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Brother’s Day Two days after
Diwali is Brother's Day, Bhai Phonta or
Bhatri Dvitiya. Elder sisters dip their
little fingers into kajol, a mixture of
ghee, rice-paste and almond paste and
put a mark on their brothers' forehead.
New Year's Day Although most
communities follow their own calendar,
the first day of the Christian year is
celebrated by all. Buses are garlanded
and the city is in a festive mood, with
decorations from Christmas past still
very much in evidence. On New Year's
Eve, parties are organised in clubs,
hotels, restaurants and private homes.
The city is illuminated and people go to
bed late. Those who manage will go to
the races the next day in the afternoon;
a hangover 'must' in Calcutta.
Makar Sankranti festival in
mid-January marks the winter solstice.
Over 500,000 pilgrims gather on Sagar
Dwip, an island some 150 km south of
Calcutta, for the three-day Ganga Sagar
Mela. The city in the second week of
January is full of pilgrims on the way
to the mela, sleeping in make-shift
tents erected in Maidan. The festival
lasts from 12th to 14th of the month. On
the day the Ganga Sagar Mela ends, the
Baul Mela begins. Hindu Vaishnab and
Sufi Muslim Bauls from all over Bengal
as well as from Bangladesh gather at
Bolpur, 150 km west of Calcutta to sing
devotional songs.
Ganga Sagar Mela is celebrated
at Sagar which is about 105km south of
Calcutta where the river Hugli joins the
sea. Vast numbers of Hindu pilgrims
bathe in the holy water.
Guru Govind Singh Birthday (26th January)
Saraswati Puja Late in January
or early February, Saraswati Puja, is
the festival of the Goddess of Learning
and is celebrated by students, artists
and professors. Saravasti Puja.
Kolkata (Calcutta) Book Fair is
the largest in Asia and provides ample
opportunities to the bibliophiles to
explore the fascinating world of books.
The event is held every year in the
month of January or February in Kolkata.
Shivratri is observed as the
night, when Lord Shiva danced the 'Tandav'
- his cosmic dance. Fasts and prayers
mark the day and devotees throng the
temples. The major Shaivite temples at
Varanasi, Kalahasti (Andhra Pradesh) and
Chidambaram (Tamil Nadu) are noted for
their special celebrations.
Dol Purnima or Holi as
it is called by Northern Hindus, heralds
the short spring season. People from all
walks of life celebrate the coming of
spring by drinking bhang, a mild milk
beverage laced with marijuana, by
smearing each other with powdered
colours, red especially, and spraying
coloured water at passers-by. Social
barriers are broken. It is a time when
poor may touch rich, lower-cast touch
upper-cast.
Good
Friday is observed by Christians
nationwide with special services in the
churches.
Nabobarsho in mid of April
marks the beginning of the Bengali New
Year and also the begining of summer.
Businessmen carry their new halkhata
account books, statues of Ganesh and
Lakshmi to the Kali Temple for
blessings. In the evening, customers
make token payments to their favourite
shops while owners offer them sweets.
Shops are decorated with garlands, mango
leaves, sola pith ornaments and young
bananas. On Charak Puja, the eve of the
Bengali New Year, devotees at Chatu Babu
Bazaar attach themselves to giant
rotating swings symbolising the cycles
of life. A few days after noboborsho, on
Mahabir Jayanti, it is the birth
anniversary of the last, greatest Jain
prophets and there are processions of
the Svetamber Sect from Harrison Road to
Kalakar Street, and of the Digambar Sect
from Belgachaia to Baisakh Lane.
Baisakhi The Hindu New Year
finds expression in this exuberant
festival, celebrated throughout India.
It was on this day that Guru Gobind
Singh founded the Khalsa. Robust revelry
and feasting mark the celebrations and
dancers perform the vigorous Bhangra to
the rhythmic beat of the drums.
Mahavir Jayanti The birth
anniversary of Lord Mahavira, the
founder of Jainism, is observed by the
Jain community. Special prayers are
offered at temples and shrines.
Ramnavami The anniversary of
Lord Rama’s birth is celebrated as
Ramnavami by the Hindus. The epic
‘Ramayana’ is read for eight days
preceding the festival.
Id-ul-Fitr festival marks the
end of ‘Ramadan’ - a month when Muslims
fast throughout the day and eat only at
night. Prayers, family get-togethers and
feasts are the major highlights of the
celebrations.
Rath Yatra The first festival
of the monsoon is Rath Yatra, in late
June or early July, in honour of
Jagannath, an avatar of Vishnu.
Processions are organised in Calcutta by
ISKON and in Serampore, north of
Calcutta. Replicas of Jagannath's
chariot are sold at Kalighat. Children
decorate their chariots with flowers and
place clay images of Jagannath, his
brother Balaram and sister Subhadra in
them.
Id-ul-Zuha (Bakr-Id) This
Muslim festival is celebrated all over
the country. Prayers are offered in the
mosques and special delicacies are
prepared and served among family and
friends on the occasion.
Independence Day (15th August)
commemorates the day India attained
freedom. Independence Day is celebrated
with flag hoisting ceremonies and
cultural programmes in the state
capitals. The Prime Minister’s speech at
the Red Fort in Delhi is the major
highlight.
Janmashtami The birth of Lord
Krishna is celebrated with great fervour
all over the country. In Mathura and
Brindavan - where Lord Krishna spent his
childhood and youth, the Janmashtami
celebrations are quite elaborate. The
Krishna Leela - stories of his eventful
youth are enacted.
Vishwa Karma Puja On the 17th
of the month this festival is celebrated
by all industrial houses, artists,
craftsmen, and weavers. The tools
utilized during production are cleaned
and all machinery is repainted. The
statue of Vishwakarma holding a hammer
is erected in workshops. People are also
found flying multi-coloured kites around
the city and it’s a fun time for kids to
join in on the action.
Durga Puja This is the biggest
festival of Bengal and celebrated with
great excitement not only at Kolkata but
by Bengali communities across the globe.
The start of winter coincides with Durga
Puja, the most important festival in
Bengal. According to Hindu mythology,
all gods and goddesses of the Hindu
pantheon endowed Durga with a portion of
their own energy to give her strength,
or shakti, to destroy the evil forces.
Some 2,000 pandals are erected
throughout the city. This is the season
for gifts. New clothes are purchased and
shops overflow with the latest goods.
People take to the streets to visit the
thousands of puja pandals which spring
up virtually on every street corner. The
puja climaxes on Mahadashami, the 10th
day when the image of the god is carried
in decorated carts or trucks in festive
processions to be immersed in the river
Hooghly. At sunset, huge effigies of
Ravana, his son and his brother are
burned on the Maidan.
Laxmi Puja five days after
Mahadashami, on the full moon, is the
festival of the Goddess of property,
Laxmi who is worshipped daily in most
Hindu households for the family's
well-being. Public Pujas are performed
in the same premises as for Durga Puja.
Gandhi Jayanti (2nd October)
The birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi
- the 'Father of the nation' The
President and Prime Minister, along with
other eminent political leaders, pay
homage at Raj Ghat - the samadhi of
Mahatma Gandhi. All offices and schools,
throughout the country, remain closed on
this day.
Dussehra Celebrated to mark the
defeat of Ravana by Lord Rama, Dussehra
symbolizes the triumph of good over
evil. The Ramila - an enactment of the
life of Lord Rama, is held during the
nine days preceding Dussehra. On the
tenth day, larger than life effigies of
Ravana, his son and brother - Meghnath
and Kumbhakarna, are set alight. In West
Bengal, puja pandals have beautifully
decorated images of the goddess Durga
and people gather here in large numbers
to enjoy the festivities.
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