FESTIVALS OF INDIA
INDIA’S FESTIVALS :-
EXPRESSION OF JOY, GRATITUDE TO NATURE, CULTURE TRANSMISSION, BEING TOGETHERNESS, SHARING LOVE AND CULTURE,THE ORIGIN OF INNOVATIVE THOUGHTS, RECREATION, TRADE DEVELOPMENT,PROTECTION OF CULTURE HARMONY, TRANSMISSION OF POSITIVE VIBE TO YOUNG MIND. - P.Deepalakshmi
Three types of festivals
In India, three types of festivals are primarily observed: national, religious, and seasonal. Each event has its own meaning and lessons to impart.
1. National festivals are celebrated with pride and a strong sense of patriotism. The three national festivals of India are Republic Day, Independence Day, and Gandhi Jayanti.
2. Religious Festivals depicts people's religious affiliation with the holiday. Holi, Raksha Bandhan, Diwali, Krishna Janamastami, Durga-Puja, Dussehra, Maha Shivaratri, Eid, Christmas, Easter, Buddha Purnima, Mahavir Jayanti, and others are among the important religious holidays.
3. Harvesting and seasonal celebrations are held to commemorate the harvesting of crops and the changing of seasons. Basant Panchami, Pongal, Makar Sankranti, Lohri, Onam, Baisakhi, Bhogali bihu, and other major seasonal and harvesting festivals are celebrated in India.
Let me begin the writing festival. Seasonal and religious festivals will be discussed, as well as how Indians celebrate their festival.
The majority of Indian festivals commemorate the start of a new season and harvest. This is because India is mostly an agricultural economy, and hence the holidays are more closely tied to rural society. Makar Sankranti, Pongal, Holi, Baisakhi, Onam, and other festivals
SEASONAL FESTIVALS AND HARVESTING FESTIVAL OF SOUTH INDIA
.TAMIL NADU HARVESTING FESTIVAL
PONGAL
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- Pongal, also known as Thai Pongal, is a multi-day Hindu harvest festival in India and Sri Lanka that is celebrated by Tamils. According to the Tamil solar calendar, it is observed around January 14th, at the beginning of the month Tai.
- It is devoted to Surya, the Hindu sun deity, and corresponds to Makar Sankranti, India's harvest festival, which is celebrated under a variety of regional names.
- Bhogi Pongal, Surya Pongal, and Maattu Pongal refer to the three days of the Pongal festival. Kaanum Pongal is a Tamil name for the fourth day of Pongal.
- Pongal can be traced back to the Sangam Period, which lasted roughly from the 6th century BC to the 2nd century AD.
- Pongal is said to be at least 2,000 years old, according to legend. Pongal's main topic is gratitude to the Sun god, natural forces, farm animals, and individuals who assist agriculture.
- An inscription at the Viraraghava temple dedicated to Vishnu mentions the Pongal festival (Thiruvallur, Chennai). The inscription, according to Chola king Kulottunga I (1070-1122 CE), describes a transfer of land to the temple for the annual Pongal celebrations.
BHOGI PONGAL
Bhogi
On Bhogi Pongal, the last day of the Tamil month Marghazi, the Pongal festival begins.On this day, individuals get go of their old possessions and rejoice in their new ones. The crowd gathers and builds a bonfire to burn the trash mounds. To create a joyful atmosphere, homes are cleaned, painted, and adorned. Villages are decorated with ox and buffalo horns. To commemorate the festival's beginning, new clothing are donned. The day's deity is Indra, the god of rains, to whom thanks and wishes for abundant rains in the coming year are offered.
SURYA PONGAL
surya pongal
India's winter harvest festival. The Uttarayana begins on this day, when the sun enters Makara's 10th house of the zodiac (Capricorn). The Pongal dish is prepared in a traditional earthen pot in an open place with a view of the sun, and the day is celebrated with family and friends. A turmeric plant or flower garland is usually tied around the pot, and two or more tall fresh sugarcane stalks are placed near the cooking burner.
The pongal dish is traditionally made in a group setting by boiling milk. Freshly harvested rice grains and cane sugar are added to the pot after it begins to bubble. One or more individuals blow a conch called the sanggu as the food begins to boil and overflow out of the pot, while others joyfully chant "Pongalo Pongal"! - lit. "may this rice boil over." This is a symbol for everyone's wish for better fortunes in the coming year. While the pongal meal is cooking, the gathered women or neighbours sing "kuruvai trills" (traditional songs). The food is prepared and served to the gods and goddesses, as well as the local cows, before being shared with the rest of the community.
Tamil Hindus decorate their homes with banana and mango leaves and embellish the entrance space before homes, corridors or doors with decorative floral, festive or geometric patterns drawn using colored rice flour. These are called kolam
Mattu Pongal
The day after Surya Pongal, Mattu Pongal is observed. Mattu means "cow, bullock, cattle," and cattle are valuable to Tamil Hindus because they provide dairy products, fertiliser, transportation, and agricultural aid. Cattle are decorated – sometimes with flower garlands or painted horns – and given bananas, a special feast, and worshipped on Mattu Pongal. Some people use manjalthanni (turmeric water) and oil to beautify their cows. Shikakai put kungumam (kumkum) on their foreheads, paint their horns, and feed them a venn pongal, jaggery, honey, banana, and other fruits mixture. Others bathe their cattle and prostrate in front of them, thanking them for their assistance with the harvest.
Community sports and games like as the Jallikattu, a cow race or[ reyckla] are also held during Pongal. Pongal's most important cultural festivals take place around Madurai.
Kanum pongal
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| kanupidi |
The fourth day of the celebration, Kanum Pongal, also known as Kanu Pongal, marks the end of the Pongal festivities for the year. In this context, the term kanum (kaanum) signifies "to go." On this day, many families get together for reunions. To develop mutual bonds, communities conduct social events. During social occasions, villagers cut and taste farm fresh sugarcane. Youngsters go out to meet seniors among relatives and neighbours to pay respects and seek blessings, while some elders offer the visiting children pocket money as a gift.
Women and young girls participate in the Kanu Pidi custom on Mattu Pongal. They put a turmeric leaf outside their house and feed the birds, notably the crow, the leftover pongal dish and food from Surya Pongal. In a similar way as Bhaiya dooj in north India, they pray for their brothers' well-being. As a token of their filial affection, brothers give gifts to their married sisters.
ANDHRAPRADESH
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| Bhogi celebration in AP |
Makara Sankranti, or Sonkronti, is a harvest festival celebrated in India. It is certainly the most important celebration in Andhra Pradesh, as it is known locally. It's a four-day event that takes place in the second week of January (13-16 January).
People awoke at the crack of dawn on Bhogi, the day before Makara Sankranti, to set a bonfire and destroy goods that are no longer used, such as old furniture. This custom represents the arrival of something new. To ward off evil, children are bathed with regi pallu (jujube). People visit their friends and family, exchanging large quantities of delicious treats such as arisalu (rice flour and sesame seeds).
Women and young girls build beautiful rangolis on the festival day and sprinkle them with cow excrement to ward off evil spirits. Kites are flown by families on their terraces. As neighbours try to bring down one other's kites, the activity becomes competitive. People feed animals, particularly cows, in the spirit of kindness on the following two days, Kanuma and Mukkanuma. Mukkanuma is especially important to farmers, who give gifts to their livestock and pray to the elements for a bountiful harvest, such as land and water.
KARNATAKA
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| puthari harvest featival celebrated by kodagu |
Ellu bella thindu olle mathaadi" is a Kannada phrase that will circulate as the state prepares for the festivities. "Eat a mixture of sesame seeds and jaggery and talk kind words," the adage goes. This phrase is based on an important tradition known as 'Ellu Birodhu.' Women and children exchange plates holding a piece of sugarcane, a mixture of sesame seeds and jaggery, and caramelised sugar candy from door to door. This custom represents the ideals of sharing and spreading joy. People also clean their homes, tie mango leaves on their doorways, put on fresh attire, and pray to God. The prayers are offered both at home and in temples.
Kichchu Haisodu' is an exhilarating and thrilling pastime that usually takes place near the Karnataka regions of Mandya and Mysore. Local farmers dress their calves in bright clothing and jewellery before leading them in a procession with music and drums. Hundreds of people go from all over the world to see this annual ceremony as part of the Sankranti celebrations.
Following the procession, the cows and buffaloes are forced to walk over a fire, which is thought to bring good fortune to the hamlet and its inhabitants.
KERALA - ONAM
Onam celebration
Onam is the most popular celebration in Kerala, and it is regarded as God's own harvest feast. The Onam Carnival lasts ten days, with the main celebration taking place over the last four days. Onam is celebrated in the first month of the Malayalam calendar, Chingam, which falls between August and September.
To welcome King Mahabali, Keralans wear new clothes, adorn their homes, and place flower carpets known as 'Pookalam' in front of their homes on Thiruvonam. The custom of buying and wearing garments for 'Thiruvonam' is known as 'Onakkodi' in the area. On festival days, important temples are lit up with lamps.
In this season, elders recite the Mahabali and his Kingdom myth to children. The most prevalent legend surrounding Onam is that Mahabali became a devotee of Lord Vishnu.According to legend, the beautiful kingdom of Kerala was previously controlled by Mahabali, an Asura (demon) ruler. In his kingdom, the King was regarded as clever, judicious, and extraordinarily benevolent. Kerala is supposed to have had its golden age under King Mahabali's reign.
Lord Vishnu disguised himself as a dwarf and a poor Brahmin boy named Vamana to put the King to the test. He arrived in Mahabali's kingdom just as Mahabali was finishing his morning prayers and about to bestow boons on Brahmins.
Vishnu pretended to be Vamana and sought for a plot of land, claiming to be a poor Brahmin. The Brahmin stated that all he desired was as much land as his three steps could cover. The King was taken aback, but agreed.
Vamana was not an ordinary person, and Shukracharya (the King's erudite counsel) advised the King against making the vow. The gracious King, however, said that it would be a sin for a King to go back on his word, and he urged the Brahmin to take the land. The King couldn't believe it when the dwarf Brahmin revealed himself to be Lord Vishnu himself.
He then inquired of King Mahabali as to where he could keep his third foot. Mahabali bowed before Vamana with folded hands and requested that he lay his last step on his head so that he could keep his pledge. The Brahmin pushed the King to 'patala' by placing his foot on his head.
The King was so deeply invested in his kingdom and people that he requested permission to visit Kerala once a year. The Kings nobility moved Lord Vishnu, who was happy to grant the wish.
Mahabali is shown as a cultural hero: a kind and benevolent ruler who opted to give up his rule/life for the sake of safeguarding his followers, and was allowed to return once a year by Vamana. Onam is how people commemorate that day.
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