travelers are struck by the scale and

multiplicity of Indian festivals that have evolved in the society. Fairs

and festivals are moments of remembrance and commemoration of the

birthdays and great deeds of gods, goddesses, hero's, heroine's, gurus,

prophet's and saints.

Tue 02 Purnima Fri 05 - Guru Gobind Jayanti Sat 13 - Lohri Sun 14 -

Pongal Sun 14 - Makar Sankranti

</makarsankranti.html> Thu 18 - Amavasya

Tue 23 - Vasant Panchami Fri 26 - Republic Day Tue 30 - Muharram

All Hindu festivals have a deep spiritual import or high religious

significance. All great Hindu festivals have religious, social and

hygienic elements in them. In every festival there is bathing in the

morning before sunrise in the river or tank or well. Every individual

will have to do some Japa, prayer, Kirtan, recitation of Sanskrit verses

and meditation.

Indian 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.

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