Puri Rath Yatra in Orissa

The city of Puri is famous for its imposing, sprawling Jagannath temple. The grandest of festivals ever, The Rath Yathra is the visit of Lord Jagannath to his garden palace for the annual summer vacation. The deities at the temple of Puri also include Lord Jagannath’s (Lord Krishna) brother Lord Balarama and sister Subhadra. The three deities head for their garden palace (garden temple, located outside the town centre called Gundicha) right at the height of Indian summer in enormously huge chariots pulled by thousands of devotees. Thousands of reverent men and women throng to see, and to pull the grand chariots from one temple to the other. The English word "Jagannaut" comes from the giant chariots of Lord Jagannath of Puri. The British were so surprised and amused by the size of the chariots; they coined a word for it!

The royal street leading from the main temple to the garden temple is very wide so as to accommodate the three chariots. It’s a vista of temples, ashrams, mansions of old aristocracy and inns. During the Rath Yathra all the buildings are decorated with bright and colorful flags, buntings and awnings. The whole of Puri throng the streets to catch a glimpse of their lord who seldom comes out of his shrine.

The siblings retreat from the buzz and bustle of the city, temple servants and the preists to their Vrindavan-like garden. They even leave behind their spouses on their way to the leafy summer abode. The temple routine in the garden temple is much more relaxed than in the main temple. Various festivities are organized as part of the deities’ vacation (Depending on the lunar cycle, the length of this festival ranges between 1 to 2 weeks). The return of the lord Jagannath is prodded by his wife, Godess Lakshmi (goddess of wealth), who travels by the night in a closed palanquin to the garden temple to entreat the lord to return. The goddess makes her journey a day before the festival concludes.

Date - 24th June 2009

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Buddha Purnima

Buddha Purnima or Buddha Jayanti is the birth aniversart of the Lord Buddha. It is an important festivals for Buddhist followers. The days is celeberated as commemoration of all the preaching given by the Buddhist pilgrim. On this day, Buddhist followers enroll themselves in prayers, meditation and chants. Learned Buddhists give sermon about the Life of Gautam Buddha. The purnima generally falls on the full monn of the fourth lunar month (month of Vaisakh) - ie April or May.

This day commemorates three important events of Buddha's life

- His birth in 623 BC.
- His enlightment i.e. attainment of supreme wisdom, in 588 BC.
- His attainment of Nirvana i.e. the complete extinction of his self at the age of 80.

Buddha Purnima will fall on 9th May on Tuesday in year 2009

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Mahavira Jayanti

It is the main Jain Festival of India. Born in 599 BC at Kshatriyakund near modern Patna in Bihar, Mahavirswami is the twenty-fourth Tirthankar.

Lord Mahavira parents, King Siddhartha, and his mother, Queen Trishla, were very religious people and werr great followers of Lord Parshwanath, the twenty-third Tirthankar. When Queen Trishla was expecting Mahavira, she had 14 beautiful dreams . When the learned scholars analysed these dreams, they said she was going to have an extraordinary child., one who will show the path to true happiness to humanity.

This festival is celebarated during the Hindu lunar month of Chaitra and it last for one day. The festival is celebarated on the thirteenth day of Chaitra(in the month of March and April), right around the time of the full moon. The religion of Jainism does not believe in God as a creator, survivor, and destroyer of the universe. Jainism explains that eight types of vargana and five bodies exist in the universe.

Mahavir Jayanti is Falling on April 07 2009

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Ram Navmi Festival

As the name suggest, Ram Navmi is dedicated to God Ram. It falls on the ninth day of Navmi. It is generally celebarated by Hindus. The day is celebarated as the birth of Lord Ram, who is remembered for his prosperous and righteous reign. Ram Navmi generally falls in the month of Chaitya.

The public worship starts with morning ablutions, chanting Vedic mantras dedicated to Vishnu, and offering flowers and fruit to the god. People keep a fast throughout the day, breaking it only at midnight with fruit. In some part of Northern India, especially Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Ram Navmi is a major festival

Devotees of Ram generally adopt fasts, as it is the only easy mean of gaining happiness in the material world and achieving salvation at the same time.

Ram Navmi is falling on APRIL 3,2009.

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Holi - The Festival of Love

The festival of Colours ! Holi is one of the major festivals of India, held in the month of Phalgun, according to Hindu Calendar. The festival generally fall in the month of March and is majorly celeberated in the Northern part of India.

Holi is an exuberant festival associated with the immortal love of Krishna and Radha. This festival is made differently in different parts of India.

History of Holi Festival

Holi is one of the oldest existing festivals of India. Its name being mentioned in Jaimini's Purvamimamsa-Sutras and Kathaka-Grhya-Sutras, redeems its importance in history.

Holi came from the legendary story of Prahalad and Hirnakashyap. Hirnakashyap was powerful king and considered himself as God. He wanted everybody to worship him because of the power he hold. Prahalad, being Hirnakashyap son, declined to do that and was great devotee of Lord Vishnu. This was unacceptable by Hirnakashyap and he asked his sister Holika to enter a blazing fire with Prahlad in her lap.

Holika was blessed that she won't get burned in fire. She took her power as an advantage and took an extreme decision. But to the irony, Holika was burned alive and Prahalad was left unscathed. Since then Holika Dahan is being celebarated a day prior to Holi.


Where All Is Holi Celebrated ?

Holi is majorly celebarated in Northern part of India. Mathura and Vrindavan are known for Barsana Holi, a unique form of rejoicing Holi which is seen only in these two cities. Travellers visit this place just to have a look and feel of the place during Holi time.

How To Celebarate Holi?

Holi is festival of colour, joy and love. On this festival, people generally forget enemity and move ahead in life with great charm and amiability. People through coloured water and powders (Gulal and Kumkum) on each other. Singing and Dancing adds joy to the holi celebration.


What You Can Do on Holi?

Make Bhang : Holi is incomplete if you don’t make Bhang on the occassion. You can create Bhang drink or hot Buttered Bhand.

Play Holi with Natural Colours/ Flowers Petals: Being natural, safeguards you from many things. Using natural colours or flower petals would avoid harmful effect of chemicals. Since the colour are being used on the body it is advisable to use natural colours and protect your loved ones from harmful effect.

Enjoy Holi with Friendstravelindia.com

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Makar Sankranti

A Prologue to Makar Sankranti

India is a land of festivals. Many festivals are celebrated with great enthusiasm. Makar Sankranti, which is celebrated on 14^th January every year, is also one of the famous festivals of India that is celebrated with great fervor all over the country. The cultural resonance of India unites with the celebrations, devotion, happiness and zest. People from Punjab celebrate it by the name of Lohri and Maghi, people of Gujarat thank God by a riot of kites in the vast blue. The South India celebrates the festival as Pongal. Precisely, every part of country is frolicking in the festivities at the time of Makar Sankranti.

The Astrological Aspect

Makar means Capricon and Sankranti means to go from one place to another place or to change direction. It also means one's meeting with the other. So, the time when the sun changes direction from one constellation (of the zodiac) to another we call it Sankranti. In other words transition of the Sun from Sagittarius to Capricorn during the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere (Uttarayana) is known as Makar Sankranti. Hindus believe in the co-relation of cosmic events with an individual's life and values. The conventional Indian Calendar is based on lunar positions, the positions of moon, but Sankranti is a solar phenomena. And so the date of this festival is constant and does not change while other festivals do depend on the positions of moon. The other importance of this day is due to the natural change in the length and warmth of days as winters are to end form then onwards.

The Religious Aspect

The religious aspect of this day is also important. It is said that surya (sun) visits shani (saturn). This day signifies the importance of the special relationship of father and son. The son should carry forward his father's dream. Mots of the auspicious things are done at this time as it is called the day of Gods (uttranyan). Also on this day Lord Vishnu killed the demons and buried their heads under Mandar Parvat which symbolizes end of negativities and herald of a new era. Another reason behind the importance of this day is told in our great epic, Mahabharata, which says that Bhishma Pitamah, who has the boon from his father to keep himself alive as long as he wanted and so he kept himself waiting to finally leave this mortal world on this day.

The Cultural Aspect

Different states of India call the festival with different names. But the quintessence of all remain the same.

Name of the State	Term for Makar Sankranti	Celebrations
Uttar Pardesh, Bihar	Khichri	Taking a dip in the holy rivers
Bengal	Makar Sankranti	A very big Mela is held at Ganga Sagar
Tamil Nadu	Pongal	Surging of rice boiled in a pot of milk
Andhra Pradesh	Pedda Panduga	Celebrated for Four days
Maharashtra	Makar Sankranti	Exchanging of multi-colored tilguds
Gujarat	Makar Sankranti	Kite Flying Day
Punjab	Maghi	Dancing and Feasting
Tribes of Orissa	Sankrant	Beginning of New Year

People wake up early in the morning before sunrise to take bath and worship the sun God on sunrise to pray for living a dynamic, inspired and righteous life. They do tarpan for the great ancestors. Have special sessions of meditations. Ladies make laddoos of til and gur (Jaggery). Give donations to the needy and have Khichri in lunch. Parents visit their son's house and give gifts to their son and daughter in law.

Plan your Makar Sankranti in advance and soak yourself in the festivities on 14^th January.

Swati Saxena

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Lohri

A festival marked with extreme frolic, a festival associated with solar year, a festival to worship fire, a bonfire festival of North India – it is about Lohri one of the most celebrated festivals of India. Celebrated on 13th January every year, Lohri is the coldest day of year. People of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal and Delhi celebrate the festival with great fervor. The festival heralds the end of chilly winters in North India. Almost every Indian can be seen enjoying on the day when Earth starts moving towards the Sun marking the auspicious period of Uttarayan (North) from Dakshinayana (south). If you are a newly wed couple then your first Lohri is of great significance. Even a new born baby makes the Lohri of a family much prominent as it signifies fertility.

The celebrations of Lohri include praying to the bonfire for abundance and prosperity. People make a small image of the Lohri goddess with gobar (cattle dung), adorn it, kindle a fire beneath it and chant its praises. People could be seen gathering around the bonfire and throwing til, groundnuts, puffed rice and popcorns into the flames of the bonfire, singing and dancing till the fire dies out. They take dying embers of the fire to their homes. Ladies jovially perform Gidda, Kikli. While men could be seen doing Bhangra, jhoomer, luddi, julli and dankara. These traditional songs and dances are the legacy of Punjab's culture.

There are many folklores associated with Origin of Lohri. Among them the most common is Dulla Bhatti who is the leading character of most Lohri songs. While others maintain that the name of the festival originated from Loi, the wife of Saint Kabir. Most of the people of rural Punjab pronounce Lohri as Lohi.

Lohri is not only a cultural gala but a social observance. Being related to harvest season the festival is of immense importance in an agricultural country like India. Everybody observes the festival imparting love and affection to all. The social barriers freeze when people visit homes, distribute sweets, meet and greet each other. The past grievances are forgotten and the gap is thus bridged.

Celebrate this vibrant festival of fertility with full enthusiasm and vitality that signifies peace and harmony.

Swati Saxena

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