Poem depicting the season of Shishir
The mustard sways with branchlets
weighed down by spike-shaped pods;
children standing underneath the tree
can pick the jujubes from the bending branch;
the Puṇḍra sugar cane, its joints appearing
from the loosening of the sheath in ripeness,
spits forth its juice beneath the hand-turned press.
--Vacaspati
Mahashivaratri
The mustard sways with branchlets
weighed down by spike-shaped pods;
children standing underneath the tree
can pick the jujubes from the bending branch;
the Puṇḍra sugar cane, its joints appearing
from the loosening of the sheath in ripeness,
spits forth its juice beneath the hand-turned press.
--Vacaspati
Mahashivaratri
Mahashivaratri is celebrated with gusto by the Hindus all over India. It is an important day for the followers of Lord Shiva, as it honors their favorite deity. The celebrations are marked by fasting and the observance of a number of rituals. The festival is significant in many aspects. For instance, it bears mythological importance, because Lord Shiva is considered one of the deities of Hindu Trinity, the other two being Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu. On Maha Shivaratri, the devotees of Lord Shiva observe a stringent fast, which is broken only during the next morning, after prasad is offered to the deity.
Source: http://festivals.iloveindia.com/mahashivratri/celebrations.html
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Linga decorated for Mahashivaratri |
News Broadcast detailing the holiday
Jai Shiv Shankar-a modern take on a classic song sung during Mahashivaratri
Holi
Another example of worshiping and honoring Krishna, which can be observed is the celebration of Holi:
Holi is one of the most important festivals in India. It is celebrated with immense zeal and fervor throughout the length and breadth of the country. Though the celebrations take place everywhere in the country with extreme enthusiasm and zeal, the celebrations of various places have regional differences. The Holi in Kolkata is different from that of Orissa; the Holi in Bihar is different from that of Haryana. In West India, the Holi is entirely different from how it is celebrated in North Eastern state of Manipur. Every celebration has its own specialty. The Holi of Mathura and Vridavan is extremely famous throughout the country.
Legend
It is said that the tradition of playing colors on Holi originated from the ‘leela’ of Radha and Krishna. As Krishna was always jealous of Radha's fair complexion, he teasingly colored Radha's face with color. In a mischievous mood, Radha also ran behind him badly annoyed and shouting. This was how the tradition of applying color came in being and is religiously followed till date. People of Mathura and Vridavan associate Holi with the divine love of Krishna and Radha.
Celebrations
According to mythological records, it is said that Mathura is actually the birth place of Lord Krishna, whereas Vrindavan is the place where he spent the early days of his childhood and left behind tales of mysticism and divinity. This explains the enigma of Mathura Vrindavan, where one can still feel the divine presence of the Lord. This is the place where Lord Krishna introduced the modern form of Holi. This is the reason that Holi is celebrated with great zeal here.
Thousands of people visit the place, in search of peace, every year. The Holi celebrations present another reason for the admirers of the Lord to assemble at Mathura Vrindavan. They come to be a part of the colorful amalgamation of festivity and divinity. The main aim behind the festival of Holi is to rejoice in the love and devotion for the Supreme Being. The color and water washes away all the man made distinctions based on caste, creed, and other differences created by the society. Holi here is spiritually enlightening.
The celebrations of the festival go on for about a week in Mathura Vrindavan. One of the unique features of the festival here is that different temples of Lord Krishna celebrate Holi on different days. It is interesting as well as amazing, to watch devotees at the Banke-Bihari Temple of Vrindavan. The environment is filled with a unique thrill, with people passionately chanting the name of Lord Krishna and Radha. Interesting celebrations also takes place at Gulal-Kund in Braj where boys mock Krishna leela on the day of Holi
A Video of a Youthful Krishna Celebrating Holi:
Getting Painted at Holi
