Nag Panchami

Nag Panchami

Ma Manasa Devi, the snake goddess, is worshipped by Hindus, mainly for the prevention and cure of snakebites and infectious diseases like smallpox and chicken pox as well as for prosperity and fertility. She stands for both 'destruction' and 'regeneration', almost akin to a snake shedding its skin and being reborn.

A Graceful Goddess

The idol of the goddess is depicted as a graceful lady with her body, adorned with snakes and sitting on a lotus or standing on a snake, under a hooded canopy of seven cobras. She is often seen as 'the one-eyed goddess', and sometimes portrayed with her son Astika on her lap.

Mythological Lineage of Manasa

Also known as 'Nagini,' the female serpentine avatar or 'Vishahara,' the goddess who annihilates poison, Manasa, in the Hindu mythology, is believed to be the daughter of sage Kasyapa and Kadru, the sister of the serpent-king Sesha. She is the sister of Vasuki, king of Nagas and wife of sage Jagatkaru. A simplified version of the myth regards Manasa as the daughter of Lord Shiva. Legends have it that she was rejected by her father Shiva and husband Jagatk?ru, and hated by her stepmother, Chandi, who scooped out one of Manasa's eyes. So, she appears to be foul-tempered, and benevolent only towards her devotees.

Manasa, a Powerful Demigoddess

Manasa, due to her mixed parentage, is denied full godhead. Ancient Hindu legends in the Puranas, narrate the story of the birth of this powerful serpentine goddess. Sage Kashyapa created goddess Manasa from his 'mana,' or mind, so she could control the reptiles that were creating havoc on earth and Lord Brahma made her the presiding deity of snakes. It is believed that Lord Krishna granted her divine status and she established herself in the pantheon of gods.

Manasa Puja, Worship of the Serpentine Goddess

During the monsoon season, Goddess Manasa is worshiped, mainly in the eastern Indian states of Bengal, Assam, Jharkand, and Orissa, throughout the months of June, July and August (Ashar - Shravan), a time when the snakes leave their nesting ground and come out into the open and become active. In Bangladesh, the Manasa and Ashtanaag Puja is a month-long affair spanning July and August. Devotees pay obeisance to goddess Manasa and perform various 'pujas' or rituals to appease her. Special 'murtis' or statues of the goddess are sculpted, various sacrifices made, and prayers chanted. In some places, worshippers are seen to pierce their bodies, poisonous snakes are displayed on the altar, and live shows depicting the life and legends of Manasa Devi are performed.

Ganesha Chaturthi

Ganesha Chaturthi

Ganesha Chaturthi, the great Ganesha festival, also known as 'Vinayak Chaturthi' or 'Vinayaka Chavithi' is celebrated by Hindus around the world as the birthday of Lord Ganesha. It is observed during the Hindu month of Bhadra (mid-August to mid-September) and the grandest and most elaborate of them, especially in the western India state of Maharashtra, lasts for 10 days, ending on the day of 'Ananta Chaturdashi'.

The Grand Celebration
A life-like clay model of Lord Ganesha is made 2-3 months prior to the day of Ganesh Chaturthi. The size of this idol may vary from 3/4th of an inch to over 25 feet.

On the day of the festival, it is placed on raised platforms in homes or in elaborately decorated outdoor tents for people to view and pay their homage. The priest, usually clad in red silk dhoti and shawl, then invokes life into the idol amidst the chanting of mantras. This ritual is called 'pranapratishhtha'. After this the 'shhodashopachara' (16 ways of paying tribute) follows. Coconut, jaggery, 21 'modakas' (rice flour preparation), 21 'durva' (trefoil) blades and red flowers are offered. The idol is anointed with red unguent or sandal paste (rakta chandan). Throughout the ceremony, Vedic hymns from the Rig Veda and Ganapati Atharva Shirsha Upanishad, and Ganesha stotra from the Narada Purana are chanted.

For 10 days, from Bhadrapad Shudh Chaturthi to the Ananta Chaturdashi, Ganesha is worshipped. On the 11th day, the image is taken through the streets in a procession accompanied with dancing, singing, to be immersed in a river or the sea symbolizing a ritual see-off of the Lord in his journey towards his abode in Kailash while taking away with him the misfortunes of all man. All join in this final procession shouting "Ganapathi Bappa Morya, Purchya Varshi Laukariya" (O father Ganesha, come again early next year). After the final offering of coconuts, flowers and camphor is made, people carry the idol to the river to immerse it.

History:

Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated on the birthday of Lord Ganesh (Ganesha), the god of wisdom and prosperity on the fourth day of the moons bright fortnight, or period from new moon in the lunar month of Bhadrapada. The celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi continue for five, seven, or ten days. Some even stretch it to twenty one days, but ten the most popularly celebrated. In the tradition of the right hand path the first day is the most important. In the left hand path tradition the final day is most important.

   Ganesha is the god of wisdom and prosperity and is invoked before the beginning of any auspicious work by the Hindus. It is believed that for the fulfillment of one's desires, his blessing is absolutely necessary. According to the mythology, he is the son of Shiva and Parvati, brother of Kartikeya - the general of the gods, Lakshmi - the goddess of wealth and Saraswati-the goddess of learning. There are numerous stories in Hindu mythology, associated with the birth of this elephant-headed god, whose vehicle is the Mooshak or rat and who loves Modaks (droplet shaped Indian sweet).

   Legend has it that Parvati created Ganesha out of the sandalwood dough that she used for her bath and breathed life into him. Letting him stand guard at the door she went to have her bath. When her husband, Shiva returned, the child who had never seen him stopped him. Shiva severed the head of the child and entered his house. Parvati, learning that her son was dead, was distraught and asked Shiva to revive him. Shiva cut off the head of an elephant and fixed it on the body of Ganesha.

   Another tale tells of how one day the Gods decided to choose their leader and a race was to be held between the brothers- Kartikeya and Ganesh. Whoever took three rounds of the earth first would be made the Ganaadhipati or the leader. Kartikeya seated on a peacock as his vehicle, started off for the test. Ganesh was given a rat, which moved swiftly. Ganesh realised that the test was not easy, but he would not disobey his father. He reverently paid obeisance to his parents and went around them three times and thus completed the test before Kartikeya. He said, " my parents pervade the whole universe and going around them, is more than going round the earth." Everybody was pleasantly surprised to hear Ganesha's logic and intelligence and hence he came to be known as the Ganaadhipati or leader, now referred to as Ganpati.

   There is also a story behind the symbolic snake, rat and the singular tusk. During one of his birthdays, His mother, Parvati, cooked for him twenty-one types of delicious food and a lot of sweet porridge. Ganesha ate so much that even his big belly could not contain it. Mounting his little mouse, he embarked on his nightly rounds. His mouse suddenly stumbled upon seeing a huge snake. To adjust His belly, Ganesha put the snake on as a belt around his stomach. All of a sudden, he heard laughter emanating form the sky.

   He looked up and saw the moon mocking him. Ganesha infuriated, broke off one of his tusks and hurled it at the moon. Parvati, seeing this, immediately cursed the moon that whoever looks at it on Ganesh Chaturthi will be accused of a wrong doing. The symbology behind the mouse and snake and Ganesha's big belly and its relationship to the moon on his birthday is highly philosophic. The whole cosmos is known to be the belly of Ganesha. Parvati is the primordial energy. The seven realms above, seven realms below and seven oceans, are inside the cosmic belly of Ganesha, held together by the cosmic energy (kundalini ) symbolized as a huge snake which Ganesha ties around Him. The mouse is nothing but our ego. Ganesha, using the mouse as a vehicle, exemplifies the need to control our ego. One who has controlled the ego has Ganesha consciousness or God-consciousness.

Kark Sankranti

Kark Sankranti

Kark Sankranti is the summer solstice of Sun and it marks the beginning of the Dakshinayana Period in traditional Hindu Solar calendars. The term Sankranti in a Solar Calendar generally refers to the means the first day of each month – when the sun passes from one constellation to another. In 2012, the date of Kark Sankranti is July 16 in South Indian calendars. In North Indian calendars Kark Sankranti 2012 begins on June 21.

Kark Sankranti is the southern transit of the Sun and it ends with the Uttarayan or Makar Sankranti in mid-January. The nights are longer during Kark Sankranti Period.

Kark Sankranti marks the beginning of the night of Devas for some Hindu communities. There is also a popular belief that Lord Vishnu goes to sleep during this period and the Ekadasi just before Karka Sankranti is referred as Dev Sayani Ekadashi.

In Tamil Nadu, the month Aadi marks the beginning of Kark Sankranti.

It must be noted that Kark Sankranti or Dakshinayana is calculated differently in North Indian Hindu calendars and other regional calendars.

Teej & Raja

Raja Festival

The most important festival of Orissa, Raja is generally associated with the farmers and is celebrated during the onset of monsoons.Also known as Mithuna Sankranti, Raja falls on the first day of the month of Asadha (June-July) from which the rainy season starts, thus moistening the summer parched soil and making it ready for productivity.Though celebrated all over the state it is more enthusiastically observed in the coastal districts of Orissa. The first day is called Pahili Raja (Prior Raja), second is Raja (Proper Raja) and third is Basi Raja (Past Raja).In some places however there is a custom of celebrating the fourth Raja also known as the “Basumata Puja”.Conceiving mother earth to be a woman on menstruation, which is a sign of fertility, she is given rest for all these three days. As such all agricultural activities remain suspended during these three days of celebration.

Significantly, it is a festival of the unmarried girls;the potential mothers. Girls are forbidden from all kinds of manual work during these three days of Raja-festival. They don’t carry water, cut vegetables, and sweep the houses. Neither do they sew clothes, grind grains, comb hair, walk in bare foot etc. During all these three days, they are seen in the best of dresses and decorations spending time visiting their friends or moving up and down on improvised swings. Special songs meant to be sung during these days only, can be heard everywhere. Though anonymous and composed extempore, much of these songs, through seer beauty of diction and sentiment, have earned permanence and have gone to make the very substratum of Orissa’s folk-poetry.

Almost every Orissa village transforms into a great melee of colors as traditionally everybody is required to adorn new robes.Another common sight during these times are those of swings which naturally come up in every nook and corner of the villages.The entire surrounding of the villages turn into a cauldron of ricocheting songs that go up with the oscillating swing.The festival is also associated with the Oriya delicacy of "Pitha" (dough cakes)which is prepared in almost all household.

RAJA SANKRANTI

Celebrated In :  Orissa. Also known as : Mithuna Sankranti or Swing Festival Falls on : The 1st day of the month of Asara (June - July) Significance : Celebrating the arrival of Monsoon season.

Raja Sankranti (Swing festival) or "Mithuna Sankranti" is the first day of the month of 'Asara' from, which the season of rains starts. It inaugurates and welcomes the agricultural year all over Orissa, which marks, through biological symbolism, the moistening of the summer parched soil with the first showers of the monsoon, thus making it ready for productivity.

Welcoming the Monsoon To celebrate the advent of monsoon, the joyous festival is arranged for three days by the villagers. Though celebrated all over the state it is more enthusiastically observed in the districts of Cuttack, Puri and Balasore. The first day is called "Pahili Raja" (Prior Raja), second is "Raja" (Proper Raja) and third is "Basi Raja" (Past Raja).

Legend According to popular belief as women menstruate, which is a sing of fertility, so also Mother Earth menstruates. So all three days of the festival are considered to be the menstruating period of Mother Earth. During the festival all agricultural operations remain suspended. As in Hindu homes menstruating women remain secluded because of impurity and do not even touch anything and are given full rest, so also the Mother Earth is given full rest for three days for which all agricultural operations are stopped.

Significantly, it is a festival of the unmarried girls, the potential mothers. They all observe the restrictions prescribed for a menstruating woman. The very first day, they rise before dawn, do their hair, anoint their bodies with turmeric paste and oil and then take the purificatory bath in a river or tank.

Peculiarly, bathing for the rest two days is prohibited. They don't walk bare-foot do not scratch the earth, do not grind, do not tear anything apart, do not cut and do not cook. During all the three consecutive days they are seen in the best of dresses and decorations, eating cakes and rich food at the houses of friends and relatives, spending long cheery hours, moving up and down on improvised swings, rending the village sky with their merry impromptu songs.

The Melody Of The Festivity The swings are of different varieties, such as 'Ram Doli', 'Charki Doli', 'Pata Doli', 'Dandi Doli' etc. Songs specially meant for the festival speak of love, affection, respect, social behaviour and everything of social order that comes to the minds of the singers. Through anonymous and composed extempore, much of these songs, through sheer beauty of diction and sentiment, has earned permanence and has gone to make the very substratum of Orissa's folk-poetry.

While girls thus scatter beauty, grace and music all around, moving up and down on the swings during the festival, young men give themselves to strenuous games and good food, on the eve of the onset of the monsoons, which will not give them even a minute's respite for practically four months making them one with mud, slush and relentless showers, their spirits keep high with only the hopes of a good harvest.

As all agricultural activities remain suspended and a joyous atmosphere pervades, the young men of the village keep themselves busy in various types of country games, the most favourite being 'Kabadi'. Competitions are also held between different groups of villages. All nights 'Yatra' performances or 'Gotipua' dances are arranged in prosperous villages where they can afford the professional groups. Enthusiastic amateurs also arrange plays and other kinds of entertainment.

Culinary Delights The special variety of cake prepared out of recipes like rice-powder, molasses, coconut, camphor, ghee etc. goes in the name of "Poda Pitha" (burnt cake). The size of the cake varies according to the number of family members. Cakes are also exchanged among relatives and friends. Young girls do not take rice during the three-day festival and sustain only with this type of cake, fried-rice ('Mudi') and vegetable curry.

Rajasthan

Teej is a time for celebration all over the colourful state of Rajasthan - women and young girls dress in green, swings or 'jhoolas' are hung from trees and decorated with flowers, the women sing and dance in gay abandon, heralding the advent of the rains gods.

An important festival in Rajasthan, Teej is also a day for rejoicing in parts of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Bihar. Teej celebrates the arrival of the monsoon- a cause for celebration, indeed- and is appropriately observed by the donning of green clothing which symbolises the verdure of rain-fed fields. Teej is traditionally celebrated by women, who go their parents' home for the festival. New clothes, usually gifted by the woman's parents, are worn, and women gather together to fast and to offer prayers to the goddess Parvati, whose devotion to her husband, Shiva, is considered exemplary. On Teej, an idol of the goddess, bedecked in red and gold clothing, is taken in a procession, accompanied by chanting and hymns.

But Teej is not just a religious festival; it also is a time to celebrate the coming of the rains- a time for renewal and rejuvenation. Teej 'melas' or fairs are fixtures at villages and towns, where thousands come to eat, drink, buy, sell, and generally enjoy themselves. The celebrations include music and folk dances, as well as the hanging of swings from trees, where groups of women and girls gather to swing.

History
According to Hindu mythology, on the 3rd day (teej) after the new moon in the month of Shravan Goddess Parvati went to the house of lord Shiva, her husband and was united with him. This day is celebrated as Teej all over India and especially so in Rajasthan. Apart from its mythological origins this festival also heralds the arrival of the rainy season. In the month of Shravan the long awaited monsoon finally arrives in Rajasthan bringing relief to the parched land. Like a magic wand it transforms the hot, dusty and barren summer landscape of Rajasthan into the fertile green beehive of activity. The Teej festivities also celebrate this rejuvenation.  

Punjab

Teej is an important festival for the women of Punjab. The sawan month is eagerly waited by the people of Punjab as different festivals fall at this time period. The festival of Teej brings exuberance and chance to get along each other. Young girls and boys actively participate in events taking place in various towns and districts in Punjab. Celebration of Teej begins from the third day of sawan - the fifth Hindu month beginning from Chaitra.

Teej Celebrations in Punjab 
Young women and men enthusiastically celebrate the occasion of Teej. At the time of Teej, many schools and colleges in Punjab organize competitions and cultural programs. Some competitions are organized on higher scale and are attended by senior government officials. The theme of the competitions is totally traditional and cultural. Competitive categories include rangoli, mehndi, dance, singing, painting etc. In colleges, Teej beauty contests take place where young girls passionately participate and win various titles like “Miss Teej”, “Teej Queen” and “Baby Teej”.

Teej celebrations in villages too, are full of joy and verve. Young girls and women get along to perform Teej rituals. Girls swing on decorated swings called peeng and adorn their hands and feet with intricate mehndi designs.

Girls who perform gidda on Teej dedicate it to their husband or to-be-husband. Some of these special Teej dance and songs symbolize that women are always ready to sacrifice their life for their lover. After the dance performance young ladies offer prayers and sing songs for good health of their love. Teej fairs called Teelan are organized which has stalls with collection of traditional items like colorful bangles, juttis, dresses and earrings. Main attraction of Teej fair are the mehndi stalls.

At homes, people prepare special Punjabi Teej dishes like Kheer Puri, Gulgale, Karah and Pakoras. Family members sit together and enjoy the lavish feast. Men give blessings to their wife and both pray for each others' long and cheerful life.

Special Teej Punjabi Songs

Dance and songs are an integral part of Teej celebrations in Punjab. It is also considered a very important medium to convey their heartiest thoughts and messages . Women freely express their feelings for their love or husband by singing and dancing on traditional Teej songs. Some the most popular Punjabi Teej songs are:
"Sawan Da Mahina Din Giddha De Sabhe Sahalyan
Aiyan Nachan Kundan, Jhutan Pingan Piyan Vadiyan
Gharan Diya Jaiyan Bhij Gai Rooh Mitra Sham Ghatan Chad Aiyan".

A very common song sung to welcome the sawan festival of Teej after a long year is given below:
"Teeyan Teej Diyan Bhadon De Muklave Teeyan Teej Diyan”.

In the sawan month, young girls gather and celebrate the auspicious occasion of Teej. They dance on cultural songs with a perfect mood to welcome the sawan. One of the famous songs sung is:
"Sase Teri Mahen Marh Jaye,
Mere Veer Nu Sukhi Khand Payee."

In various households, a very beautiful song is sung on Teej which describes a woman's extreme love for her soul mate. She thinks that her lover's pain and sorrows are her own.
"Akh Mere Yaar Di Dukhe,
Lali Merian Akhan De Wich Aiyee".

The song given below depicts a love scene in which women consider her man to be a face of God.
"Aya Sawan Da Maheena Aa,
Tun menu Rab Lagdha Naleh Naleh Makka Te Madina Aa".

This song depicts a girl's desperation to meet her lover who is away for work.
"Teri Do Takyan Di Nokri
Mera Lakhan Da Sawan Jaye.
Chhuti Lai Ke Aja chann Ve"।

Punjabi Teej Songs

Sawan Aya Ni
Ral auo sahio ni,
Sabh tian khedan jaiye
Hun aya sawan ni
Pinghan piplin ja ke paiye
Pai ku ku kardi ni,
Sahio koel Hanju dolhe
Papiha wekho ni,
Bherha pee-pee kar ke bole.
Paye pailan pande ni,
Bagi moran shor machaya.
Arhio khil khil phaulan ne,
Sanu mahia yad kariya.

Sawan da Mahina
"Sawan Da Mahina Din Giddha De Sabhe Sahalyan
Aiyan Nachan Kundan, Jhutan Pingan Piyan Vadiyan
Gharan Diya Jaiyan Bhij Gai Rooh Mitra Sham Ghatan Chad Aiyan".