Sharad Purnima | |
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Also called | Kumara Purnima, Kojagari Purnima, Navanna Purnima, Kojagrat Purnima or Kaumudi Purnima |
Observed by | Hindus |
Celebrations | Worshipping, offering flowers and dishes to deities, dancing |
Date | Ashvin māsa Purnima tithi (Oct 28, 2023) [1] |
Frequency | Annual |
Sharad Purnima (also known as Kumara Purnima, Kojagari Purnima, Navanna Purnima, [2] Kojagrat Purnima [3] or Kaumudi Purnima [3] ) is a religious festival celebrated on the full moon day of the Hindu lunar month of Ashvin (September to October), marking the end of the monsoon season. [4] The full moon night is celebrated in different ways in various cultural regions across Indian subcontinent.
On this day, many Hindu divine pairs like Radha Krishna, Shiva Parvati and Lakshmi Narayana are worshipped along with the Chandra, the moon deity, and are offered flowers and kheer (sweet dish made of rice and milk). [4] Deities in temples are usually dressed in white color signifying the brightness of moon. Many people observe full day fasting on this night.
Sharad Purnima celebrates the night that the rāsalīlā (a circular dance) was performed between Krishna and the gopis (milkmaids) of Braj. [5] [6] To participate in this divine dance, Shiva took the form of Gopīśvara Mahādevā. Vivid descriptions of this night are given in the Brahma Purana, Skanda Purana, Brahma Vaivarta Purana, and the Linga Purana. It is also believed that, on this full moon night, the goddess Lakshmi descends on the earth to watch the actions of human beings. [7]
Kojagari Purnima concerns the observance of the Kojagara Vrata. People perform this vrata under the moonlight after fasting for the day. Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of wealth, is significantly worshipped on this day as it is believed to be her birthday. [8] Indra, the god of rain, along with his elephant Airavata is also worshipped. This day is celebrated by Hindus differently in various regions of India, Bangladesh and Nepal.
In Bengal, Tripura and Assam, the night is known as Kojagari Purnima. Kojagari translates to 'one who is awake' in Bengali. It is believed that Goddess Lakshmi visits people's houses on this night, checks whether they are staying awake, and blesses them only if they are awake. [7] [9]
In northern and central states of India, such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, kheer is prepared during the night and kept under the moonlight in an open roofed space overnight. It is believed that on this night, moon rays carry amrita (elixir of immortality), which is collected in the kheer. [10] The kheer is then eaten as a prasad on the next day. Also, goddess Lakshmi is worshipped on this night. [11] [12]
For some Bengali tribes, the day is celebrated a few days before or after the exact day, especially in the Dyao, Brahmo, and Cumulang traditions, as per various traditions determining which days are auspicious for celebration.
In Maharashtra, it is popularly known as Kojagiri Paurnima. People make masala milk and keep it outside under the moonlight, as moon rays are believed to carry amrita.
In many parts of Gujarat, Garba is performed under the moonlight. [13]
In Mithila region of Bihar, special celebration occurs in the house of newly married groom. Groom's family distribute betel and Makhana gifted from bride family to their relatives & neighbours. [14] [15]
In Odisha, on this day unmarried women fast, with the popular belief of getting their suitable groom (kumara). Unmarried women worship the moon on the occasion of this festival. The puja starts in the early morning when the moon sets with new dress. A kula (a basket made of woven bamboo strips) is filled with rice puffs, sugarcane, betel leaves, betel nuts, cucumbers, coconuts, and seven other fruits such as apples or bananas. In the evening the full moon is worshiped again, and worshippers break their fast by preparing a dish containing the fried paddy and fruits from the kula, along with curd and jaggery and offer it to the moon god before a tulsi plant. After this, maidens play games and sing songs under the light of the full moon.
In Nepal, the day is known as Kojagrat Purnima and it concludes the 15–day Dashain festival celebrations. [3] Kojagrat translates to 'one who is awake' in Nepali. Similar to the traditions of eastern India, Nepalese Hindus wake up all night offering reverence to goddess Lakshmi. [16] It is also the last day to receive the Dashain tika from ones relatives. [17]
This day is also known as Valmiki Jayanti or the birth anniversary of Valmiki, who composed the Ramayana. [18] [19]
Lakshmi, also known as Shri, is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism. She is the goddess of wealth, fortune, power, beauty, fertility and prosperity, and associated with Maya ("Illusion"). Along with Parvati and Saraswati, she forms the Tridevi of Hindu goddesses.
Diwali is the Hindu festival of lights with its variations also celebrated in other Indian religions. It symbolises the spiritual "victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance". Diwali is celebrated during the Hindu lunisolar months of Ashvin and Kartika—between around mid-September and mid-November. The celebrations generally last five or six days.
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Chhath is an ancient Hindu festival historically native to the Indian subcontinent, more specifically, the Indian states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, West Bengal and the Nepalese provinces of Madhesh and Lumbini. Prayers during Chhath puja are dedicated to the solar deity, Surya, to show gratitude and thankfulness for bestowing the bounties of life on earth and to request that certain wishes be granted.
Amāvásyā is the lunar phase of the new moon in Sanskrit. Indian calendars use 30 lunar phases, called tithi in India. The dark moon tithi is when the Moon is within 12 degrees of the angular distance between the Sun and Moon before conjunction (syzygy). The New Moon tithi is the 12 angular degrees after syzygy. Amāvásyā is often translated as new moon since there is no standard term for the Moon before conjunction in English.
Ekadashi is the eleventh lunar day (tithi) of the waxing and waning lunar cycles in a Vedic calendar month. Ekadashi is popularly observed within Vaishnavism and Shaivism, two major paths within Sanatan Dharma. Followers offer their worship to the god Vishnu, Shiva by fasting or just as symbol, the idea was always to receive self discipline and benefits of fasting and it was connected to the way if life via Sanatam Dharma practices.
Dashain or Bada'dashain, also referred as Vijaya Dashami in Sanskrit, is a major Hindu religious festival in Nepal and the Indian states of Sikkim and West Bengal. It is also celebrated by Hindus of Nepal and elsewhere in the world, including among the Lhotshampa of Bhutan and the Burmese Gurkhas of Myanmar. The festival is also referred as Nauratha, derived from the Sanskrit word for the same festival Navaratri which translates to Nine Nights. A version of this festival is celebrated as Navaratri, Dussehra or Dashera by Hindus in India, although rites and rituals vary significantly.
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Lakshmi Puja is a Hindu occasion for the veneration of Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity and the supreme goddess of Vaishnavism. The occasion is celebrated on the amavasya in the Vikram Samvat Hindu calendar month of Ashwayuja or Kartika, on the third day of Deepavali in most part of India. In Assam, Bengal, and Odisha, this puja is celebrated five days after Vijaya Dashami.
Mithila culture or Maithil culture refers to the culture which originated in the Mithila region of the Indian subcontinent. Mithila comprises Tirhut, Darbhanga, Kosi, Purnia, Munger, Bhagalpur and Santhal Pargana divisions of India and adjoining provinces of Province No. 1, Bagmati Pradesh, and Madhesh Province of Nepal.
Varalakshmi Vratam, also called Varalakshmi Puja, is a Hindu observance to propitiate the goddess of wealth, Lakshmi. Varalakshmi is the manifestation of Lakshmi who grants boons (varam). It is a puja primarily performed by married Hindu women in the states of South India. This occasion is observed on the Friday before the day of the full moon - Purnima - in the Hindu month of Shravana, which corresponds to the Gregorian months of July – August.
Navaratri is an annual Hindu festival observed in honour of the goddess Durga, an aspect of Adi Parashakti, the supreme goddess. It spans over nine nights, first in the month of Chaitra, and again in the month of Ashvin (September–October). It is observed for different reasons and celebrated differently in various parts of the Hindu Indian cultural sphere. Theoretically, there are four seasonal Navaratri. However, in practice, it is the post-monsoon autumn festival called Sharada Navaratri.
Gaura Parva is a Hindu festival celebrated by the people residing in Sudurpashchim province and parts of Karnali province of Nepal as well as in Kumaon region of Uttarakhand state of India. The festival commemorates the wedding of goddess Gaura (Parvati) to Lord Shiva. The festival falls in the Hindu month of Bhadra (August/September).
Prabodhini Ekadashi, also known as Deva Uttana Ekadashi, is the 11th lunar day (ekadashi) in the bright fortnight of the Hindu month of Kartika. It marks the end of the four-month period of Chaturmasya, when the god Vishnu is believed to be asleep. It is believed that Vishnu sleeps on the day of Shayani Ekadashi, and wakes on this day.
The religious festivals of the Kashmiri Pandits have Rigvedic roots. Some festivals of Kashmiri Pandits are unique to Kashmir. Some Kashmiri Pandit festivals are Herath (Shivaratri), Navreh, Zyeath-Atham, Huri-Atham, Zarmae-Satam (Janmashtami), Dussehra, Diwali, Pan, Gaad Batt, Khetsimavas (Yakshamavasya), Kava Punim, Mitra Punim, Tiky Tsoram, Gengah Atham, Tila Atham, Vyetha Truvah, and Anta Tsodah.
Pūrṇimā is the word for full moon in Sanskrit. The day of Purnima is the day (Tithi) in each month when the full moon occurs, and marks the division in each month between the two lunar fortnights (paksha), and the Moon is aligned exactly in a straight line, called a syzygy, with the Sun and Earth. Full moon is considered the third of the four primary phases of the Moon; the other three phases are new moon, first quarter moon, and third quarter moon. The full moon shows 100% illumination, causes high tides, and can concur with lunar eclipses.
Here is a list of glossary of Culture of India in alphabetical order:
Saama Chakeba is a Hindu festival, originating from the Mithilaregion of the Indian subcontinent. It is a festival of unity. It is celebrated in November and commences when birds begin their migration from the Himalayas down towards the plains of India. According to the Hindustan Times, the festival, which includes folk theater and song, celebrates the love between brothers and sisters and is based on a legend recounted in the Puranas. It is celebrated by Maithilis and Tharu people of India and Nepal.
Chaurchan is special festival of the Mithila region of India and Nepal. It is a very important fasting for married women in Mithila. It is also known as Charchanna Pabni, Chauth Chand or Chauth Chandra or Chorchan Puja. It is dedicated to Lord Ganesha and Chandra Deva. It has a lot of religious significance. On this day, married women keep a fast. Different types of dishes are prepared as prasad. Ganesh Chaturthi fast is also observed on this day. Along with Lord Ganesha, Lord Vishnu, Goddess Parvati and the moon god is worshipped. The story of Chorchan Puja is also heard on this day after that Arghya is offered to the moon god Chandra Deva.
but the Laxmi Puja observed on Sharad Purnima is believed to be one of the most significant ones. It is performed on the full moon day in the month of Ashwin in Hindu lunar calendar. Believed to be the birthday of goddess Lakshmi, it is also celebrated as Kunar Purnima or Kojagari Purnima - the harvest festival signifying the end of the monsoon season.