Though India is often and justly described as a land of many religions and innumerable languages as well as traditions and cultures, it might well be described as a land of festivals as well. Hindu festivals are combinations of religious ceremonies, semi-ritual spectacles, worship, prayer, processions, music, dances and other activities of a religious or traditional character. While some festivals are celebrated regionally, others are celebrated nationally, the whole country as one, united and liberated. Each festival is celebrated with great enthusiasm and Great Spirit
One among such auspicious occasions, Bhishma ashtami is associated with Bhishma Pitamaha, the most revered and grandiose character of the great Epic, Mahabharata. A noble Soul, a great learned person, Bhishma was respected for his honesty, sincerity and strong determination. He was a great warrior, an adventurous hero and on his day it was difficult for anyone to defeat him. For the sake of his father he sacrificed his marriageable life by taking an oath of celibacy and remained childless. It was on this day Bhishma had his last breath and this day is commemorated as the day of his Niryana. Bhishma ashtami occurs on the 8th day (Ashtami) of the bright fortnight (Sukla Paksha) in Magha Masam as per Hindu Lunar Calendar that usually falls during the months of January – February the day after Ratha Sapthami. In 2013 Bhishma Ashtami fell on 18th February while in 2014 it falls on 7th February
As per the mythology, Bhishma was the son of King Shantanu from his wife Ganga. When his father decided to marry a beautiful young maiden named Satyavati, her parents were not in favour, because it was Bhishma who was heir to the throne and if she had sons they would not inherit the kingdom. To fulfill the desire of his father's marriage, Bhishma vowed neither to get married and have children, nor to accept the crown as a prince of Hastinapur. His father Shantanu was very much pleased and in gratitude of his son’s sacrifice he gave him a boon that Bhishma would die when he wished known as Swachchanda Maranam. Shantanu then married Satyavati, bearing two sons who died without producing any children, but Satyavati had two grandchildren by a son who had been born before she married the king. Bhishma ended up raising these two and taking charge of the training of their children, who were known as the Kauravas and the Pandavas.
There are two holy days in the Hindu religion named Diwali and Holi. Diwali is a festival of lights, and is India’s biggest and most important festival of the year. It is mainly celebrated in the months of October and November. This festival is a great time for family to get together and be together. Holi is another festival that family gets together. Holi is a festival of colors. Holi is a holiday where they get together and dance, play, and bring joy onto their home. Depending on the region, some cover their body is many different colors to celebrate the day.
...nd mortality in order to portray Siddhartha’s journey to Enlightenment. Time, love, and mortality all share one unique characteristic—they are all eternal. Throughout Siddhartha’s journey, he looses love; however he does not feel sorrow for he knows love is everlasting. While loosing love, he encounters death, and again feels no distress. Siddhartha learns one will soon return in another life—mortality. Not only are death and love endless, but also time shares this representative. As Siddhartha grows, he seems to struggle with the aspect of time until he realizes time is does not exist. Time is immortal. “Death is not an event in life: we do not live to experience death. If we take eternity to mean not infinite temporal duration but timelessness, then eternal life belongs to those who live in the present” (“Brainy Quotes” 1). Time, love, and mortality are infinite.
The Indian culture is an amalgamation of several cultures thus making India a diverse nation offering a myriad of elements relating to the cuisine, the adroitness of its artisans, literature, clothes and glorified architecture. The major forms of classical dances are namely Kathak, Bharatnatyam, Odissi, Kathakali, Manipuri, Mohiniattam, Kuchipudi.
The festivals always had a basic function of giving thanks to a god or gods, but much like modern
...ind of festivals and holidays, of-course one does not have weekend off in India. But as similar to here India also has the day to celebrate LORD KRISHNA’s birthday similar to CHRISTMAS which is JESUS CHRIST’s birthday. Moreover there is a New Year day which the next day of ‘DIWALI” the festival of lights. Indians also have an independence day that falls on August, 15 similar to American Independence day that is on July, 4. Also both these though being among the largest democracies of the world had housed various cultures, given home to different types of people but still maintained unity in diversity.
It prescribes the "eternal" duties all Hindus have to follow, regardless of class or caste such as honesty, purity, and self-restraint. Hindus see themselves as not so much practicing a religion but going about a way of life. Hindu sages claim that the individual 's self-understanding determines his or her perception of the world. Hinduism is seen as such a practice that was not founded by a single being. It came about in the Common Era of world history, and was atop the aforementioned faiths along with buddhism. Hindu practices involve seeking awareness of God and sometimes also seeking blessings from Devas. As a way of expressing their religion the sing songs they call Bhajan or a devotional song. A large part of Hinduism is performing rituals. These rituals are done on a daily basis and are seen as very important to Hindus. Any type of important thing that goes on in the life of a Hindu is almost guaranteed to have a ritual
Hinduism is a polytheistic religion, and followers believe and worship many gods. Shiva is the god of 'eroticism and sexual energy', Devi who is associated with fertility and earth, Lakshmi is the goddess of wealth, and the river Ganga is seen as a provider and worshiped (Waterstone, 78).However, their main god is called Brahman, they believe is the ultimate reality and world soul. Some of the important rituals, beliefs and traditions is puja, which is their daily worship usually takes place in a corner of a room; dharma, which is their religious duties towards fa...
Huge population, pollution, peace, snakes, saris, dance, curry, and religion are probably the most popular words that come up when we think about India. India is a well-known country. Although it is a relatively poor country, it has a rich and diverse culture. India is populated by approximately 953 million people. It has been a home for many religions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Jainism, Islam and Christianity. The first four mentioned above originated in India (Finegan 151). Seventy percent of the populations are Hindus. In fact, Hinduism is the oldest and third largest religion in the world. Hinduism has deeply influenced Indian society, for several reasons: it has a long history in this place, it is related to the social status of Indians, and it is integrated with the cultural aspects in India.
Different religions, different ways, and one aim of maintaining religious identity. Hinduism and Judaism, two of the world’s biggest religions, are seemingly completely unalike. With differences such as their views of afterlife, death and birth Hindus believing in rebirth and “oneness” with Brahman, and Jews believing in a world to come, focusing more on God’s image, never really mentioning what happens after death. Yet when you take a closer look into both religions you find some similarities. Both religions’ rituals focus on the same things, they may be celebrated differently but the meaning behind the celebrations and the meaning behind some of their symbols are the same, and their purposes help people maintain their identity and keep the traditions of their cultures strong.
In Early Modern Europe festivals were the setting for heroes and their stories, to be celebrated by the populace. They posed a change from their everyday life. In those days people lived in remembrance of one festival and in expectance of the next. Different kinds of festivals were celebrated in different ways. There were festivals that marked an individual occasion and weren't part of the festival calendar, like family festivals such as weddings and christenings. Some took place at the same time every year and were for everyone, like community festivals like the different saints' days. Pilgrimages took place all year round. Annuals festivals like Christmas and Midsummer always took place on the same day every year.
In the fort and the city of Chittorgarh the most important Rajput festival called the "Jauhar Mela" is celebrated in honour of all the three famous jauhars performed by rajput women . It is celebrated on the anniversary of one of the most famous jauhars performed by Rajput queen Rani Padmini. A huge number of Rajputs from different rajputana royal families joins the celebration. Now-a-days this occasion is used as a platform of public discourse where rajputs from royal families put their views regarding the contemporary political developments in the
Most people in the world derive their religious beliefs and traditions from their parents and peer influences. From a religious point of view, “There are many definitions for the term ‘religion’ in common usage. [Broadly defined], in order to include the greatest number of belief systems: ‘Religion is any specific system of belief about deity, often involving rituals, a code of ethics, and a philosophy of life’” (Robinson, 1996). However, in examining Hinduism, it is difficult to label the practices as a religion. This paper will expound upon the Hindu traditions, taking into account the characteristics of sacred elements, their meaning, and significance.
Today, Hinduism stands as India’s primary religion. In fact, India houses 90% of the world’s Hindi population and 79.8% of India’s population follows the Hindu religion, according to the 2011 census. It is thought by some to be the oldest religion in the world and the “eternal law” (Fowler). This culture is truly one as defined by Edward Taylor: “A complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, law, morals, customs, and any other capability and habit acquired by man as a member of society.” In order to have somewhat of an understanding about what the Hindu religion entails, one must study the Hindu conception of God, its basic concepts and key beliefs, as well as symbolism.
Every country in the world has its own festival and celebration. People all around the world love joining together and sharing good time through the festivals and celebrations. Festivals are great way to experience local culture. Sometime they even offer a glimpse into past. There are hundreds of festivals across the world. So are you ready to experience of fun and colorful festivals? Below are some of festivals from Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America.
Diwali is the most important festival celebrated in India. Diwali or Deepawali means an array of lights. It is a festival of lights symbolizing victory of good over evil and the glory of light. Diwali is celebrated as the day that Lord Rama returned to Ayoda after defeating Ravana. Diwali also signifies Harvest Festival.