vinayaka chaturthi · vinayaka chaturthi the festival of ganesh chaturthi (vinayaka chaturthi)...

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VINAYAKA CHATURTHI

The festival of Ganesh Chaturthi (Vinayaka Chaturthi) falls on the fourth day after thenew moon in the month of Avani (in Tamil or Simha (in Sanskrit). The month Simha orAavani corresponds to the days August 17 to September 16 when the sun is in the zodi­ac Leo. The festival is celebrated with great elaboration throughout India. InMaharashtra it is celebrated for 10 days and on the tenth day, huge idols of Ganesha,usually made of clay are taken on a procession around the cities and immersed in thesea.Lord Ganesha is one who doesn't need flamboyant arrangements and items for Hispooja. He is pleased with simple things like Dhruva grass (Arugam pullu-in Tamil) anderukkam flower (or Vellerukku). He is fond of modaka, which is also offered on this day.108 names are told to Sri Ganesha and for each name a flower or grass is offered. Afterthe worship the clay figure of Ganesha, which is made especially on this day, isimmersed in the river or lake.There is a popular legend of why people don't look at the moon on the GaneshChaturthi day.Being his birthday, he was going from house to house accepting the offerings of moda­ka from his devotees. As he was riding on his mouse, the mouse seeing a snakebecame frightened and began to run wild, eventually knocking Ganesha down. Hisstomach burst open spilling all the modakas. He picked them up and started to stuffthem back into his stomach and tied it up with the snake. Seeing this sight the moonstarted to laugh at Ganesha. This provoked Ganesha to break one of his tusks and hurlit against the moon and also put a curse on the moon that on this day no one shouldsee him otherwise bad luck would avail them.It is also said that Ganesha helped the sage Vyasa to write the great epicMahabaratha. Ganesha told the sage that he should not stop for any reason to dictatehis work and that if he does then his epic will never be written. Sage Vyasa toldGanesha that he too should not write without comprehending the meaning of his vers­es. The two agreed to their conditions and Ganesha began to write breaking off one ofhis tusks to use as a pen. Ganesha made this sacrifice considering the good that willcome out of this great work. Mahabaratha, which is written in Sanskrit is the longestpoetry work written in the world by anybody in any language.Ganesha is venerated since 7000 B.C. He is mentioned in the Rig Veda. It is believedthat every pooja begins with the invocation of Ganesha, since he is considered theremover of all obstacles.

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FESTIVALS

MAKARA SANKARANTI/PONGAL

'Makara' literally means 'Capricorn' and Sankaranti is the day when the sun passesfrom one sign of the zodiac (rasi) to the next. The Sankaranti of any month is consid­ered auspicious as it signifies a fresh start. However Makara Sankaranti is celebrated(in the month of Thai, in Tamil calendar or Margashira or Paushya months in Telegucalendar), when the sun passes through the winter solstice, from Tropic of Cancer toTropic of Capricorn.The festival is celebrated in January and is the only festival of the Indian calendar,which is not celebrated on a fixed day of the lunar month. On this day the sun entersthe constellation of Makar and begins to move towards the north.Makara Sankaranti is celebrated throughout India as a harvest festival. It is a way ofgiving thanks to the elements of nature that help man. This is the period when winterrecedes and paves way for the summer. Farmers bring home their harvest. In thecoastal regions, it is a festival dedicated to Indra.In Tamilnadu, Andra Pradesh and Karnataka it is celebrated as a three-day harvestfestival called "Pongal". The word 'Pongal' refers to the dish of sweet rice preparedon this occasionThe first day of celebration is called Bhogi, second day is called Sankranti and thirdday is called Kanumu. On Bhogi, people get up early and do what is referred hereas 'spring cleaning', where the inside and the outside of the house is all cleaned updiscarding unnecessary things. The womenfolk decorate the fronts of their houses,wash the cows, and decorate their forehead with turmeric and kumkum.The second day of celebration is called Sankaranti. It is also called Uttarayanapunya kala (holy time). Six months of the year is called Dakshinaya and the other sixmonths is called Uttarayana. The sun and moon are worshipped on that day.Bhishma waited till Uttarayana on his bed of arrows to die. A person who dies onUttarayana attains salvation. On this day some households make prayerful offeringsto the departed parents. In some places women folk go around neighbor's housesdistributing sugar, sesame seeds, and fried dhals as a gesture of good will. The spe­cial dish called "sakkarai pongal" is made on this day.The third day is Kanumu. On this day farmers decorate their livestock with colors andbeads and after giving them festive bath, they are fed and taken around the villagein a procession to show them off and also show their gratitude. They also let the bullsrun wild and any boy who controls a bull barehanded may win a girl in marriage.Sankaranti can be compared to the Thanksgiving that is celebrated here in theUnited States.

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