Begusarai is the industrial and financial capital of Bihar and the administrative headquarters of the Begusarai district, which is one of the 38 districts of the Indian state of Bihar. The district lies on the northern bank of the river Ganges in the Mithila region of India.
Chhath is an ancient Indo-Nepalese Hindu festival native to Nepal and East India. It is celebrated especially in the Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand, and Uttar Pradesh; and the Nepalese Autonomous provinces of Koshi, Lumbini, and Madhesh. In the major northern urban centres, hundreds of thousands of Nepalis and East Indians celebrate it in cities including Kathmandu Valley, Delhi, Mumbai and Calcutta. During Chhath Puja, prayers are dedicated to the solar deity, Surya: to show gratitude for bestowing the bounties of life on Earth and to request that certain wishes be granted.
Jagatdhatri or Jagaddhatri is an aspect of the Hindu goddess Durga, worshipped in the Indian state of West Bengal and other states like Odisha and Jharkhand. Jagaddhatri Puja is particularly famous in Chandannagar town of Hooghly district,Krishnanagar of Nadia district and Ichhapur Nawabgunj of North 24 Parganas in West Bengal where it is celebrated as a five-day-long festival. Her worship and rituals are derived from Tantra. It is believed that her worship frees her devotees from ego and all other materialistic desires.
Sharad Purnima is a religious festival celebrated on the full moon day of the Hindu lunar month of Ashvin, marking the end of the monsoon season. The full moon night is celebrated in different ways in various cultural regions across Indian subcontinent.
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.
Kolkata has many festivals throughout the year. The largest and most magnificently celebrated festival of the city is Durga Puja, and it features colourful pandals, decorative idols of Hindu goddess Durga and her family, lighting decorations and fireworks. Other major festivals are Diwali, Kali Puja, Holi, Saraswati Puja, Poush Parbon, Poila Boishakh, Christmas, Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha, etc.
Sheetalalit. '"coolness"', also spelled as śītalā and Seetla, is a Hindu goddess venerated primarily in North India. She is regarded to be an incarnation of the goddess Parvati. She is believed to cure poxes, sores, ghouls, pustules, and diseases, and most directly linked with the disease smallpox. Sheetala is worshipped on Tuesday Saptami and Ashtami, especially after Holi during the month of Chaitra. The celebration of the goddess Sheetala on the seventh and eighth day of the Hindu month is referred to as the Sheetala Saptami and Sheetala Asthami, respectively.
Kārtika is the eighth month of the Hindu calendar, which falls in October and November of the Gregorian calendar. In India's national civil calendar, Kartika is the seventh month of the year, beginning on 23 October and ending on 21 November.
Lakshmi Puja or Lokkhi Pujo is a Hindu occasion for the veneration of Lakshmi, the Goddess of Prosperity and the Supreme Goddess of Vaishnavism meaning the consort of Lord Vishnu. The occasion is celebrated on the amavasya in the Vikram Samvat Hindu calendar month of Ashwayuja or Kartika, on the third day of Deepavali (Tihar) in most parts of India and Nepal. In Bengal, Assam and Odisha, this puja is celebrated five days after Vijaya Dashami.
The Biraja Temple, or Birija Kshetra, is a historic Hindu temple located in Jajpur, Odisha, India. The present temple was built during the 13th century. The principal idol is Devi Durga, who is worshipped as Viraja (Girija), and the temple gave Jajpur the nicknames "Viraja Kshetra" and "Biraja Peetha". The Durga idol has two hands (dwibhuja), spearing the chest of Mahishasura with one hand and pulling his tail with the other. One of her feet is on a lion, and the other is on Mahishasura's chest. Mahishasura is depicted as a water buffalo. The idol's crown features Ganesha, a crescent moon and a lingam. The temple covers a large area, and has several shrines to Shiva and other deities. According to the Skanda Purana it cleanses pilgrims, and it is called the Viraja or the Biraja kshetra. Jajpur is believed to have about one crore of Shiva lingams.
Kanyā Pūjā or Kumārī Pūjā, is a Hindu holy ritual, carried out especially on the Ashtami and Navami of the Navaratri festival. The ceremony primarily involves the worship of nine girls, representing the nine forms of Goddess Durga (Navadurga). As per Hindu philosophy, these girls are considered the manifestation of the natural force of creation. Legend says that it was on the ninth day of Navaratri that Shakti had taken the form of Goddess Durga, on the request of the devas to kill the demon Mahisasura.
Navaratri is an annual Hindu festival observed in honor of the goddess Durga, an aspect of Adi Parashakti, the supreme goddess. For Shaivites and Shaktas, Durga is a form or actually is Goddess Parvati. 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 Navaratris. However, in practice, it is the post-monsoon autumn festival called Sharada Navaratri. There are 2 Gupta Navaratris or "Secret Navaratris" as well, one starting on the Shukla Paksha Pratipada of the Magha Month and another starting in the Shukla Paksha Pratipada of Ashadha Month.
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 the goddess Gaura/Gauri (Parvati) to Shiva. The festival falls in the Hindu month of Bhadra (August/September).
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.
Punjabi festivals are various festive celebrations observed by Punjabis in Pakistan, India and the jairish alipreet Punjabi found in Kannada. The Punjabis are a diverse group of people from different religious background that affects the festivals they observe. According to a 2007 estimate, the total population of Punjabi Muslims is about 90 million, with 97% of Punjabis who live in Pakistan following Islam, in contrast to the remaining 30 million Punjabi Sikhs and Punjabi Hindus who predominantly live in India.
Here is a list of glossary of culture of India in alphabetical order:
The Fiji Sanatan Society of Alberta, also known as Vishnu Mandir in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada is a modern-style Hindu temple that was built by some of the first Fijian Hindu immigrants in Edmonton in 1984. Hindus have been living in Canada for over a century, especially in Edmonton. Fijian Hindus began to settle in Edmonton in larger proportions starting in the 1960s and 1970s. They conducted prayers and meditated in individual households via groups they formed in the community. Talks of the need of a temple started in 1983 by four major Hindu Bhakti groups in Edmonton at the time, Shree Sanatan Dharam Ramayan Society, Edmonton Geeta Ramayan Congregation, Edmonton Vedic Congregation and later joined by Edmonton Prem Society, the group founded the Sanatan Board and raised funds to buy a property for the temple. It became the first Fijian Hindu cultural society in all of Canada, and till date is the largest. It started as a small place of worship in the Balwin residential area, constructed out of an old Church building. Since then it has been renovated 2 times, first adding a basement, then in 2006 expanded further making it the second largest Hindu temple in Edmonton.
Durga Ashtami or Maha Ashtami is the eighth day of the Navaratri festival celebrated by Hindus in veneration of the goddess Durga. In Eastern India, Durga Ashatmi is also one of the most auspicious days of the five days-long Durga Puja festival. Traditionally, the festival is observed for 10 days in Hindu households, but the actual puja that takes place in the pandals is held over a period of 5 days. In India, fasting is undertaken by Hindus on this holy occasion. People also get together on this day to perform the folk dance garba and wear colourful clothes. This day is also known for Astra Puja ; on this day, the weapons of Durga are worshipped. The occasion is also rendered Vira Ashtami to mark the usage of arms or martial arts on this day.
Gopashtami is a Hindu festival occurring on Ashtami of Shukla Paksha of Kartik month, in which cows and bulls are rendered worship. It is the coming-of-age celebration when Krishna's father, Nanda, gave Krishna the responsibility for taking care of the cows of Vrindavan.
