Poem depicting the season of Sharad
The wagon track, marked with juice from the crushed cane,
carries a flag of saffron-colored dust;
a flock of parrots settles on the barley ears already bowed
with grain;
a school of minnows swims along the ditch from paddy field
to tank
and on the river bank the good mud cools the herd boy
from the sun.
--Abhinanda
Durga Puja
Durga Puja or Durgotsab is one of the most popular Hindu festivals in the country. It is a ten days long festival in which Goddess Durga, the Hindu goddess of power, Durga or Shakti is worshipped in nine different forms. It is a ten days affair in which last six days are observed with elaborate rituals and intricate ceremonies. It is considered that the Goddess is invoked on the fifth day Mahalaya and then onwards extensive ceremonies go on Shashthi, Maha Saptami, Maha Ashtami, Maha Nabami and Bijoya Dashami. On the occasion of Dashmi, the Goddess is believed to have left for her universal abode and thus her idols are immersed into sacred water.
When And Where Is It Celebrated?
This festival generally lies in between September to November according to the Gregorian calendar. The dates of the Puja are decided according to the Hindu religious calendar. It is celebrated in the Northern and Eastern states of India- West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa and Tripura. Apart from these places states like Delhi, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Punjab, Kashmir, Karnataka and Kerala also enthusiastically participate in the festival.
Nine Days Celebrations
For Hindus ‘Puja’ is all about prayers, rituals, and songs. Even though Durga Puja has become more like a feast and social event, the most important aspect remains the religious celebration to honor the goddess Durga. The first four days are days of ‘Kalash Sthapana’ and Kalsh Pooja. The main festivities start from the day of Mahalaya when it is believed that Devi has been invoked in the idol. During the last five-days (shasti, saptmi, ashtmi, navmi and vijayadashmi) of the festival people pay tribute to the goddess through ‘Pushpanjali’, Aarti and ‘Bhog’. Different kinds of prayers and different kinds of ‘bhog items’ are prescribed for everyday from Mahalya onwards. People make different kinds of offerings and honor her through ceremonies, prayers, and songs. Special Pooja rituals are prescribed for each day. Generally, a community pooja is performed where a priest performs the pooja for the entire community. Generally, People attend their own community pandal for daily rituals, ceremonies, music, dances, and food, but they also other pandals for worshipping the Goddess. In different states, different rituals are attached with Pooja and people follow the trend.
Celebration Trends
Durga Pooja has always been an integral part of the Hindu culture especially in West Bengal, where there have been grand ceremonies on this occasion right from the 16th century. The trend of grand celebrations in the country began from the 'Sharadiya Durgotsab' festivals organized by Raja Kangshanarayan of Taherpur and Bhabananda Mazumdar of Nadiya in 1606. Since then Durga Puja celebrations have been observed as a day for merriment with friends, relatives, neighbors and acquaintances throughout the north and eastern part of India. However, the Puja celebration over the years have transformed in presentation often. Earlier, it was a family affair for rich and affluent people of a community and now it has become more of a community affair where people contribute towards the celebrations. In present times, the evolution of many clubs, associations and societies has made the Puja cosmopolitan in character.
Dussehra
Dussehra is a popular festival celebrated by Hindus all over India, albeit with different names. It is also known as Vijayadashmi ('Vijay' meaning 'victory' and 'Dashmi meaning 'tenth day), as it is believed that it was on this day that Lord Rama killed the demon-king, Ravana and rescued his abducted wife - Sita. In other words, it signifies the triumph of good over evil. The legendary triumph is reenacted to the day. In the northern parts of India, huge effigies of Ravana, his giant brother Kumbhkarna and son Meghnath are placed in vast open grounds. Fireworks and crackers are placed inside the effigies.
Actors dressed as Rama, his wife Sita and brother Lakshmana enact the final moments of the battle, at the Ramlila ground. After the enactment of the climax of the war with Ravana, the character playing Rama shoots an arrow with a flaming tip at the effigies from a safe distance and the crowd bursts up in cheer, as the crackers catch fire. The enthusiasm and the cheers sometimes even drown the deafening blast. Merriment ensues, as people indulge themselves games, dance and music that are held at the fair.
Bengalis celebrate Dusshera as a part of their main festival - Durga Puja. This day marks the end of Durga Pooja celebrations, the preceding nine days being collectively referred to as 'Navratri'. Vijayadashmi is dedicated to Mother Goddess Shakti, who incarnated in the form of Goddess Durga, a combined manifestation of the divine energies of the Holy Trinity - Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh and all the other devatas, when they summoned her to kill the mighty demon known as Mahishasura and freed the world from his terror.
On Vijayadashmi, the idols of Goddess Durga are immersed into water, after the nine days of festivities. It is said that the people of the earth in the eastern state of West Bengal adopted Durga as their daughter and thus, she visits the home of her parents every year, during the last four days of Navratri, along with her sons Ganesha and Kartikeya, and daughters Lakshmi and Saraswati. She finally leaves for her husband's place on Vijayadashmi. Similar customs are seen in Orissa and Assam. In the North-eastern state of Tripura, huge fairs are conducted and effigies of Ravana, Meghnath and Kumbhkarna are burnts at Ramlila maidans.
In the southern states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala, Vijayadashmi holds special significance. The day is considered auspicious for starting education or any form of art, such as dance and music. Saraswati Puja is conducted on the day, when the formal commencement of education of small kids takes place. It is called 'Vidya aarambham' (the beginning of Vidya, meaning education). In Karnataka (especially Mysore) and Andhra Pradesh, Dusshera is celebrated with fanfare. Huge processions can be witnessed in both the States. Although Dussehra is celebrated in different ways across India, the motive remains the same - to spread good cheer and celebrate the victory of good over the evil.
Divali
Divali, Deepawali or Diwali is certainly the biggest and the brightest of all Hindu festivals. It's the festival of lights (deep = light and avali = a row i.e., a row of lights) that's marked by four days of celebration, which literally illumines the country with its brilliance, and dazzles all with its joy. Each of the four days in the festival of Diwali is separated by a different tradition, but what remains true and constant is the celebration of life, its enjoyment and goodness.
The Origin of Diwali
Historically, the origin of Diwali can be traced back to ancient India, when it was probably an important harvest festival. However, there are various legends pointing to the origin of Diwali or 'Deepawali.' Some believe it to be the celebration of the marriage of Lakshmi with Lord Vishnu. Whereas in Bengal the festival is dedicated to the worship of Mother Kali, the dark goddess of strength. Lord Ganesha, the elephant-headed God, the symbol of auspiciousness and wisdom, is also worshiped in most Hindu homes on this day.
These Four Days
Each day of Diwali has its own tale, legend and myth to tell. The first day of the festival Naraka Chaturdasi marks the vanquishing of the demon Naraka by Lord Krishna and his wife Satyabhama.Amavasya, the second day of Deepawali, marks the worship of Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth in her most benevolent mood, fulfilling the wishes of her devotees. Amavasya also tells the story of Lord Vishnu, who in his dwarf incarnation vanquished the tyrant Bali, and banished him to hell. Bali was allowed to return to earth once a year, to light millions of lamps to dispel the darkness and ignorance, and spread the radiance of love and wisdom. It is on the third day of Deepawali —Kartika Shudda Padyami that Bali steps out of hell and rules the earth according to the boon given by Lord Vishnu. The fourth day is referred to as Yama Dvitiya (also called Bhai Dooji) and on this day sisters invite their brothers to their homes.
The Significance of Lights & Firecrackers
All the simple rituals of Diwali have a significance and a story to tell. The illumination of homes with lights and the skies with firecrackers is an expression of obeisance to the heavens for the attainment of health, wealth, knowledge, peace and prosperity. According to one belief, the sound of fire-crackers are an indication of the joy of the people living on earth, making the gods aware of their plentiful state. Still another possible reason has a more scientific basis: the fumes produced by the crackers kill a lot of insects and mosquitoes, found in plenty after the rains.
Video on Divali
