Indian Festivals, celebrated by varied cultures and through their special rituals, add to the colours of the Indian Heritage. Some festivals welcome the seasons of the year, the harvest, the rains or the full moon. Others celebrate religious occasions, the birthdays of divine beings, saints and gurus (revered teachers), or the advent of the New Year. A number of these festivals are common to most parts of India. However, they may be called by different names in various parts of the country or may be celebrated in a different fashion. Like other months, October also have varied important festivals which are celebrated all over the country.

NAVRATRI

Navratri, the festival of nine nights is dedicated to Goddess Durga and her nine forms. According to the Hindu calendar, Navratri begins from the first day of the bright fortnight of Ashwin which usually coincides with the end of the rainy season. The nine days have great religious significance as Goddess Durga, Navratri mother, had destroyed the evil force (in the form of the demon Mahishasura) during this period. The festival is celebrated with true devotion and purity all over the country. People from various sections of the society irrespective of caste and creed celebrate this festival by visiting temples and offering prayers at the Mother’s feet. In some places special prayer ceremony are also held by setting the images of Mother Durga on beautifully decorated pandals. Temples dedicated to Shakti also make arrangement for prayers and fasts to mark these nine days as true symbols of devotion and adoration towards the divine mother. The nine days of worship and commemoration of Durga during the Navratri requires tremendous preparations as there is a separate set of prayers and rituals on each of the days. The preparations for the large scale Navratri Puja organized in cities start at least a month in advance. There is a specific time, a process that has to be followed during the Navratri Puja. Navratri is celebrated in the most hear warming way, with the Indian culture and traditions at their bests. Be it western India or Eastern India, the celebration for Navratri. The days and nights are full of rituals in which Goddess Durga is worshiped in different ways in the various regions, cultural dances like Garba and Dandiya a major part of the festivities. West Bengal, Gujarat and Rajasthan celebrate Navratri with a very unique and splendid touch.

GANDHI JAYANTI

Gandhi Jayanti is observed on 2nd October every year to honour the birth of Mahatma Gandhi, endearingly known as ‘Bapu’. Mahatma Gandhi’s principle of non-violence, still finds favour with human and civil rights ideologies. As such, Gandhian thought and value system have been instrumental in establishing peace in various parts of the world. Organizing mass movements through non-violent means in the pursuit of freedom, justice and social change is part of Gandhi’s philosophy. United Nations observes 2nd October as the International Day of non-violence aimed at educating the world about Mahatma Gandhi’s thoughts and ideals. On the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti, the President and Prime Minister of India and officials holding high office in the government assemble and pay homage at Raj Ghat, the memorial of Mahatma Gandhi. All government offices, banks, schools and post offices remain closed on Gandhi’s birthday. To commemorate Gandhi’s birthday, prayer meetings are held at national, state and local levels. Various essay competitions are conducted in schools and colleges, awards are given away for projects that uphold Gandhian thought and principle. Various cultural centres organize a retrospective on Gandhi by showing movies based on his life and reciting hymns from holy books. Art exhibitions are also held depicting snippets of Gandhi’s life and his involvement during various milestones in the Indian National Movement.

DURGA PUJA

Durga Puja is an important socio-cultural annual religious festival observed by Hindus from ancient times by worshipping goddess Durga and celebrating her victory over the mythological demon named Mahishasura. Hindu scriptures depict goddess Durga as a warrior goddess carrying different weapons in her ten arms and riding on a lion. Her appearance is also interpreted as an embodiment of feminine power in Indian culture and society. Durga Puja is observed widely across India. Bengali Hindus celebrate this festival as Sharadiya Durga Puja. It is their biggest religious festival which is celebrated with great excitement and fanfare. Preparation for Durga Puja festival starts a full month prior to its stipulated celebration date. As the festive season starts houses, markets, towns and even cities are decorated extravagantly to celebrate the mega festival in an extraordinary way. Theme-based puja pandals with floral decorations are installed by following rituals and customs to welcome goddess Durga and also to mark the celebrations with uniqueness. The Anjali or floral offerings to the goddess starts in the morning and prayer or the evening prayer starts after dusk. Devotees throng to the pandals to offer prayers and get blessings of the diety. Fancy and magnificent clay idols of goddess which are crafted and painted with colours are the major attraction of the festival. As a part of the event and to add colour to the festival, Durga Puja committees organize various competitions and fun filled activities with exciting prizes. Mouth-watering cuisines, sweets and dishes are an integral part of his celebration. Durga Puja ends with the immersion of the idol into a river or a water body. Ardent devotees take out processions of the idols for immersion amid loud religious chants.

DUSSEHRA

Hindus observe a 10 day ceremony of fast, rituals and celebrations to honour the triumph of Lord Rama over Demon Ravana. Dussera also symbolizes the triumph of warrior Goddess Durga over the buffalo demon, Mahishasura. Thus, it is a celebration of victory of good over evil, buring of Ravana on Dussehra. This celebration starts from Navratri and ends with the tenth day festival of Dussehra. Navratri and Dussehra is celebrated throughout the country at the same time, with varying rituals, but with great enthusiasm and energy as it marks the end of scorching summer and the start of winter season. The tenth day after Navratri is called Dussehra, on which numbers of fairs are organized throughout northern India, burning effigies of Ravana. It is also called “Vijaya Dashami” as this day marks the victory of Lord Rama over Ravana. Vijaya Dashami is considered to be an auspicious day for the Indian householder, on which he worships, protects and preserves ‘Shakti’ (power). According to scriptures, by worshiping the ‘Shakti’ on these nine-days the householders attain t5he threefold power i.e., physical, mental and spiritual which helps him to progress in life without any difficulty. Ramlila is a unique feature during Dussehra Celebration where stories from the Ramyana, especially the war between Lord Ram and Ravan are re-enacted in plays and skits. It is an enactment of the life of Lord Rama, is held during the nine days preceding Dussehra. On tenth day (Dussehra or Vijay Dasami), larger effigies of Ravana, his son and brother Meghnadh and Kumbhakarna are set to fire. Dussehra is widely celebrated and a very significant festival for the Hindu population of the country. Although celebrated in a different manner in the various regions, the essence of the festival isn’t lost on anyone. Dussehra celebrates the triumph of the pure and good over bad and evil. Fairs are a major highlight of Dussehra festivities. Fairs are organized in cities where stalls are set us for shopping and joy-rides and other activities for kids are organized and the streets are bustling with people gathered to see huge effigies of Ravan burn. Kota Mela and Mysore Dasara Fair are some of the famous fairs on Dussehra.

KARVA CHAUTH

Karva Chauth Vrat (fast) fals on the 4th day of Krishna Paksh in the month of the Karthik. The fast of Karva Chauth is kept by Hindu women for the well-being, prosperity and longevity of their husbands. The origin of this festival is based upon a very sweet and noble idea. In earlier times, girls would get married at a very young age and had to go and live with their in-laws in other villages far away from their own parents. If she had any problems with her husband or in-laws, she would have no one to talk or seek support from. Thus, there grew a custom where the bride would befriend another woman to share her joys and sorrows. Their friendship would be sanctified through a small Hindu ceremony right during the marriage. Once the bride and the woman became god-friends or god-sisters as they are commonly known, they would remain so all their lives and recognize the relation as such. They would also treat each other like real sisters. After becoming friends, they would share all their joys, sorrows and problems with each other. Thus, Karva Chauth started as a festival to celebrate this friendship (relationship) between the brides and their god-friends (god-sisters). Praying and fasting for the sake of husband came later and was secondary. It was probably added, along with other mythical tales, to enhance the festival. In any case, the husband would always be associated with this festival, because the day of startling this holy friendship between two god-sisters was essentially the day of bride’s marriage to him. Thus, praying and fasting for him by his wife during the celebration of her relationship with the god-friend would be quite logical.