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Deepavali
Diwali (), also called Deepavali (IAST: ''Dīpāvalī'') or Deepawali (IAST: ''Dīpāwalī''), is the Hindu festival of lights, with variations celebrated in other Indian religions such as Jainism and Sikhism. It symbolises the spiritual victory of ''Dharma'' over '' Adharma'', light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance.Jean Mead, ''How and why Do Hindus Celebrate Divali?'', Diwali is celebrated during the Hindu lunisolar months of Ashvin (according to the amanta tradition) and Kārtikabetween around mid-September and mid-November.''The New Oxford Dictionary of English'' (1998) – p. 540 "Diwali /dɪwɑːli/ (also Diwali) noun a Hindu festival with lights...". The celebrations generally last five or six days. Diwali is connected to various religious events, deities and personalities, such as being the day Rama returned to his kingdom in Ayodhya with his wife Sita and his brother Lakshmana after defeating the demon king Ravana. It is also wi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Naraka Chaturdashi
Naraka Chaturdashi (also known as Kali Chaudas, Narak Chaudas, Roop Chaudas, Choti Diwali, Narak Nivaran Chaturdashi and Bhoot Chaturdashi) is an annual Hindu festival that falls on Chaturdashi (the 14th day) of the Krishna Paksha in the Hindu calendar month of Ashvin (month), Ashvin (according to the Hindu calendar#amanta, amanta tradition) or Kartik (month), Kartika (according to the Hindu calendar#purnimanta, purnimanta tradition). It is the second day of the five-day long festival of Diwali (also known as Deepavali). Hindu literature narrates that the asura (demon) Narakasura (sometimes translated as hell or a demon from hell, lit. [nr/nar] “man” and [aka] “unhappiness: man's unhappiness") was killed on this day by Krishna and Satyabhama. The day is celebrated by early morning religious rituals, followed by festivities. Meaning in Hinduism The festival is also called ''Kali Chaudas'', where ''Kali'' means dark (eternal) and ''Chaudas'' means fourteenth, since it is ce ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lakshmi Puja
Lakshmi Puja or Lokkhi Pujo ( Devnagari: लक्ष्मी पूजा, Bengali/Assamese: লক্ষ্মী পূজা, Odia: ଲକ୍ଷ୍ମୀ ପୂଜା, Romanised: Lakṣmī Pūjā/ Loķhī Pūjō) is a Hindu occasion for the veneration of Lakshmi, the Goddess of Prosperity and the Supreme Goddess of Vaishnavism. The occasion is celebrated on the amavasya (new moon day) in the Vikram Samvat Hindu calendar month of Ashwayuja (according to the amanta tradition) or Kartika (according to the purnimanta tradition), on the third day of Deepavali ( Tihar) in Nepal and most parts of India. In Odisha, Assam, Bengal this puja is celebrated five days after Vijaya Dashami. Lakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth and Prosperity, visits her devotees and bestows good fortune and her blessings upon them. To welcome the Goddess, devotees clean their houses, decorate them with finery and lights, and prepare sweet treats and delicacies as offerings. Devotees believe that the hap ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Diya (light)
A diya, diyo, deya, deeya, dia, divaa, deepa, deepam, deep, deepak or saaki () is an oil lamp made from clay or mud with a cotton wick dipped in oil or ghee. These lamps are commonly used in the Indian subcontinent and they hold sacred prominence in Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, and Jain prayers as well as religious rituals, ceremonies and festivals including Diwali. Traditional use Diyas are symbolically lit during prayers, rituals, and ceremonies; they are permanent fixtures in homes and temples. The warm, bright glow emitted from a diya is considered auspicious, regarded to represent enlightenment, prosperity, knowledge and wisdom. Diyas represent the triumph of light over dark, good over evil with the most notable example of this being on the day of Diwali. Diwali is celebrated every year to celebrate the triumph of good over evil as told in the Hindu epic, the Ramayana. Diwali marks the day Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana returned home to Ayodhya after 14 years in exile, after the def ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Diwali (Jainism)
Diwali in Jainism marks the anniversary of '' Nirvana'' (final release) or liberation of Mahavira's soul, the twenty-fourth and last Jain Tirthankara of the present cosmic age. It is celebrated at the same time as the Hindu festival of Diwali. Diwali marks the end of the year for Jains, and it likewise commemorates the passing of their twenty-fourth Tirthankara Mahavira and his achievement of moksha. History According to ''Tilyapannatti'' of Yativrsabha, Mahavira attained Moksha (liberation) on this day at Pawapuri on 15 October 527 BCE, on Chaturdashi of Kartika. Mahavira, the 24th ''Tirthankara'' of this era, revitalised Jain dharma. According to tradition, the chief disciple of Mahavira, '' Ganadhara'' Gautam Swami also attained omniscience i.e. absolute or complete knowledge ('' Kevala Jñāna'') on this day, thus making Diwali one of the most important Jain festivals. Mahavira attained his nirvana at the dawn of the amavasya (new moon). According to the ''Śv ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rangoli
Rangoli is an art form that originates from the Indian subcontinent, in which patterns are created on the floor or a tabletop using materials such as powdered limestone, red ochre, dry rice flour, coloured sand, quartz powder, Petal, flower petals, and coloured rocks. It is an everyday practice in many Hindu households; however, making it is mostly reserved for festivals and other important celebrations as it is time-consuming. Rangolis are usually made during Diwali or Tihar (festival), Tihar, Onam, Pongal (festival), Pongal, Ugadi and other List of Hindu festivals, Hindu festivals in the Indian subcontinent, and are most often made during Diwali. Designs are passed from one generation to the next, keeping both the art form and the tradition alive. Rangoli have different names based on the state and culture. Rangoli hold a significant role in the everyday life of a Hindu household especially historically when the flooring of houses were untiled. They are usually made outside ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Swanti (festival)
Swanti (Devanagari: स्वन्ति, Nepal Script :𑐳𑑂𑐰𑐣𑑂𑐟𑐶) is a five-day festival of Nepal which is one of the year's greatest celebrations for the Newar people. It is the Newar version of Tihar or Diwali. The festival highlights the central role of women in the household, and the rituals are related to wishing for good fortune of the family members by presenting them auspicious items and praying for longevity by placating the god of death. During the festival, windows and doorways are decorated with flower garlands and lamps. Deities, animals, and people are honored as part of the celebrations. The festival is marked by both Hindus and Buddhists. It is held according to the lunar calendar so the dates are changeable. In 2017, the festival was 17–21 October. Lakshmi Pujā The first two days are Kwah Pujā and Khichā Pujā dedicated respectively to crows and dogs, both known as messengers of death. Goodies are left on the roof for the crows to f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vishwakarma Puja
Vishvakarma Puja (), also rendered Vishvakarma Jayanti, is a Hindu observance dedicated to Vishvakarma, the architect of the gods. It falls on the date of Kanya Sankranti of the Hindu calendar. It is generally celebrated every year between 16 and 18 September, according to the Gregorian calendar, the last few days of the Hindu Bhadra month. The festival is also celebrated in Nepal. Vishvakarma Puja is also celebrated a day after Diwali, along with Govardhan Puja in October–November. Significance Vishvakarma is considered to be the divine architect of the universe and the personification of divine creativity in the ''Rigveda''. He is credited with the construction of the city of Dvaraka for Krishna, the palace of Indraprastha for the Pandavas, and many fabulous weapons for the gods, such as the Sudarshana Chakra of Vishnu, the trishula of Shiva, and the lance of Kartikeya. He is also regarded to have authored the '' Sthapatya Veda'', the science of mechanics and architec ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bhai Dooj
Bhai Dooj, Bhai Tika, Bhaubeej, Bhai Beej, Bhai Phonta or Bhratri Dwitiya is a festival celebrated by Hindus on the second lunar day of the Shukla Paksha (bright fortnight) of Kartika, the eighth month of the Vikram Samvat Hindu calendar or the Shalivahana Shaka calendar. It is celebrated during the Diwali or Tihar festival and Holi festival. The celebrations of this day are similar to the festival of Raksha Bandhan. In the southern part of India, the day is celebrated as Yama Dwitiya. In the Kayastha community, two Bhai Doojs are celebrated. The more famous one comes on the second day after Diwali. But the lesser-known one is celebrated a day or two after Diwali. In Haryana and Uttar Pradesh a ritual is also followed, a dry coconut (named gola in regional language) with tied along its width for worshipping is also used at the time of doing ''aarti'' of a brother. In Bengal the day is celebrated as Bhai Phota, which comes one day after Kali Puja. Regional Variations The fest ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mha Puja
Mha Pujā ( Newar Script: ) (Devanagari: म्हपुजा) is an annual ritual performed by the Newar people of Nepal to purify and empower the soul as part of New Year celebrations. It is performed on New Year's Day of Nepal Sambat, the national lunar calendar of Nepal, which occurs during the Swanti festival. Mha Puja means "worship of the self" in Newari, and it celebrates the spirit within oneself. The ceremony signifies an auspicious beginning of the New Year, and invokes prosperity and longevity for the participant. Mha Puja and Nepal Sambat are also celebrated abroad where Nepalese have settled. The ceremony A row of mandalas (sandpainting of a sacred circular diagram) are drawn on the floor for each member of the family. Extra mandalas are drawn at the end of the row for the two messengers of death. Mandalas are also drawn for essential household items like water pitcher, winnowing tray and broom. The mandala is worshipped by making offerings of ritual food, sacre ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Balipratipada
Balipratipada ('), also called as ''Bali-Padyami'', ''Padva'', ''Virapratipada'' or ''Dyutapratipada'', is the fourth day of Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights. It is celebrated in honour of the notional return of the daitya-king Bali (Mahabali) to earth. Balipratipada falls in the Gregorian calendar months of October or November. It is the first (or 16th) day of the Hindu month of Kartika and is the first day of its bright lunar fortnight. In many parts of India such as Gujarat and Rajasthan, it is the regional traditional New Year Day in Vikram Samvat and also called the Bestu Varas or ''Varsha Pratipada''. This is the half amongst the three and a half Muhūrtas in a year. Balipratipada is an ancient festival. The earliest mention of Bali's story being acted out in dramas and poetry of ancient India is found in the c. 2nd-century BCE ''Mahābhāṣya'' of Patanjali on Panini's ''Astadhyayi'' 3.1.26. The festival has links to the Vedic era sura-asura Samudra Manthana tha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Govardhan Puja
Govardhan Puja (), also known as Annakut or Annakoot (meaning a “mountain of food”), is a Hindu festival celebrated on the first lunar day of the bright fortnight of the month of Kartika, on the fourth day of Diwali. Devotees worship Govardhan Hill and prepare and offer a large variety of vegetarian food to Krishna as a mark of gratitude. For Vaishnavas, this day commemorates the incident in the ''Bhagavata Purana'' when Krishna lifted Govardhan Hill to provide the villagers of Vrindavan shelter from torrential rains. This incident symbolizes God offering protection to devotees who take singular refuge in him. Devotees offer a mountain of food, metaphorically representing the Govardhan Hill, to God as a ritual remembrance and to renew their faith in taking refuge in God. The festival is observed by most Hindu denominations all over India and abroad. It is an important festival in Vaishanava sects, such as the Pushtimarg Sampradaya, Gaudiya Sampradaya and Swaminarayan Sam ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kali Puja
Kali Puja (ISO: ), also known as Shyama Puja or Mahanisha Puja, is a festival originating from the Indian subcontinent, dedicated to the Hindu goddess Kali. It is celebrated on the new moon day (Dipannita Amavasya) of the Hindu calendar month of Ashwayuja (according to the amanta tradition) or Kartika (according to the purnimanta tradition). The festival is especially popular in the region of West Bengal, and other places like Mithila, Jharkhand Jharkhand (; ) is a States and union territories of India, state in East India, eastern India. The state shares its border with the states of West Bengal to the east, Chhattisgarh to the west, Uttar Pradesh to the northwest, Bihar to the north ..., Odisha, Assam, and Tripura, as well as the town of Titwala in Maharashtra, along with the neighbouring country of Bangladesh. History Description of Kali in Sanskrit texts during the late medieval period point to her growing popularity alongside other goddesses. She appears in the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
