List of Hindu festivals
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Hindus observe sacred occasions by festive observances. All festivals in Hinduism are predominantly religious in character and significance. Many festivals are seasonal. Some celebrate harvest and birth of God or heroes. Some are dedicated to important events in Hindu mythology. Many are dedicated to Shiva and Parvati, Vishnu and Lakshmi and Brahma and Saraswati[1]
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[edit] Utsava and observance
'Utsava' is the Sanskrit word for Hindu festivals, meaning 'to cause to grow 'upward'.
A festival may be observed with acts of worship, offerings to deities, fasting, feasting, vigil, rituals, fairs, charity, celebrations, Puja, Homa, aarti etc. They celebrate individual and community life of Hindus without distinction of caste, gender or class.
[edit] Observance periods (tithi)
In the Hindu calendar dates are usually prescribed according to the lunar calendar. In vedic timekeeping, a tithi is a lunar day.
[edit] Mythology
The festivals typically celebrate events from Hindu mythology, often coinciding with seasonal changes. There are festivals which are primarily celebrated by specific sects or in certain regions of the Indian subcontinent.
[edit] List and descriptions of major Hindu festivals
For 2012 dates, please see Public Holidays India 2012
| Major Hindu Festivals | Hindu Lunar Day of Observance | Civil date (1991) | Descriptions |
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Makar Sankranti or Pongal marks the transition of the Sun into Makar rasi. It marks the gradual increase of the duration of the day. Pongal is the first day of Uttarayana and coincides with the beginning of the Tamil month of Thai. |
Jan 14 | Pongal is one of the most popular harvest festivals of southern India, mainly Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. Pongal happens in the middle of January every year and marks the auspicious beginning of Uttarayan (sun's journey northwards). The Pongal festival lasts for four days. Celebrations include a drawing of Kolam, swinging & the cooking of delicious Pongal.[2] This day coincides with Makara Sankranti. |
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Fifth day of the waxing moon of Magh (Hindu Calendar) | Jan 20 | Vasant Panchami (also called Saraswati Puja by Bengalis, Oriyas and Biharis) is celebrated for the blessing of Saraswati, goddess of wisdom and the arts.[3] |
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The full moon day of the Tamil month of Thai | Jan / Feb | Thaipusam is a Hindu festival celebrated mostly by the Tamil community. The word Thaipusam is derived from the Tamil month name Thai and Pusam, which refers to a star near the location of the moon during the festival. The festival commemorates the occasion when Parvati gave Murugan a spear so he could vanquish the evil demon Soorapadman.
Kavadi Attam (Tamil:காவடி ஆட்டம்) is a dance performed by the devotees during the ceremonial worship of Murugan, the Tamil God of War.[4] It is often performed during the festival of Thaipusam and emphasizes debt bondage. The Kavadi itself is a physical burden through which the devotees implore for help from the God Murugan.[5] |
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Thirteenth night of the waning moon of Magh (Hindu Calendar) | Mar 12 | Maha Shivaratri is the great night of Shiva, during which followers of Shiva observe religious fasting and the offering of Bael (Bilva) leaves to Shiva. |
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Full moon of the Phalgun month (Hindu Calendar) | Mar 1 | Holi or Phagwah is a popular spring festival. Holi commemorates the slaying of the demoness Holika by Lord Vishnu's devotee Prahlad. Thus, the festival's name is derived from the Sanskrit words "Holika Dahanam", which literally mean "Holika's slaying" |
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Feb – Mar | Shigmo is celebrated in Goa as one of the prominent festivals of the Konkani Hindu community. | |
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moves | Navratri is the Hindu festival of worship and dance. In Sanskrit the term literally means "nine nights". During this festival the forms of Shakti are worshipped, and effigies are burned. | |
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Mar 24 | Rama Navami is the celebration of the birth of Rama. | |
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First Day of waxing moon of Chaitra (Hindu Calendar) | Mar 23 | Gudi Padwa is celebrated on the first day of the Chaitra month, and is celebrated as New Year's Day by Marathis and the Konkanis. According to the Brahma Purana, this is the day on which Brahma created the world.The date keeps changing every year in the month of march. |
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Mar 24 | Ugadi (meaning "the start of an era" in Telugu and Kannada) is New Year's Day for the Kannadigas and Telugus. It takes place on the same day as Gudi Padwa. | |
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Apr 14 | Vishu is a Hindu festival celebrated in Kerala. It falls around April 14 of the Gregorian year. | |
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Apr 14 | The Tamil New Year follows the Nirayan vernal equinox. it falls around April 14 of the Gregorian year. | |
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Mar 30 | Hanuman Jayanti is the celebration of the birth of Hanuman, Rama's loyal devotee. | |
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Vaisakha – The first month of Hindu Calendar | Apr 14–15 | Rongali Bihu (mid-April, also called Bohag Bihu), the most popular Bihu celebrates the onset of the Assamese New Year (around April 15) and the coming of Spring. |
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Sixth day of the bright fortnight of the month of Jyestha (Hindu Calender) | Jun | The marriage of Shiva and Parvati is celebrated as Sitalsasthi. It is celebrated as a carnival, in which people and artists from different walks of life participate, making it more beautiful and bringing out the true colour of life. |
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Full moon of Jyeshta (Hindu Calendar) | moves | Vat Pournima is observed in Maharashtra. Pournima means "full moon." Women pray for the prosperity of their husbands by tying threads around a banyan tree. |
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Aug | Bonalu is a celebration for a Mother Goddess ( such as the goddesses Pochamma, Yellamma, etc.) in the Telangana Region. | |
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Sep / Oct | Bathukamma is a festival celebrated during the months of September and October in some regions of Andhra Pradesh, originally in Ranga Reddy, Medak and western Warangal Districts. | |
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Jul 13 | Rath Yatra is the festival associated with Jagannath. | |
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(Oriya: ରଜ ପର୍ବ) 
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The second day(Raja Shankranti) signifies beginning of the solar month of Mithuna | Jul | Raja Parba is a four day long festival. It inaugurates and welcomes the agricultural year all over Orissa. |
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Full moon of Ashadh (Hindu Calendar) | Jul 25 | Guru Purnima is the day devotees offer puja (worship) to their Guru. This was also the day when Vyasa, author of the Mahabharata was born. |
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moves | Mahalakshmi Vrata is a puja performed by married Hindu women to seek the blessings of Mahalakshmi, goddess of wealth and prosperity. | |
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Aug 23 | Onam is a harvest festival, celebrated mainly in the Indian state of Kerala. Like many other religious festivals in India, Onam is celebrated by people across all castes and faiths. | |
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Full moon of Shravana (Hindu Calendar) | Aug 24 | Raksha Bandhan is a festival celebrated mainly in northern Indian states. Rakhi is a special occasion to celebrate the chaste bond of love between a brother and a sister. |
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Eighth day of waning moon of Shravana (Hindu Calendar) | Sep 1–2 | Krishna Janmaashtami is the Hindu festival celebrating the birth of Krishna. It is actually called as Krishna Jayanthi. The date falls not only on the eight day of the waning moon, but always on Rohini Nakshatra. |
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Moves | Gowri Habba is celebrated in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu. Gowri is worshipped for her ability to bestow courage to her devotees. Newly wed couples are invited to the house of the groom's parents and served with varieties of food. | |
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Fourth day of the waxing moon of Bhadrapada (Hindu Calendar) | Sep 11 | Ganesh Chaturthi is the celebration of the birth of Ganesh. |
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Fifth day of the waxing moon of Bhadrapada (Hindu Calendar) | Sep 12 | Nuakhai is celebrated to welcome the new rice of the season. This is an agricultural festival mainly observed by people of Western Orissa (Kosal). |
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First nine nights of the waxing moon of Ashvin | Oct 8 | Navarathri is the Hindu festival of worship and dance. In Sanskrit the term literally means "nine nights". During this festival the forms of Shakti are worshiped. |
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Tenth day of waxing moon of Ashvin (Hindu Calendar) | Oct 17 | Vijayadashami is the Hindu celebration of good over evil. |
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New moon of Ashvin (Hindu Calendar) | Nov 5 | Deepavali which means "row of lights/lamps" in Tamil and Sanskrit is called "Divali" in North India, Deepa means lamp and in Hindi a lamp is mostly called a Diya or Di. The festival is celebrated on the occasion of Lord Krishna and his wife Satyabhama killing a demon Narakasura. Another story says the festival is celebrated for the return of Rama and Sita to the kingdom Ayodhya after fourteen years of exile. |
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Second day of the waxing moon of Kartik (Hindu Calendar) | Nov 7 | Bhai dooj, also referred to as Bhaubeej, is the ceremony performed by Hindus, generally, on the second day of Deepavali. It is celebrated among brothers and sisters and is similar to Raksha Bandhan, except there is no tying of rakhi involved. |
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15th of the Full moon day of Kartik (November–December) | Moves | A unique festival is celebrated in Varanasi this day which is called Dev Devali. The Kartik Purnima festival also coincides with the Jain light festival and Guru Nanak Jayanti |
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Nov 11–12 | Chhath is mainly observed in Bihar and Terai, but is also celebrated elsewhere. It is a festival dedicated to the Sun God for bestowing the bounties of life and fulfilling wishes. | |
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After 8 days of Kartik Purnima | Prathamastami is a festival that originated in Oriya. It is held on the eighth day of the month of Agrahayana, when older female relatives pray for the prosperity of their eldest child. The festival is followed by rituals and recitations of the Glory of Mahalakshmi and Shashti devi. | |
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Oct – Mar | Yatra (also Zatra and jatra) refers to the pilgrimage festivals celebrated at Hindu temples. Idols and murtis are taken out on special procession in a palkhi (a palanquin) or a chariot called the rath. Every temple observes this festival once a year on the traditional day. | |
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Nov / Dec | Karthikai Deepam is an ancient festival of lights celebrated by Tamil Hindus on the full moon day of Karthikai month (November/December). This occurs on the day when the moon is in conjunction with the constellation Karthigai (Pleiades) and purnima. It is the same as Kartik Poornima; however, since Tamils follow the Hindu Solar calendar with correction for precession of the equinoxes, the Tamil date matches the actual constellation. | |
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A Winter Solstice celebration that lasts five days. | Dec 21–25 | Pancha Ganapati is a modern Hindu festival celebrating Lord Ganesha, the Five-Faced Maha Ganapati—Lord of Categories. |
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A pilgrimage made every four years to the Ganges river | Jul27 – Sep 7 | The Purna (complete) Kumbh takes place every twelve years, and is an ordinary large Kumbh Mela. The Ardh (half) Kumbh Mella, a smaller Kumbh Mela, is celebrated every six years. The normal Kumbh Mela is celebrated every 4 years. The Maha (great) Kumbh Mela, a special large Kumbh Mela, occurs every 12 'Purna Kumbh Melas', or 144 years. |
Diwali/Divali otherwise known as the festival of lights represents the Ramayana. On the night of Diwali everyone lights their houses and the street with Diya candles to fight of darkness and lead the way for Rama and Sita.
[edit] References
- ^ Amulya Mohapatra; Bijaya Mohapatra (1 December 1995). Hinduism: Analytical Study. Mittal Publications. ISBN 978-81-7099-388-9. http://books.google.com/books?id=vpiU9m7T_tQC. Retrieved 10 November 2011.
- ^ [1], Pongalfestival.org.
- ^ Friedrichs, Kurt (1994). "Sarasvatī". In Schuhmacher, Stephan; Woerner, Gert. The Encyclopedia of Eastern Philosophy and Religion: Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, Zen. Boston: Shambala. p. 306. ISBN 0877739803. "The goddess of ... scholarship ... She is also the patron of the arts, especially of music."
- ^ Kent, Alexandra. Divinity and Diversity: A Hindu Revitalization Movement in Malaysia. University of Hawaii Press, 2005. (ISBN 8791114896)
- ^ Hume, Lynne. Portals.
[edit] External links
- Festival Dates for current year
- Major Hindu List of festivals
- Hinduism Today magazine's coverage of Hindu festivals
- A Collection of Hindu Festivals Covered by TheHolidaySpot
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