Age-Old Indian Traditional Puja & Celebration

Our bygone traditions have gifted the country with various festivals and fairs. Many tourists come to India to witness the varied celebrations and enjoy the enjoyment. Indians celebrate various moments like ploughing day, harvesting day, changing seasons, and lots more pujas. Earlier, there was something to celebrate every single day, so people had festivals for three hundred and sixty-five days during a year. However, now with our busy schedules, we will manage to celebrate only 8-10 festivals a year.

Traditional Puja and Celebration includes:

1. Diwali

Diwali may be a five-day festival that represents the beginning of the Hindu New Year. It's referred to as the "Festival of Lights" for all the fireworks, small clay lamps, and candles that are lit during the celebrations. These lights are said to represent the victory of excellent over evil, and brightness over darkness. The candlelight makes Diwali a really warm and atmospheric festival, and it's observed with much joy and happiness.

2. Ganesh Chaturthi

Ganesh Chaturthi festival is the Ganesh puja that honours the birth of the beloved Hindu elephant-headed god, Lord Ganesha. The beginning of the festival sees huge, elaborately crafted statues of Ganesha installed in homes and podiums, which are specially constructed and beautifully decorated. At the top of the festival, the statues are paraded through the streets, amid much singing and dancing, then submerged within the ocean.

3. Holi

Holi may be a two-day festival that also celebrates the victory of excellence over evil, also because of the abundance of the spring harvest season. It's commonly mentioned because of the "Festival of Colors". People exuberantly throw coloured powder and water everywhere at one another, have parties, and dance under water sprinklers. Bhang (a paste made up of cannabis plants) is additionally traditionally consumed during celebrations. Holi may be a very carefree festival that's great fun to participate in if you don’t mind getting wet and dirty.

4. Navaratri, Dussehra, and Durga Puja

The first nine days of this festival are referred to as Navratri and are crammed with dance in honour of the Mother Goddess. Dussehra is the tenth day, which is dedicated to celebrating the defeat of the demon king Ravana by Lord Rama. It coincides with the victory of the revered warrior Goddess Durga over the evil buffalo demon Mahishasura.

In eastern India, the festival is observed as Durga Puja. Huge statues of the Goddess are made and immersed within the holy Ganges. The festival is a particularly social and theatrical event, with drama, dance, and cultural performances held throughout the country.

5. Krishna Janmashtami/Govinda

Krishna, also referred to as Govinda, commemorates the birthday of Lord Krishna. A particularly fun part of the festival of Janmashtami involves people climbing on one another and forming a person's pyramid to undertake and reach and break open clay pots crammed with curd, which are strung up high from buildings.

6. Maha Shivratri

Maha Shivratri is one of the favoured Hindu festivals of India and is dedicated to the puja of Lord Shiva. It's celebrated annually on the 13th night / 14th day of the month of Phalguna (February to March). It's believed that today Lord Shiva got married to Goddess Parvati. It is also described as the night when Lord Shiva performed Tandava, the dance of primordial creation, preservation and destruction. The whole ceremony chiefly takes place during the night.

There exist thousands of traditions and cultures in India, and quite a few of them would go away outsiders rather curiously. But the crux of Indian society and culture has always been to be mannered, polite, respect others, and progress together.

List of prominent Indian Festivals

January: Republic Day, Lohri, Makar Sankranti/ Uttarayan, Pongal

February: Basant Panchmi, Losar, Kumbh Mela,

March: Mahashivratri, Goa Carnival, Holi

April: Mahavir Jayanti, Easter, Baisakhi

May: Buddha Jayanti

June: Eid ul-Fitr

July: Rath Yatra, Hemis

August: Independence Day, Rakshabandhan, Janmashtami

September: Onam, Ganesh Puja

October: Gandhi Jayanti, Durga Puja, Navratri, Dussehra, Diwali, Laxmi Puja

November: Gurupurab

December: Hornbill festival, Rann Utsav, Christmas

Indian festivals are popular all across the world. India may be a highly spiritual country and therefore the festivals are the true essence of Indian culture. To experience the culture and traditions, the festival holidays are the right time to explore and obtain an insight into an equivalent. Every puja has certain benefits that you'll only find in Myastron. So log into myastron.com to understand each festival, its importance for its devotees.