Festivals

If you lived in India you would hear from childhood that there are thirteen festivals in the twelve months. It is just a saying, for there are more than that. Not a day goes by without a celebration of some sacred event, by some community, in one part or another of the vast country. For the holy days of the Hindus are as various and complex as the people themselves. When you see all the offices and shops closing so often, you wonder, at times, how the government and businesses can carry on!
Some of the great festivals are observed widely throughout the land, and it is about these we shall hear a little now.

DASSERA, meaning "the ten special days" comes in autumn, in September or October. In Northwest India the occasion is this: when Rama and his army invaded Shri Lanka to rescue Sita, there was a fierce battle between Rama's forces and the demons of Ravana. Ravana and his lazy brother (he slept for years together) were killed, Sita was released from the palace garden, and all marched triumphantly home to their capital, once again to occupy the throne. This victory and home-coming are celebrated, and you will see huge stuffed figures of Ravana and his brother, with long poles for legs, being carried in procession and on the tenth day, finally set afire and destroyed.
Just as at Christmas, you will be giving presents to family and friends, putting on new clothes, and going to visit relatives. In the south of India a doll display is held.

DURGA-PUJA is the name given to these ten days in Bengal and other communities where the Divine Mother is adored. It is harvest time. You will hear read a Sanskrit poem, the Chandi, telling the story of the victory of the Mother over the forces of evil, while rituals go on and on. But mostly you will think of the Mother's annual coming as the return to her parents' home of the daughter of the family, from her husband's house. So your welcome for Her is lavish with presents and food. But on the tenth day you will be taking the beautiful image of Durga to the river, bidding Her farewell, and immersing the image, because everyone knows that Her real home is in his heart.

DIWALI, or the festival of lights, begins at dusk, in October or November. You will have to help set out rows and rows of little oil lamps or candles round your house and other buildings so that the night will be lit with thousands of flames. The whole village or town seems to make as much music and dance -- and noise -- as possible. Bathing and rubbing the body with sweet oil, putting on new clothes and cooking all sorts of rich and delicious dishes, are things you will be busy with.
Jains, Buddhists and Sikhs alike join Hindus in this rejoicing, for which different explanations are given. The most popular is that on this day every year the demon Bali is permitted to return to his old earthly kingdom. He lives in the netherworld ever since he offered his head to Lord Vishnu as a place to put His foot. Vishnu blessed him for this by pushing him down below and making him the emperor of the netherworld.

ONAM this is called, by the people of Kerala, who celebrate it earlier, and with boat races among other things.

SHIVARATRI means the night sacred to Shiva, and the worship goes on throughout the night, in four separate ceremonies. Held near the end of winter, it is a solemn observance compared to other festivals. Fasting is one of its features, and there are earnest devotees who will not take even a drop of water or a wink of sleep for 36 hours. Mother will likely take you home to bed and let you sleep, as this sort of thing takes practice. Monks and ascetics consider this their special day, and as the night goes on, join in bands to sing and shout the Great Yogi's praise, or dance in His cosmic dance.
In the shrine is a shapeless pillar-like stone, the lingam, symbol of the Absolute, round which everyone gathers and over which are poured offerings of milk, honey and melted butter. If you want to know why there is fasting and vigil, you will be told the story of the hunter who, pursued by a tiger, climbed a tree; there he had to perch the whole night as the tiger crouched below. To keep himself awake, lest he fall, he began to pluck the leaves one by one and let them drop. There happened to be an image of Shiva enshrined beneath the tree, which was a vilwa, Shiva's favourite tree; so as the vilwa leaves fell, the Lord felt that He was being worshipped and blessed the hunter.

RAMA-NAVAMI and JANMASHTAMI are the names of the birthday celebrations of Shri Rama and Shri Krishna respectively. In India you will be used to having the time of all these festivities determined by the phases of the moon, and Rama's birthday falls in March or April, Krishna's in August or September. You may be having puja in the shrine of your home, but probably you will be attending it in a temple nearby; march in procession with an image of the deity and sing his hymns; hear from priest or pandit lessons and stories from the accounts of his life. Whenever Rama is worshipped the Ramanama (108 names of Rama) is sung, and wherever Rama is glorified, Hanuman must be present to hear it, so a seat is always reserved for that marvelous monkey.
Krishna's birth took place in prison on a dark and stormy night; so if it rains, at least, on this day, you will not mind going out in it to the big tent where the birth scenes are being re-enacted. It only adds to the fun of the festival.

HOLI is a spring festival, celebrated in many parts of the country. On this day you will not wish to go out in your good clothes, for they will be spoilt. Everyone is trying to splash coloured dyes, in powder or in water solution, on everyone else! Some of it washes out, some does not. The favoured colours are reds and violets, and to be smeared from head to foot is the sign that you have really enjoyed the day. There is procession, of course, and singing ballads and a lot of "spring fever". Its origin is obscure, but probably was connected with the God of Love, and like holidays in many other countries, Holi now honours romance more than religion, merriment more than holiness.

These are only some of the principal festivals. Ganesha, Kali, Lakshmi, Saraswati and the rest are honoured in similar special days set apart for each. But the interesting feature, which makes India what it is, is that no matter what your own Chosen Aspect of God, you will be joining, more or less, in each celebration for each of the others. There are also the birth anniversaries of the great avatars and saints -- Buddha, Shankara, Chaitanya, Ramakrishna and the founders of the nation, Gandhi and Nehru, to be observed.
We can get a feeling for the festivals of our Hindu friends and neighbours by trying to understand their meaning and the part they play in Hindu life and history. Let us hope the day will come when every country will wish to honour the religious heroes of the others as well.