Maghotsav is the main festival of the

Brahmo Bengali Brahmos are those who adhere to Brahmoism, the philosophy of Brahmo Samaj which was founded by Raja Rammohan Roy. A recent publication describes the disproportionate influence of Brahmos on India's development post-19th Century as unpa ...

s celebrated on 11 '' Magh'' each year according to the

Bengali calendar The Bengali Calendar or Bangla Calendar ( bn, বঙ্গাব্দ , , Baṅgābda), colloquially ( bn, বাংলা সন, Baṅgla Śon), is a solar calendar used in the Bengal region of the Indian subcontinent. A revised version of th ...

to mark the anniversary of

Brahmo Samaj Brahmo Samaj ( bn, ব্রহ্ম সমাজ, Brahmô Sômaj, ) is the societal component of Brahmoism, which began as a monotheistic reformist movement of the Hindu religion that appeared during the Bengal Renaissance. It was one of t ...

. The celebration commemorates the inauguration of the first Brahmo Samaj by

Ram Mohan Roy Raja Ram Mohan Roy ( bn, রামমোহন রায়; 22 May 1772 – 27 September 1833) was an Indian reformer who was one of the founders of the Brahmo Sabha in 1828, the precursor of the Brahmo Samaj, a social-religious reform ...

on 23 January 1830, which was on 11 Magh according to the Bengali calendar in that year. Maghotsav is celebrated with traditional fervour and gaiety by Brahmos all over the world. It is celebrated by divine service or prayer, offered by the ''

acharya In Indian religions and society, an ''acharya'' (Sanskrit: आचार्य, IAST: ; Pali: ''ācariya'') is a preceptor and expert instructor in matters such as religion, or any other subject. An acharya is a highly learned person with a ...

'' or minister, interspersed with devotional hymns popularly known as Brahmasangeet. In Kolkata, which is now the main seat of Brahmoism, week long celebrations are carried out in the Brahmo Samajes like Sadharan Brahmo Samaj, Navavidhan Brahmo Samaj, Brahmo Sammilan Samaj. The other Samajes in Bengal like Harinavi, Konnagar, Baniban, Nimta, Puddopukur also join in the festivities. A special divine service is held on 11 Magh at

Jorasanko Thakur Bari Jorasanko Thakur Bari (Bengali: ''House of the Thakurs''; anglicised to ''Tagore'') in Jorasanko, North Kolkata, West Bengal, India, is the ancestral home of the Tagore family. It is the birthplace of poet Rabindranath Tagore and the host ...

- the seat of the Tagore's in Kolkata where ministers from the three main Samajes join together in performing the Maghotsav. The songs are sung by the music group Baitanik - founded by late

Soumendranath Tagore Saumyendranath Tagore (October 8, 1901 – September 22, 1974), son of Sudhindranath Tagore, grandson of Dwijendranath Tagore, and grand-nephew of Rabindranath Tagore, was the leader of the Revolutionary Communist Party of India, and the first tr ...

. Maghotsav is also celebrated in other Brahmo Samajes in India and the Brahmo educational institutions as well and in Tagore's

Santiniketan Santiniketan is a neighbourhood of Bolpur town in the Bolpur subdivision of Birbhum district in West Bengal, India, approximately 152 km north of Kolkata. It was established by Maharshi Devendranath Tagore, and later expanded by his son ...

. However these are one-day celebrations rather than a week long. The Brahmo religion stands for the following (as laid down in the Trust Deed of the Brahmo Samaj): * Followers shall love Him and do His will and worship the One Absolute Prambrahma, the Creator, Preserver, Destroyer who is the giver of all Good in this world and the next, who is All knowing, All Pervading, Formless and Beneficent * Followers shall not adore any created thing, thinking it to be the Supreme One * Followers should perform good deeds - and it is through these good deeds one can serve God * He is the One, Alone and Absolute - Ekamevadityam * The Samaj is to be a meeting ground for all sects for the worship of the One True God * No object of worship or a set of men shall be reviled or contemptuously spoken of or alluded to in any way * No graven image statue or sculpture carving painting picture portrait or the likeness of anything shall be admitted within * No object animate or inanimate that has been or is or shall hereafter become or be recognized as an object of worship * No sacrifice offering oblation of any kind or thing shall ever be permitted * Promote, charity, morality, piety, benevolence, virtue and strengthen the bonds of union between men of all religions and creed *For more details on the Maghotsav check ou
Brahmo Samaj FestivalsSadharan Brahmo Samaj

References

{{Bengali Hindu people Brahmoism Hindu festivals Religious festivals in India