Important Festivals Of Hindus

1. The New Year day: The first day of the month of the Hindu lunar year is usually celebrated as their New Year day. It is the first day of the first month called Chaitra which comes in April. In this year, the New Year day is 14th April 1995 which is a government holiday.
2. Rakhi-Bandhana or Avani Avittam: This is celebrated on the full moon day of the month of Sravana (July-Aug). It is celebrated to remember the day in which Indra, the sky-god, and god of war, was saved from the demon Bali by his wife. She saved Indra by tying a magic string around his wrist.This is the ceremony of tying on of lucky threads. The sisters in the family, bind a brightly coloured string on their brother’s wrist. In this day the Brahmins renew their sacred cords. They take bath at noon, throw the old cord in a sacrificial fire and put on a new cord. In this year this ceremony will be celebrated on Aug 10, 1995.
3. Krishna-Jayanti or Gokulashtami: This is the birthday celebration of Krishna by the Vaisnavas. It falls on the 8th of Sravana (July-Aug). On the previous night a special worship is held. They set apart a room and bring colourful images of god to celebrate the birthday of Krishna on this occasion.
4. Vinayagar chathurthi or Ganesh chathurthi: In Tamil Nadu, this festival is called as Pillaiyar chathurthi. It is celebrated in the fourth of the bright half of Bhadrapada. In this year this festival will be celebrated on 29th Aug 1995. Ganesa, the son of Siva and Parvathi, and the pot-bellied elephant god is worshipped for prosperity in business and studies on this day.The image of Ganesh will be placed on a platform in the house and rice puddings, flowers and durva grass are presented to him. In the evening they sing hymns and wave lamps. The image will be taken in a procession, a few days later, and immersed in a river.
5. Mahalaya Amavasya: This is the new moon day in the month of Bhadra (Aug-Sept) and in this day the commemoration of the Pirtis or Manes of the house hold takes place. In this year Mahalaya Amavasya will be commemorated in 24th Sept 1995.It is believed that the spirits of the forefathers will leave their abode on this day and come back to the earth. Pious Hindus will propitiate the spirits of dead people on this day to avoid the curse. Special food will be prepared on this day, presented to the spirits and fed to the cow or thrown into fire.
6. Navaratra (Puja or Dasara Holidays): This festival of ‘nine nights’ is celebrated from the 1st to 10th of the bright half of Asvina(Sept-Oct). In 1995, these holidays fall on 2nd and 3rd of Oct 1995. This is a colourful festival dedicated to Sarasvati in South India, and Durga in North India. This is celebrated for nine days. On the last three days of Navaratra, Sarasvati is more elaborately worshipped with a puja and a sumptuous feast.

Durga’s devotees will take only one meal of fruit and milk sweets on these days. On the sixth day the statue of Durga will be worshipped in a house. On the next few days she will be honoured by baths, flowers, recitation of mantras, waving of lamps and special entertainments. 

On the tenth day the goddess will leave the statue and so the statue is taken in a procession to the nearest river and sunk. The tenth day is called as Dasara or Vijayi and it is the day of commemoration of the victory of Rama over Ravana.

7. Diwali or Deepavali: This major festival is celebrated from the 13th dark half of Asvina (Sept-Oct) to the 2nd bright half of Karttika. The following five different celebrations are conducted on these days.

• • Dhan Trayodosi: On the 13th of Asvina, the shopkeepers worship an image of Laksmi for prosperity.
  • Naraka chaturdasi: On the next day Krishna’s victory over the demon Naraka is commemorated. After bath each Hindu puts out a lamp with the big toe and then crushes a piece of vegetable. Hindu wear new clothes with feasting, and light lamps in the evening of this day.
  • Laksmi puja or Kalipuja: On this day Laksmi’s devotees worship her statue and the followers of Kali commemorate the dance of Kali after her victory over the demon. On this day small oil lamps are lit all over the houses and temples, and crackers are cracked.
  • Victory of Vishnu: On the fourth day, the victory of Vishnu over the demon Bali is commemorated with cows and horses.
  • Bhatri Dvitiya: This is the fifth day of Deepavali in which the sisters and cousins invite their brothers and give them a grand meal.

8. Pongal or Makara sankranti: This is a solar festival which falls in the second week of January. In Tamil Nadu, this is celebrated with the boiling of rice with milk and sugar in new pots.

This festival is also celebrated as the festival of harvest. The sun is worshipped on this day, after bathing in sacred rivers. On the next day Mattupongal is celebrated with cows, bullocks and buffaloes by decorating and feeding them.

9. Mahasivaratri: This is a festival celebrated all over India for Siva under the symbol of the linga on the 13th of the dark half of Magha (Jan-Feb). In this year it was celebrated on 27th Feb 1995. ‘

On this day Hindus fast and do not sleep at night and worship the linga.It is believed that the girls who keep vigil in the nights will get good husbands like Uma who got Siva. On this night it is said that an unbeliever gets salvation by saying Siva’s name and by dropping bilva leaves on a linga.

10.Holi: In Tamil Nadu, it is called as Kaman Pandigai and in Bengal it is called as Dolayatra. In this year it will be celebrated on 16th March 1995 and it is the full moon of the bright half of Phalguna (Feb-Mar).

On this day coloured water is poured on others and a huge bonfire is lighted. It is celebrated for the death of Holika, a fiend who ate one child a day. In South India, it is celebrated to commemorate the death of Kama, the god of love, by Siva with a spark from the third eye.