Happy Navratri

Navratri also spelled Navaratri or Navarathri, is a multi-day Hindu festival celebrated in the autumn every year. It is observed for different reasons and celebrated differently in various parts of the Indian subcontinent.Theoretically, there are four seasonal Navratri. However, in practice, it is the post-monsoon autumn festival called Sharad Navratrithat is the most observed in the honor of the divine feminine Devi (Durga). The festival is celebrated in the bright half of the Hindu calendar month Ashvin, which typically falls in the Gregorian months of September and October.

 In the eastern and northeastern states of India, the Durga Puja is synonymous with Navratri, wherein goddess Durga battles and emerges victorious over the buffalo demon to help restore Dharma. In the northern and western states, the festival is synonymous with "Rama Lila" and Dussehra that celebrates the battle and victory of god Rama over the demon king Ravana.

Celebrations include stage decorations, recital of the legend, enacting of the story, and chanting of the scriptures of Hinduism. The nine days are also a major crop season cultural event, such as competitive design and staging of pandals, a family visit to these pandals and the public celebration of classical and folk dances of Hindu culture.

The festival also starts the preparation for one of the most important and widely celebrated holidays, Diwali, the festival of lights, which is celebrated twenty days after the Vijayadashami or Dussehra.

Wishing You Happy Navratri

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Happy Janmashtami

Krishna Janmashtami also known simply as Janmashtami, is an annual Hindu festival that celebrates the birth of Sri Krishna, the eighth avatar of Vishnu.It is observed according to Hindu luni-solar calendar, on the eighth day (Ashtami) of the Krishna Paksha (dark fortnight) in the month of [ Bhadraba (Hindu Calender) ], which overlaps with August and September of the Gregorian calendar.

It is an important festival particularly to the Vaishnavism tradition of Hinduism. Dance-drama enactments of the life of Krishna according to the Bhagavata Purana (such as Rasa lila or Krishna Lila), devotional singing through the midnight when Sri Krishna is believed to have been born, fasting (upavasa), a night vigil (jagarana), and a festival (mahotsava) on the following day are a part of the Janmashtami celebrations

 It is celebrated particularly in Mathura and Brindavan, along with major Vaishnava communities found in Manipur, Assam, West Bengal, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and other regions.

Krishna Janmashtami is followed by the festival Nandotsav, which celebrates the occasion when Nanda Baba distributed gifts to the community in honour of the birth

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Raksha Bandhan

Raksha Bandhan, or simply Rakhi is a Hindu festival, celebrated in many parts of the Indian subcontinent, notably India and Nepal.Raksha bandhan means "bond of protection". It is observed on the full moon day of the Hindu luni-solar calendar month of Shravana, which typically falls in Gregorian calendar month of August

The festival celebrates the love and duty between brothers and sisters. It is also popularly used to celebrate any brother-sister type of relationship between men and women who may or may not be biologically related. 

On Raksha Bandhan, a sister ties a rakhi(sacred thread) on her brother's wrist with a prayer for his prosperity and happiness. This symbolizes the sister's love. The brother gives her a token gift and a promise to protect her.

Raksha Bandhan is primarily observed on the Indian subcontinent.It is also celebrated by some Jains and Sikhs, and by Hindu communities in other parts of the world. Among the Jains, Jain priests give threads to devotees.Raksha Bandhan has been an important tradition in the history of Sikhism as well, sometimes referred to as Rakhardi or Rakhari. In Nepal, the festival is called Janai Purnima or Rishitarpani, involving a sacred thread ceremony, one observed by Hindus and Newar Buddhist communities.

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Happy Buddha Purnima

Buddha Purnima during Vaishakha month is celebrated as birth anniversary of Gautama Buddha. Gautama Buddha whose birth name was Siddhartha Gautama was a spiritual teacher on whose teachings Buddhism was founded. The time of Gautama Buddha’s birth and death is uncertain. However, most historians date his lifetime between 563-483 B.C. Most people consider Lumbini, Nepal as birth place of Buddha. Buddha died at the age of 80 at Kushinagar, Uttar Pradesh.

Buddha's Birthday is a holiday traditionally celebrated in Mahayana Buddhism to commemorate the birth of the Prince Siddhartha Gautama, later the Gautama Buddha and founder of Buddhism. According to the Theravada Tripitaka scriptures(from Pali, meaning "three baskets"), Gautama was born in Lumbini in modern-day Nepal, around the year 563 BCE, and raised in Kapilavastu.

According to this legend, briefly after the birth of young prince Gautama, an astrologer named Asita visited the young prince's father—King Śuddhodana—and prophesied that Siddhartha would either become a great king or renounce the material world to become a holy man, depending on whether he saw what life was like outside the palace walls.

Śuddhodana was determined to see his son become a king, so he prevented him from leaving the palace grounds. But at age 29, despite his father's efforts, Gautama ventured beyond the palace several times.

In a series of encounters—known in Buddhist literature as the four sights—he learned of the suffering of ordinary people, encountering an old man, a sick man, a corpse and, finally, an ascetic holy man, apparently content and at peace with the world. These experiences prompted Gautama to abandon royal life and take up a spiritual quest.

May Lord Buddha’s preachings for right conduct,right motive,right speech,right effort,right resolve,right livelihood,right attention and right meditation.

help us to eradicate evil and suffering from this world.

Happy Buddha Purnima…

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Happy Baisakhi

Vaisakhi also known as Baisakhi, Vaishakhi, or Vasakhi is a historical and religious festival in Sikhism and Hinduism. It is usually celebrated on April 13 or 14 every year. Vaisakhi marks the Sikh new year and commemorates the formation of Khalsa panth of warriors under Guru Gobind Singh in 1699.It is additionally a spring harvest festival for the Sikhs. 

Vaisakhi is also an ancient festival of Hindus, marking the Solar New Year and also celebrating the spring harvest.It marks the sacredness of rivers in Hindu culture, it is regionally known by many names, but celebrated in broadly similar ways.

Vaisakhi observes major events in the history of Sikhism and the Indian subcontinent that happened in the Punjab region.The significance of Vaisakhi as a major Sikh festival marking the birth of Sikh order started after the persecution and execution of Guru Tegh Bahadur for refusing to convert to Islam under the orders of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. 

This triggered the coronation of the tenth Guru of Sikhism and the historic formation of Khalsa, both on the Vaisakhi day. Vaisakhi was also the day when colonial British empire officials committed the Jallianwala Bagh massacre on a gathering, an event influential to the Indian movement against colonial rule.

On Vaisakhi, Gurdwaras are decorated and hold kirtans, Sikhs visit and bathe in lakes or rivers before visiting local Gurdwaras, community fairs and nagar kirtan processions are held, and people gather to socialize and share festive foods. For many Hindus, the festival is their traditional solar new year, a harvest festival, an occasion to bathe in sacred rivers such as Ganges, Jhelum and Kaveri, visit temples, meet friends and party over festive foods. This festival in Hinduism is known by various regional names.

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Happy Hanuman Jayanti

Hanuman Jayanti is celebrated by devotees across the world to commemorate the birth of Hanuman, the loyalist of the Hindu god Ram. Also known as Hanumath Jayanti, it is the day when the Vanara god is believed to have take birth and falls on the 15th day of Shukla Paksha in the month of Chaitra. This year, Hanuman Jayanti will be celebrated on April 11.

Described as the son of Vaayu god, Hanuman is known as a devout follower of Lord Ram and was one of the pivotal characters in the epic of Ramayana. On this day, devotees of the god visit temples dedicated to him across the country and offer special prayers and worship to him. 

Known for his strong will, grit and physical energy, Hanuman was also said to have been able to assume any form. Devotees worship him and his magical strengths to ward off evil and any other troubles that have been affecting them.

People celebrate the festival by smearing a long tilak or paste of vermillion on their foreheads. Many devotees also observe a day long fast to commemorate the day. Apparently, the god was known to be of the colour of vermillion, which is why people smeared the paste on their foreheads on this day. 

It is believed that’s how the orange-red coloured ‘vanara’ race came to being much before the Hindu epic of Ramayana. In the south of India, people celebrate the festival in the Marghazi month. It is believed that Hanuman was born on the moolam nakshatram of the Marghazi month.

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Happy Ram Navami

Ramanavami celebrates the birth of Rama or Ramachandra. The festival is celebrated on the ninth day of the bright fortnight of the Hindu month of Chaitra. It was on this day that Vishnu incarnated as Rama through Dasharatha’s wife Kaushalya.

This is an occasion for great rejoicing especially for the Vaishnavas who celebrate it with due solemnity allover the country. The ancient texts lays tress on fasting on this day, and it is believed that anyone who does not will go to the worst hell. It is also said that Rama fulfills the wishes of all those who pray to him on this day.

Ramanavami brings together people of different castes. In earlier times, it was specified that all celebrate this festival, perhaps as away to release the social tension that existed due to the caste system. With the decline of the caste rigidity, this festival is now celebrated to sing the glory of a great mythical hero and is a source of divine inspirations.

Ayodhya is birthplace of Lord Rama and Rama Navami celebrations in Ayodhya are remarkable. Devotees come to Ayodhya from far-flung places. After taking holy dip into river Sarayu Devotees visit Rama temple to participate in birthday celebrations.

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Happy Ram Navami

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