Questions tagged [festivals]
A festival is an event centering on and celebrating some unique aspect of the community.
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What is the proper procedure of celebrating new year?
Yesterday, it was seen how some Hindus were overexcited in celebrating the Christian New Year in a typical European fashion. Yet the same enthusiasm is absent while observing the Hindu New Year, which ...
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Why do the Buddhists in India claim that Diwali is a buddhist festival?
I am not sure whether it is a question to be asked on this forum but I have come across a lot of Navayani Buddhist online who claim that Diwali was a festival started by Mauryan Emperor Ashoka as ...
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Why are certain festivals like festivals like - Vishwakarma Puja celebrated according to Gregorian calender i.e every year on 17 September?
Most Hindu festivals are celebrated according to Hindu calender ,so they fall on different date (according to Gregorian Calender) on each year.
Eg - Diwali 2021 was on 4 November 2021 , while Diwali ...
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Is there any mention of Ganesh Chaturthi in the Puranas or the Itihasas?
It is a well known fact that Ganesh Chaturthi's public celebration was initiated by Bal Gangadhar Tilak in Pune in the year 1893.
I would like to know whether there is any mention of the festival in ...
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Why Ganesh Chaturthi celebrated during rainy season?
I know Ganesh Chaturthi festival celebrated with huge idols etc. So why choosing rainy season which will be problematic while celebrating?
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Ganesha Chathurthi in Bhadrapad or Magha month?
Someone today told me that Ganesha chathurthi, birthday of Ganesha, is not in Bhadrapada month but in Magha.
What does Puranas say about Ganesha's birth (or the day He was made the lord of Ganas) ...
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Why cooked food is not to be eaten on holi before holika dahan?
What is the significance behind it and does it has foundation of scriptural reference? Why cooked food is eaten only after holika dahan?
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What is the 'Māsī Māgama (मासी मागम)', and it's significance?
I recently heard about this festival - 'Māsī Māgama (मासी मागम)' and its currently ongoing celebration. Mostly celebrated in the Tamil Nadu.
Some details maybe found here and here
As per the details ...
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Scriptural reference for relation between Uttarayana and Vaikunta Ekadashi and Shivarathri and scriptural reference for their date of celebration [duplicate]
Vaikunta Ekadashi and Shivarathri are very popular Hindu festivals.
If you observe carefully both Vaikunta Ekadashi which happens in Dhanu Masa, which is one masa before Makara masa and Shivarathri ...
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Should we celebrate Uttarayana on December 21?
As we know Uttarayana is being celebrated as Makar Sankranti or Makara Sankramana when Sun enters Capricorn or Makara Rashi which approx falls on Jan 14, as 2021.
This is considered as Uttarayana. But ...
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Was Diwali mentioned in Valmiki Ramayana? [duplicate]
In this news clip from WION, the anchor is saying that when Lord Rama came back to Ayodhya, the residents of Ayodhya decorated their houses with lamps. That is how the festival of Diwali (Deepavali) ...
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Scriptural reference for Navadurga
Navarātri is popularly considered to be 9 days dedicated to the worship of Navadurgā i.e 9 forms of Bhagavatī Durgā. However the Devi-Bhāgavata Purāna, which describes the procedure of Navarātri vrata,...
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What is Gauri (Gowri) Ganesh?
It is usually celebrated a day before Ganesh Chaturthi.
Wikipedia
states below
This festival celebrates the goddess Gowri or Gauri, (also known as
Parvati) who is venerated as the mother of Lord ...
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Can we do sthapna of vigrah at home during Chaturmas?
Can we do sthapna of vigraha(Radha Krishna Pratima) at home during Chaturmas?
Some said you cannot do any kind of sthapana/pran-pratishtha during these 4 months.
Some said only muhurta karyas like ...
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Eco-friendly Ganesha idol?
Is it okay to have an eco-friendly Ganesha idol at home at this Ganesha Chaturthi? My mom says, as per Hindu parampara kumbhar (potters) and carpenters make the idols and we shouldn't make it.
Also, ...
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Is the popular practice of applying Mehndi (Henna tattoo) during weddings supported by scriptures?
From Wikipedia:
Mehndi is a form of body art and temporary skin decoration usually drawn on hands or legs, in which decorative designs are created on a person's body, using a paste, created from the ...
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Why is Buddha Pūrṇimā named so?
Is Buddha Pūrṇimā named so because of Gautama Buddha?
If yes, then how to reconcile its significance with our hindu theology because clearly, Gautama Buddha was not a Hindu as per Vedic Standards.
Or ...
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Lighting candles rather than oil-lamps on Diwâlî a scripturally prescribed practise?
Does any scriptures mention use of candles on the night of Diwâlî ?
Lighting a seasame oil or ghee based dîyâ is considered auspicious.
However, these days it's more common for people to light up ...
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Should I keep Vinayak Chaturthi or Sankasti Chaturthi Vrat every month? [closed]
People advised me to keep Sankasti Chaturthi ...Later I found out about Vinayaka Chaturthi too ... So, Can I take only Sankasti Chaturthi every month or do I have to take both every month ?
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What is the significance of the float festival - Theppotsavam?
I came across a few videos of Theppotsavam, a festival celebrated in some temples of South India. The principal murti is decorated and floated on a nearby river or lake. As per Wikipedia it seems that ...
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Are fire cracks really a part of diwali celebration?
Are fire cracks really a part of diwali celebration? We're crakers always used in ancient times or they are just something that we cameup in recent times?
And is there any scriptural reference to this ...
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Which festivals trace their origin stories to Vedas
There are many hindu festivals. Most of them derive their origin in Itihaasa (Ramayana and Mahabharata) and Puranas.
So, are there any festivals that have their origin in Vedas ?
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What is New Year in North India called?
I did try to read online but some pages say Phalgun Poornima while others say Chaitra Shukla Pratipada. Any clarification would be appreciated.
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Bali Padyami vs Onam
Today is Bali Padyami. On which day is Mahabali supposed to visit his subjects on prithvi loka - Onam or Bali Padyami?
Looking for references from scriptures only, and neither from folklore nor from ...
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Why do Smarthas and Vaishnavas have differences regarding dates (tithi) of festivals like Ekadashi?
Generally it's seen that ekadashi or any other date for that purpose falls on two days. Normally Smartha observe say,ekadashi one day earlier than Vaishnavas. Most calendars only show Smartha dates ...
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How many times and what all we can eat in Navratri?
I want to know that how many times in a day we can eat when we are doing Navratri fast? Some are saying that we can have sattvik any number of times and some are saying two times. Please help me with ...
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staying awake during shivaratri
It seems people seem to be mentioning benifits of staying awake during the MahaShivatri festival. What is the time in the morning till which they have to stay awake? Does it end after midnight 12 o'...
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Is it true that two thousand years ago Makar Sankranti used to be celebrated in December and would be celebrated in April after seven thousand years?
I got a message on Christmas stating that there was a time when Christmas and Makar Sankranti used to be celebrated on their website same day.
After a quick web search, I found that Sun takes 20mins ...
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Is there any festival in hindu religion celebrating girl child and why girls have to fast most of the time?
A person raised a question that why in Hindu religion we have "boy" centered festivals but none for girls. For example in north India we have bhai-duj and jhat puja festival in which family worship to ...
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Can an unmarried girl keep Karva Chauth?
In our culture, Karwa Chauth is an important festival for all married women. From sunrise till moonrise, she keeps a fast for the safety of her husband.
But my question is can an unmarried girl keep ...
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Do any scriptures talk about Atla Taddi?
Today is Karva Chauth (Chaturthi) celebrated in the north especially Punjab and I found out that Telugu people also celebrate the Uma Vratham or [Atla Taddi [(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atla_Tadde) ...
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What is Ganesh Chaturthi/ Ganesh Utsav idol worship size according to shastra and Dharma
In my Marathi state we celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi as a Ganesh utsav for ten days and bring clay idol from market on the first day and make visarjan on 10th day.
My question is, what is the right size ...
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Why is Janmashtami always celebrated in the evening?
I read the post about why Janmashtami is celebrated on two different days. But why evening? Like people who give preference to ashtami thithi do it on 23rd Aug 2019 evening, while people who give ...
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Why is Janmashtami celebrated on 2 dates in some parts of India?
For example, in Gurgaon in India, a few people are saying that Janmashtami will be celebrated on 23rd. Google shows 24th.
Also, I guess this time Rohini Nakshatra and Ashtami is more close to 24th. ...
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Why Lord Krishna didn't celebrate Deepavali?
Why Deepavali is not celebrated by Lord Krishna in Dwapara Yuga ? One of my friend asked me this tricky question. I didn't have an answer.
Moreover, Why there is no mentioning of Ramayana incidents ...
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What is the significance of Deep Amavasya?
Today is Deep Amavasya and many people in Maharashtra worship and light up diyas or earthen lamps in their homes at night. I want to know what is the significance of this festival and what are the ...
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Hindus observe Nava Ratris twice in a year. What is the logic and theory behind the same?
Hindus observe Nava Ratris twice in the same calendar year. One is associated with Rama Navami (ie birth of Lord Rama) and the other is with Lord Rama's victory over Ravana. But why do we worship the ...
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Why do women observe Holika vrata?
Holika was Hiranyakashipu's sister and tried to kill Prahlad. Then, why do women observe holika vrata and worship holika wood before lightning fire in it?
Note: Poornima also falls on the Holi day ...
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Scriptural reference about avoiding non vegetarian food on every Hindu festival?
It is mentioned across Hindu scriptures to avoid non vegetarian food on certain days or months, which may include some festivals also.
But, is there any mention to not eat non vegetarian food on ...
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Why date of any "Hindu festival" changes every year? [duplicate]
'Christmas' occurs on 25th December every year.
But why the dates of Hindu festivals vary from year to year?
Are there any references of this in Hinduism?
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What is the relation of Vasant Panchami with Goddess Saraswati?
Tomorrow is Vasant Panchami and my Bengali friends shall be celebrating Saraswati Puja. I wanted to know if the worship of Saraswati is mentioned in any scripture on this particular day.
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Are there Pan-Indian Hindu festivals dedicated to Vishnu or Narayana?
Janmashtami and Ram Navami are dedicated to Vishnu's avataras and are Pan-Indian. But are there any such festivals dedicated to Vishnu or Narayna?
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Festivals observed on basis of solar cycle
Apart from Sankrantis, are there any other festivals that are observed on the basis on solar cycle and hence fall on the same date every year?
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Relation between Laxmi poojan and returning of Lord Rama on the same day
Is it just a coincidence or is there any relation between Lord Rama returning to Ayodhya from 14 years of exile and the worshipping of Goddess Laxmi on the same day i.e. Diwali
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Who is the goddess Ahoi worshipped on Ahoi Ashtami?
Today is Ahoi Ashtami in northern India in which women keep fasts for their children's well-being just like they do for their husbands on Karva-chauth. While they break the fast on Karva-chauth after ...
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Why have we celebrated Dussehra today instead of tomorrow?
Whatever I know for consideration of Tithi from Panchangam is whichever Tithi falls on the sunrise, that is considered for whole the day.
For example, yesterday there was Ashtami on sunrise and ...
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Which scripture mentions the prohibitions on food consumption in Chaturmas?
The term Chaturmasya means four months. The term Chaturmasya Vrata is a Vrata to be observed for a period of four months.
The Poornima (full moon day) in the month of Ashadha is called ‘Guru Poornima’...
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Guru Dattatreya Parayan
Being a woman, can I read the whole Sri Guru Charitra, which is known as GuruDatta Parayana, in the coming Datta Jayanti (Festival) ?
In our home, my father used to read it every year by following ...
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What is the importance and concept behind Masik Shivratri?
I found the following date calendar for Masik Shivratri, till date I was only aware of Shivratri and Maha Shivratri but Masik Shivratri is totally new for me. So wanted to understand the importance ...
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Mentioning of Rakhi in Mahabharata
Consider the following paragraph from raksha-bandhan.com
Raksha Bandhan finds a mention in Mahabharata when Lord Krishna advised Yudhishthir to perform the ceremony to protect himself and the army ...
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