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Diwali
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 calendar, Hindu lunisolar months of Ashvin (month), Ashvin (according to the Hindu calendar#amanta, amanta tradition) and Kartika (month), 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 Kosala, kingdom in Ayodhya (Ramayana), Ayodhya with h ... [...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] |
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] |
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] |
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] |
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] |
Tihar (festival)
Tihar (also known as Yamapanchak Deepawali) is a five-day spiritual and cultural Hindu festival of lights celebrated by Nepalese as well as by the Indian Gorkhas inhabiting Sikkim state and Territories (particularly the towns of Darjeeling and Kalimpong). Tihar is analogous to the Indian festival of Diwali, the festival of lights, but both are different Festival. Tihar is referred to as Yamapanchak Tihar in Kathmandu Valley by Newari Nepalis and Dipawali Tihar in Madhesh Province by Madhesi Nepalis. In the rest of Nepal and the Indian states of Sikkim and Gorkhaland, both Nepalis and Indian Gorkhas refer to Diwali as the Tihar Parwa. Like Diwali, it is marked by lighting '' diyo'' inside and outside the home, but unlike Diwali in other parts of India, the five days of Tihar include celebration and worship of the four creatures associated with the God of death Yama, with the final day reserved for people themselves. According to the Vikram Samvat calendar, the festiv ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bandi Chhor Divas
Bandi Chhor Divas ( Punjabi: ਬੰਦੀ ਛੋੜ ਦਿਵਸ ; meaning ), also known as Bandi Chhor Dihara, is a Sikh celebration commemorating the day when the sixth Guru of Sikhs, Guru Hargobind, and 52 Hindu kings were released from Gwalior Fort, who had been imprisoned by Mughal Emperor Jahangir. Emperor Jahangir had held 52 Kings at the Gwalior Fort for several months. Gurdwara Data Bandi Chhor Sahib is located at the place of the Guru's internment in the Fort. The day falls in autumn and often overlaps with Hindu Diwali, the festival of lights celebrated across Punjab and the rest of India. Historically, from the time of the third Sikh Guru Amar Das, Sikhs and Hindus of the time used the occasion of Diwali, Vaisakhi and other such festivals to congregate at the seat of the Gurus., Quote: "Since the time of Guru Amar Das it has been customary for Sikhs to assemble before their Guru on three of the most important Hindu festival occasions - Vaisakhi, Divali and Mah ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dhanteras
Dhanatrayodashi (), also known as Dhanteras (), is the first day that marks the festival of Diwali or Tihar in most of India and Nepal It is celebrated on the thirteenth lunar day (Trayodashi) of Krishna Paksha (dark fortnight) in the Hindu calendar month of Ashwin (according to the amānta tradition) or Kartika (according to the Bikram Sambat tradition). Dhanvantari, who is also worshipped on the occasion of Dhanteras, is considered the god of Ayurveda who imparted the wisdom of Ayurveda for the betterment of mankind and to help rid it of the suffering of disease. The Indian ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy announced its decision to observe Dhanteras as the "National Ayurveda Day", which was first observed on 28 October 2016. Celebrations Dhanteras is the worship of Dhanvantari. Dhanvantari, according to Hindu traditions, emerged during Samudra Manthana, holding a pot full of '' amrita'' (a nectar bestowing immortality) in on ... [...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] |
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] |
Jains
Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion whose three main pillars are nonviolence (), asceticism (), and a rejection of all simplistic and one-sided views of truth and reality (). Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four , supreme preachers of ''dharma''. The first in the current time cycle is Rishabhadeva, who tradition holds lived millions of years ago; the 23rd is Parshvanatha, traditionally dated to the 9th century BCE; and the 24th is Mahavira, who lived . Jainism is considered an eternal ''dharma'' with the guiding every time cycle of the cosmology. Central to understanding Jain philosophy is the concept of ''bhedavijñāna'', or the clear distinction in the nature of the soul and non-soul entities. This principle underscores the innate purity and potential for liberation within every soul, distinct from the physical and mental elements that bind it to the cycle of birth and rebirth. Recognizing a ... [...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] |
