Major Festivals and events of the world: sikh festivals

Showing posts with label sikh festivals. Show all posts

Sunday, June 8, 2008

Lohri Festival of Fire - Sikh Festival

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Lohri is a festival connected with the solar year. Generally, it is an accepted fact that this festival is to worship fire. This is particularly a happy occasion for the couples who for the first time celebrated Lohri after their marriage and also the first Lohri of the son born in a family. Children visit homes in the neighbourhood and sing songs. One of the famous ones is :

The day begins with children collecting money from houses in the neighbourhood. In the evening, winter savouries are served around a bonfire. Celebrated enthusiastically in Haryana, Punjab and parts of Himachal Pradesh, it also signifies the beginning of the end of winter.

also read about Other Sikh Festivals

Children go from door to door singing songs in praise of Dulha Bhatti, a Punjabi version of Robin Hood who robbed the rich and helped the poor. These "visitors" are given either money or gachak, bhuga, til, moongphali, gur and rewri.

A bonfire is lit and everyone gathers around it. Munchies, collected from each house, go around the party and are also thrown into the fire.

The festival assumes greater significance if there has been a happy event in the family during the elapsed year, like the birth of a male child or marriage.

The family then plays host to relations and friends wherein the eats take a back seat and merry-making takes over. Move on folks! It is then time for bhangra, dhol, gidda and light-hearted flirtation. Liquor flows freely and guests are served dinner. But then liquor is a modern introduction and is not customary and celebrations depend on how much does the pocket allow.

also read about Other Sikh Festivals

A popular belief in this region is that if someone seeks a radish roasted in the bonfire lit by a family that has reason to celebrate, then blessings are bestowed on the family of the seeker as well. Geographically speaking, the earth leans towards the sun along the Tropic of Capricorn (Makara rekha) from the day following Lohri, also known as Winter Solstice. The earth, farthest from the sun at this point of time, starts its journey towards the sun along its elliptical orbit, thus heralding in the onset of spring. It is this transition which is celebrated as Lohri in northern India, Makara sankranti in the central part of the country and as Pongal-Sankranti in South India.

The festival is spread over three days in South India and also signifies the beginning of harvesting. A rath yatra is taken out from the Kandaswamy temple in Chennai on Pongal.

The day is celebrated as Ganga-Sagara in West Bengal and according a belief, Hindus purify their sins by taking bath in the Ganges. A big fair is also held on the Sagara Island, 64 km from the Diamond harbour where the Ganga meets the Bay of Bengal.

also read about Other Sikh Festivals

Call it Lohri, Pongal or Sankranti, the festival conveys the same message -- the bond of brotherhood and the spirit of oneness should prevail despite all odds.

Saturday, May 31, 2008

Baisakhi - North Indian Festival - Hindu's Sikhs

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It is a mega event - a religious festival, harvest festival and new year's day all rolled into one. In April, this day marks the beginning of the Hindu solar new year. In fact this day is celebrated all over the country as new year day under different names. It is also the time when the harvest is ready to cut and store or sell. For the Sikh community Baisakhi has a very special meaning.

also know more about : - Diwali Festival - Holi Festival - Dussehra Festival - MahaShivaratri Festival - Baisakhi Festival - - Navaratri Festival - Rakhi Festival - RamaNavami Festival - Naag Panchami - Makar Sakaranti Festival - Karwa Chauth Fast Festival - Krishna Janamashtmi - Durga Puja

It was on this day that the last Guru Gobind Singh organised the sikhs into Khalsa or the pure ones. By doing so, he eliminated the differences of high and low and established that all human beings were equal. Baisakhi has special significance for two of India's major religious groups. For Hindus, it's the start of the new year, and is celebrated with requisite bathing, partying, and worshipping. It's believed that the goddess Ganga descended to earth thousands of years ago, and in her honor many Hindus gather along the sacred Ganges River for ritual baths.

The action is centered in the holy cities along the Ganges in north India, or in Srinagar's Mughal Gardens, Jammu's Nagbani Temple, or anywhere in Tamil Nadu. Hindus plant poles wrapped in flags of god-embroidered silk in front of their homes, and hang pots of brass, copper or silver on top. Children wear garlands of flowers and run through the streets singing "May the new year come again and again!" In Kerala the festival is called Vishu, and includes fireworks, shopping for new clothes and interesting displays called Vishu Kani.

also know more about : - Diwali Festival - Holi Festival - Dussehra Festival - MahaShivaratri Festival - Baisakhi Festival - - Navaratri Festival - Rakhi Festival - RamaNavami Festival - Naag Panchami - Makar Sakaranti Festival - Karwa Chauth Fast Festival - Krishna Janamashtmi - Durga Puja

These are arrangements of flowers, grains, fruits, cloth, gold, and money are viewed early in the morning, to ensure a year of prosperity. In Assam, the festival is called Bohag Bihu, and the community organizes massive feasts, music, and dancing.

Sikhs assign quite a different meaning to Baisakhi, and if you happen to be in a Punjabi village to catch the men performing the wild bhangra dance, you'll get the picture. This strenuous dance tells the story of the agricultural process, from tilling the soil through harvesting. As the dholak (drum) changes beats, the dancing sequence progresses, dramatizing plowing, sowing, weeding, reaping, and finally celebrating. Baisakhi also commemorates the day in 1689 when Guru Gobing Singh founded the Khalsa, the fighting Sikh brotherhood that donned the distinctive Sikh outfits. Sikhs visit temples, such as the Golden Temple in Amritsar, where the holy Granth is read, commemorating the day on which the Guru asked five volunteers to offer their lives, then took them one at a time into a tent.

He emerged each time with a bloody sword, although he had in fact sacrificed a goat. In honor the "Beloved Five," a series of parades are held, in which sets of five men walk in front of the holy book with swords drawn. When the ceremony is over, a round of feasting, music-making, and dancing begins, amid the blossoming flowers and harvested grain.Celebrated In: In Punjab, Haryana and in all Sikh communes anywhere in India.

also know more about : - Diwali Festival - Holi Festival - Dussehra Festival - MahaShivaratri Festival - Baisakhi Festival - - Navaratri Festival - Rakhi Festival - RamaNavami Festival - Naag Panchami - Makar Sakaranti Festival - Karwa Chauth Fast Festival - Krishna Janamashtmi - Durga Puja

Friday, March 21, 2008

List of Festivals celebrated in India

India is a diverse land consisiting of many religions but majorly Hinduism is prevelant in Indian subcontinent with over 80% of total population being hindu population, other religions include Sikhism, Christanity, Budhism, Jainism, Islam, zoroastrian etc.
So a lot of festivals are celebrated in india majority of them are covered in this list according to the religion:

HINDU FESTIVALS CELEBRATED IN INDIA: