Explain different types of festivals & its significance in India?

1.         Makar Sankranti : This a major harvest festival celebrated when the glorious Sun God begins ascendancy into the Northern Hemisphere. i.e. in mid-January when the sun moves into the Tropic of Capricorn (known as Makar in Hindi). It is probably one of the few Hindu festivals that is always celebrated on the same date, January 14, each year. It is celebrated across the country in myriad cultural forms with great devotion, fervour and gaiety.

Apart from being a harvest time festival, it also ushers in an auspicious period — in fact it is the end of a month in which any auspicious functions are not held.

To mark the sun’s journey into the Northern Hemisphere, people in the state of Tamil Nadu in south India celebrate “Pongal” at this very time of Makar Sankranti. Pongal is a four day long harvest festival of thanksgiving to nature.

Significance : The festival of Makar Sankranti is associated with much cultural significance.

• The Puranas say that on this day the Sun visits the house of his son Shani, who is the Swami of Makar Rashi. This day symbolizes the healthy relationship of father and son. It is the son who has the responsibility to carry forward his father’s dream and the continuity of the family.
• It is also said that, on this day ended the terror of the `Asuras’ by finishing them off and burying their heads under MountMandara. So this occasion also represents the end of negativities and beginning of an era of righteous living.

2.      Vasant Panchami : Vasant Panchami, the fifth day of spring, is celebrated by propitiating Goddess Saraswati. As she symbolizes the constant flow of wisdom, she also represents the full blossoming of multi-hued Nature, kindling the light of inspiration and hope.

          Significance : It is believed that on this day Goddess Saraswati was born. She is always shown clad in white, the colour of purity. The tulsi mala or rosary made of tulsi beads represents perseverance and consistency in `Sadhana’ or `Bhakti.

The Vedas held in her hand signify knowledge and wisdom which form the basis of the 64 art forms. She holds a pen in one hand, the power to manifest truth through words. “Gyanyog” or the path of wisdom is the force to dispel ignorance.

The colour yellow is of special importance during Vasant Panchami as it signifies the coming of spring, after a long, arduous winter, and is also the colour of the energy-giving sun: the mustard fields in bloom are a bright yellow, exuding the warmth of spring. Fittingly, the radiance is associated with knowledge, symbolized by Goddess Saraswati.

3.      Mahashivratri : Mahashivratri or Shiva Jayanti is a festival imbibed with deep spiritual meaning and celebrated on the thirteenth night of the waning moon of Phalgun as per the Hindu Calendar.

          Significance : Shiva symbolizes the universally worshipped form of God, the Eternal light. Shiva who is “Kalyankari”, is the “Benefactor of all souls.” Mahashivratri is, therefore, the memorial of the divine incarnation and divine acts of the incorporeal God. Shiva is the Supreme Father, He who performs the triple role of creation, sustenance and destruction. This divine trinity is symbolized as Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh in Hindu theology.

Devotees observe fast, sing bhajans, and offer prayers to Lord Shiva. It is believed that devotion on Mahashivratri would free devotees from past sins. The festival is especially important for women as it is believed that Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati, his consort, would bestow marital bliss.

4.      Holi : Holi is an abundant celebration of joy, goodness and the season of spring, celebrated on Phalgun Poornirna (full moon) as the birthday of Manu, the start of ‘Samvat’ (first day in the Hindu Calendar). Holi is observed a fortnight after Mahashivratri which falls a day before ‘amavasya’, the darkest night of the month. Spiritually it signifies light prevailing over darkness, fear and ignorance.

Holi is associated with the smearing of colours and the Holika bonfire, in which dry sticks and cow dung are put to fire and corn seeds burnt to the point of losing their power to germinate. The fire represents burning away of what is old and worn out. The Holi festivities have a central message — let bygones be bygones, bury old hatchets, and start anew in the spirit of spring.

Significance : The scriptures throw light on the origin of Holi. The story of Prahlad in Vishnu Puran projects the triumph of good ever evil.

Prahlad is devoted to Lord Vishnu while his father king Hiranyakshyap, is an atheist engaged in religious persecution. To distract his son from the path of devotion, the father resorts to ruthless methods, but fails. Finally, the evil king takes the help of his sister Holika who was blessed by Lord Brahma not to be consumed by fire. She enters a bonfire with Prahlad in her lap and for misusing the boon, Holika gets burnt to ashes and Prahlad comes out unscathed : The unrelenting king tries then to kill his son’s mentor Lord Vishnu who emerges from a pillar as half-man, half-lion (Lord Narsimha) and destroys the king. The people of the Kingdom celebrate the death of the evil king and coronation of Prahlad by playing with colours, and the celebration has come to be known as Holi. Colours are thrown on each other to symbolize decorating self and others with the divine colours of universal peace, love, purity, amity and brotherhood.

5.      Good Friday & Easter : Good Friday commemorates the sufferings and death of Jesus Christ. It was the day he was nailed to the cross. So what was “good” about that fateful Friday? According to the Bible, “Christ died that He might bring us to God.” And from the cross He prayed for the enemies who had crucified Him, saying, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.” The Messiah suffered, died, and rose again on the third day. Since then, his followers have been preaching the message of repentance and forgiveness.

Significance : Easter is a reminder of the loving spirit of Christ who stood for sacrifice, love, prayer, selfless service and devotion. Easter marks the end of Lent, a forty-day period of fasting, prayer and penance.

In many ancient cultures, eggs were a common symbol of new life. In medieval times, eggs came to represent the Lord’s resurrection. Just as Christ broke out of the tomb on Easter morning, the yolk of the egg breaks out of its shell when cracked. The decoration of eggs for easter is part of the folk traditions of many cultures.

6.      Ramnavami : The festival of Ram Navami marks the birthday celebrations of the Hindu God Rama, the seventh incarnation, of Lord Vishnu. According to the Hindu Calendar, it falls on the 9’h (navami) day of the Chaitra month in the spring season. Celebrations of Ram Navami start on Gudi Padwa, the first day of Chaitra, and continue for nine days.

          Significance : Rama is a symbol of sacrifice, a model of brotherhood, an ideal administrator, a warrior unparalleled. The term ‘Ram Rajya’ stands for the most exalted concept of a welfare state. Rama was not only Divine but he was invested with the highest values of an enriched tradition started by Raghu. The essence of Rama is therefore the essence of excellence in every pursuit. It has been said of Rama’s reign in Ayodhya ” … it was such that no suffering of mental, bodily or physical nature afflicts its citizens. There is no animus and everyone is conscious of his duty. There is no poverty, no untimely death, no want. The forests are lush and the ecosystem healthy.” Rama, as “Maryada Purush” the ideal human being of Vishnu’s incarnate, is a great role model whose popularity transcends bordess and cultures.”

7.      Baisakhi : Baisakhi is a harvest festival and marks the ripening of the Rabi harvest especially in the Punjab. Baisakhi is also inextricably linked with the Sikh tradition. It was on the auspicious day of Baisakhi in 1699 that the Tenth Guru of Sikhs Guru Gobind Singh, founded the Khalsa Panth or the Order of Pure Ones and gave a unique identity to Sikhas. On that day the Guru administered “amrit” or nectar to his first batch of five disciples making them Singhs, a martial community. By doing so, he eliminated the differences of high and low and established that all human beings were equal.

The day of Baisakhi has significance for the Hindus as it was on this day in 1875 that Swami Dayanand Saraswati founded the Arya Samaj – a reformed sect of Hindus who are devoted to the Vedas for spiritual guidance and have discarded idol worship.

Baisakhi day has relevance even for Buddhists as Gautam Buddha attained enlightenment and Nirvana on this auspicious day.

Baisakhi is a time to resurrect the ancient contract of man with nature – a time for renewal and fresh hope which the traditional New Year brings in.

Summer and Monsoon Time Festivals : Hot summer months are followed by Monsoons, as new life is created after a parched summer. The Monsoon brings relief not only to people but also brings many religious celebrations. Shravan, Guru Purnima, Janmashtmi, the birth anniversary of Prophet Muhammed and Navroz are some of the festivals in this period.

1.      Guru Purnima : The full moon day of Ashadh is observed as a sacred day in memory of the great sage Vyasa. The Indian tradition sees God in the Guru, as someone who can lead us from spiritual darkness to divine light.

          Significance : On this day all spiritual aspirants and devotees worship Vyasa in honour of his divine personage. This day is of significance to the farmers as it heralds the setting in of the much-needed rains. It is a good time too begin your spiritual -Sadhana” or lessons. The period of (chaturmas’ (four months) begins from this day.

2.      Shravan, Raksha Bandhan, Narial Purnima : Raksha Bandhan is celebrated during the bright fortnight in the month of Shravan. The Bhavishya Purana referes to a battle between the deities and demons. The king of the deities, Indra, was feeling depressed, when his wife Sachi took a thread, charged it with sacred verses for protection and tied it on Indra’s hand. Through the strength of this thread, India conquered his enemies. Over time, the manner of celebration underwent modifications. Raksha Bandhan is a sacred festival for sisters and brothers. In Mumbai, the fisherfolk celebrate Narial Purnima on this day, where coconuts are thrown into the sea to propitiate the sea God, Varuna.

3.      Janmashtmi : Also known as Gokulashtami, this is a Hindu festival celebrating the birth of Lord Krishna, an awatar of Vishnu. It is observed on the eighth day (ashtmi) of the dark half or Krishna Paksha of the month of Bhadrapad. Significance : The birthday of Hinduism’s favourite. Lord Krishna is very special as the Hindus consider him their leader, hero, protector, philosopher, teacher and friend all rolled into one.

          Song and dance and fasting mark the celebration of this festive occasion. In the state of Maharashtra people enact the God’s childhood attempts to steal butter and curd from earthen pots beyond his reach. A similar pot is hung high above the ground and groups of young people form human pyramids to try and reach and break it.

4.      Ganesh Chaturthi : This festival is celebrated on the fourth day of the waxing moon in the month of Bhadrapad. The festival last for 10 days, ending on Anant Chaturdashi, the fourteenth day of the waxing moon period.

          Significance : The son of Shiva and Parvati, Ganesh is the Lord of wisdom and success. The elephant’s trunk has the strength to uproot a tree as well as the finesse to pick up a needle. Hence Ganesh’s trunk symbolizes the fact that the wise person has both immense strength and fine discrimination. Ganesh has large ears – a wise person hears all. He has four hands. In one hand, he holds a lotus, the symbol of enlightenment. In the other a hatchet – the old Karma gets cut when enlightenment comes. The third hand holds “laddus” – sweetmeats which are the rewards of a wise life. Ganesh is never seen eating the laddus – a wise man never partakes of the rewards of his deeds. He is not attached to them. The fourth hand is shown blessing people. Ganesh has only one tusk, the other broken one symbolising that the wise is beyond duality. He is shown sitting with one foot on the ground and the other resting above on his knee – the wise person is of this earth, yet not entirely of the earth.

Ganesh is shown seated on a rat, among the greediest of all animals. The rat is a symbol of our senses which are never satisfied. Left uncontrolled, our senses crave new tastes, new experiences, that keep growing for ever. A wise person rides on his senses, keeping them under control.

5.      Navrathri & Dussehra : Navratri means nine nights, during which the nine forms of Shakti/Devi are worshipped. The tenth day is referred to as Vijaydashmi or Dussehra. The beginning of autumn (as is spring) is an important junction of climatic and solar influence and is taken as an opportunity to worship the Divine Mother.

Significance : On Dussehra day, Ram killed the great demon Rawana and hence is a celebration of good over evil. Large effigies of Ravana are set on fire and in burning these effigies people symbolically burn the evil within and follow the path of truth and goodness.

Winter Time Festivals :

After, Dushera, winter begins to set in. Diwali, the festival of lights is one of the grand festivals in this season. The birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh, Christmas and Haj are some other festivals in this period.

1.      Diwali : The aestheticaliy appealing Diwali illumination dates back to many millennia when the jubilant citizens of Ayodhya welcomed Rama back after exile.

Significance : Lord Rama went into exile for 14 long years and when he finally returned, the citizens of Ayodhya celebrated the joyful reunion by illuminating their homes.

Ayodhya is likened to our hearts, and Rama, the supreme object of our love and devotion. Due to misconceptions we too have exiled the Lord from our hearts. Just as Ayodhya became a ghost town, when Rama departed from our hearts we were filled with anxiety, depression, stress and our lives were empty and sad. We however, are often slow to realise and recognise the cause of our problems. Diwali signifies return of Rama to Ayodhya. Our celebration of Diwali will remain incomplete if we only light lamps – how can we welcome the Lord back into our heart and experience the essence of Diwali?

While lighting the earthen lamps we must light our hearts with divine wisdom and love. The festival of lights symbolizes the lighting up of our inner cousciousness towards realisations of the Divinity that lies dormant within our hearts.

2.      Christmas : Christmas is a festival celebrated on December 25′ all over the world to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ. It is a secular holiday throughout the world.

Significance : The basic message of Christmas is that God, the Almighty Creator of the Universe, has come into this world in the human form for the salvation of the world. Christ was born in a world characterized by ignorance, greed, hatred and superstition. He brought about a transformation and a new era dawned. He was born in a stable to humble and poor parents. This implies that spiritual awakening will come to one who is humble and poor.

3.      Eid-ul-fitr : Eid-ul-fitr marks the end of the holy month of fasting, Ramadan. `Eid’ is an Arabic word meaning “festivity”, and “Fite means breaking the fast. The festival celebrates the conclusion of the month-long days of dawn-to-sunset fasting during the entire month of Ramadan.

Significance : Fasting during the month teaches people to stay away from worldly desires and focus entirely on the Lord and thank him for his blessings. The communal aspects of the fast express the basic values of the Muslim Community – empathy for the poor, charity, worship, steadfastness, patience, etc. Fasting is also believed by some scholars to extol fundamental distinctions, lauding the power of the spiritual realm while acknowledging the subordination of the physical realm.

Note : Bakri Eid or Eid-al-Adha is the festivalof sacrifice. It is celebrated on the 10^th day of the last Islamic month of the Lunar Islamic calendar.