Republic Day of India

Republic Day is India ’s great national festival. It is celebrated every year on January 26, in New Delhi with great pomp and pageant and in capitals of the States, as well as at other headquarters and important places with patriotic fervour.

It was the Lahore Session of the Indian National Congress at midnight of December 31, 1929 – January 1, 1930, that the Tri-Colour Flag was unfurled by the nationalists and a promise taken that every year on January 26, the “Independence Day” would be celebrated and that the people would unceasingly strive for the establishment of a Sovereign Democratic Republic of India. The professed pledge was successfully redeemed on 26 January, 1950 , when the Constitution of India framed by the Constituent Assembly of India came into force, although the Independence from the British rule was achieved on August 15, 1947 .

It is because of this that August 15 is celebrated as Independence Day, while January 26 as Republic Day. The most spectacular celebrations include the march past of the three armed Forces, massive parades, folk dances by tribal folk from the different states in picturesque costumes marking the cultural unity of India. Further, the streak of jet planes of Indian Air Force, leaving a trial of coloured smoke, marks the end of the festival. The trees on both sides of the routes and the lawns become alive with spectators.

Gandhi Jayanti

The birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, the father of the nation, is celebrated with respect all over the country. He is the man who played a significant role in achieving independence for India from the British Empire with his simplicity and strong will power. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, also known as ‘Bapu’ or ‘Father of the nation’, was born on the 2nd of October in 1869, in Porbunder, Gujrat. He studied law in U.K and practiced law in South Africa . But he left his profession and returned to India to join the Indian freedom struggle.

Navratri – Nine nights of Durga.

‘Nav’ means ‘nine’ and ‘ratri’ means ‘night’, thus, ‘Navratri’ means ‘nine nights’. There are many legends attached to the conception of Navratri like all Indian festivals but all of them are related to Goddess Shakti (Hindu Mother Goddess) and her various forms. Though it is one of the most celebrated festivals of Hindu calendar, it holds special significance for Gujratis and Bengalis and one can see it in the enthusiasm and fervor of the people with which they indulge in the festive activities of the season. The first three days of Navratri are dedicated to Goddess Durga (Warrior Goddess) dressed in red and mounted on a lion, next three to Goddess Lakshmi (Goddess of Wealth and Prosperity) dressed in gold and mounted on an owl and finally, last three to Goddess Saraswati (Goddess Of Knowledge) dressed in milky white and mounted on a pure white swan.

Durga Puja in India

Durga puja is the most prominent festival of Bengalis and Calcutta turns a new city during the last four days of the festival from Maha-Shashti (the sixth day), the day of Bodhon on Maha-Shashti to the day when the idols are immersed in the rivers, lakes and seas on the evening of Dashami. However, it is considered to immerse the idols in the sacred waters of the River Ganges. It is believed that the Mother Goddess descends to the Earth on Shashthi and returns to her abode on Dashmi. The fresh and cool air of the pleasant winters, the clear skies, mildly fragrant Shiuli (a type of flower), the bountiful harvest in the fields and chanting of mantras and shlokas to worship Shakti, all collectively set up the scene for the ten-day long festival of Durga Puja. The preparations are done long before the festival to clean and decorate homes, buy gifts for fiends and relatives and new clothes for the celebrations and prepare mouth-watering delicacies for the occasion.

Choti Diwali

Choti Diwali is a festival that comes one day before the main Diwali. It is also called Narak Chaturdashi. And it falls on the fourteenth day of the Hindi month, Kartik after the dhanteras. The Narak Chaturdashi or Chhoti Diwali is celebrated with same zeal and enthusiasm as the main diwali but it is on comparatively lower scale. Just like diwali people light diyas on chhoti diwali to fill their homes with light, worship Goddess Laxmi and offer prayers to Her and they also burst firecrackers.

The people wake up early in the morning break any bitter fruit and apply the kumkum-oil paste, which is called ‘ Ubtan ‘, on their foreheads and then take bath. The breaking of the fruit represents the head of the demon King, Narakasur and the kumkum-oil paste symbolizes the blood that Lord Krishna smeared His forehead with. In the state of Maharashtra people take the traditional early baths after applying the paste of gram flour, fragrant powders and oil on their foreheads. As long as the ritual of bath takes place, deafening sound of crackers and fireworks could be heard so that the children enjoy bathing. The Narak Chaturdashi or Chhoti diwali is the day when people light lamps and diyas in and out of their homes.

Legends:

One famous story behind the celebrations of Chhoti Diwali or Narak Chaturdashi is about the demon king Narakasur who was ruler of Pragjyotishpur, a province to the South of Nepal. During a war he defeated Lord Indra and snatched away the magnificent earrings of Mother Goddess Aditi who was not only the ruler of Suraloka but also a relative of Lord Krishna’s wife, Satyabhama. Narakasur also imprisoned sixteen thousand daughters of Gods and saints in his harem. When Satyabhama came to know about this malevolent act of Narakasur she got furious and she prayed to Lord Krishna to empower her so that she could destroy Narakasur. The legend also tells that Narakasur was under a curse that a woman would kill him. So Lord Krishna empowered Satyabhama to fight with Narakasur and himself became the charioteer of her ‘Ratha’ in the battlefield. Thus by the grace of Lord Krishna Satyabhama beheaded Narakasur on the day previous to Narak Chaturdashi and released the imprisoned ladies from Narakasur’s harem and also recovered the precious earrings of Mother Goddess Aditi. In order to save all those imprisoned ladies from embarrassment Lord Krishna accepted them all as His wives. As a symbol of the victory over Narakasur Lord Krishna smeared His forehead with the demon king’s blood. Then Lord Krishna returned home with His new wives early morning of the Narak Chaturdashi day. The womenfolk massaged scented oil to His body and gave him a good bath to wash away the filth from his body. Since then it has become a custom to take bath before sunrise on the day of Narak Chaturdashi, especially in the state of Maharashtra. Another legend is about King Bali, who was king of the nether world. His power and increasing influence posed a threat to the security of all ‘Devatas’ so they prayed Lord Vishnu to help them out. To help Devatas and to curb King Bali’s powers Lord Vishnu went to King Bali in the guise of a short-height ‘Brahmin’, who is known as incarnation of ‘Batu Waman’, and begged to give him only that much area of land that he could cover with in three steps because King Bali was well known for his philanthropy. King Bali saw just a short-height ‘Brahmin’ asking for a little piece of land so he proudly granted him his wish. That very moment that short-height ‘Brahmin’ disappeared and there was almighty Lord Vishnu in place of him. In his first step Lord Vishnu covered the heaven and in the second step the earth and asked King Bali where to put his third step. Then King Bali offered his head to Lord Vishnu. Lord Vishnu put his third step on his head and pushed him deep into the underground. But at the same time being impressed by his generosity Lord Vishnu gave King Bali the lamp of knowledge and allowed him to return to earth once a year to light millions of lamps. The mother of the Narakasura, Bhoodevi, declared that the death of her son should not be a day of mourning but an occasion for celebrations. Since then people celebrate diwali with joy and fun every year.