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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)
January/February
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.
February
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.
March
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.
April
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.
May
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.
June/July
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.
July
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.
August
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.
August/September
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.
September
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.
October
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.
October
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.
Muharram Commemorates the martyrdom of
the Prophet Mohammed's grandson—Imam
Hussein. Tazias, glittering replicas of
the martyr's tomb, are carried in
procession through the streets. The
tazias of Lucknow and Hyderabad are
noted for their splendour.
Diwali This festival of lights is the
prettiest and the most eagerly awaited
occasion in India. It celebrates the
return of Lord Rama, the hero of the
epic Ramayana, to Ayodhya after a
fourteen year exile. The flickering
lights of the traditional clay lamps or
'diyas' illuminate the houses and
fireworks resound through the night. The
goddess of wealth and prosperity -
Lakshmi, is worshipped on this day.
Houses are white washed and elaborate
designs drawn at the thresholds to
welcome the goddess. The exchanging of
gifts and sweets among friends and
relatives and playing of games of chance
at night are all an integral part of the
celebrations.
October/November
Kali Puja or Diwali Two weeks later, is
another popular festival, Kai Puja. Kali
is the Goddess of destruction. The image
of Kali usually shows her foot on Lord
Shiva's chest, a severed head in one
hand, her sword in the other and wearing
a garland of skulls. Kali is worshipped
as the Mother Goddess who protects all
from evil. She also epitomises strength
or shakti and the darker side of life.
The actual puja takes place at midnight
on the day of the new moon.
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.
Guru Purab The birth anniversary of Guru
Nanak - the first guru of the Sikhs, is
celebrated with great fervour. The 'Akhand
Path' - recitation of the Guru Granth
Sahib, is held in gurdwaras all over the
country. Taking the holy book out in
procession is also an integral part of
the celebrations.
Other Exhibitions This Month are the
Textile Fair, Art and Handicrafts Fair,
and the Leather Exhibition. The city is
also resonant with Film and Theatre
Festivals, music conferences, rock
shows, art exhibitions and various other
cultural activities such as the fairs of
rural Bengal.
December
Poush Mela is celebrated in the Shanti
Niketan usually on the 22nd or 23rd of
December. The three-day function marks
the foundation of Shanti Niketan near
Kolkata.
Christmas is widely celebrated in
Kolkata, not only by the Christian
community. Streets are illuminated,
there are parties in clubs and hotels
and masses are held at St. Paul's
Cathedral (candle lit on this occasion)
at St. Andrew's Kirk and at the
Murgihatta Catholic Cathedral as well as
at other Christian institutions around
the city. A pandal with a nativity scene
is erected on Dharamtala Street (Lenin
Sarani) in front of the St. Thomas
Church. |
