India is known as the land of festivals, with some celebrated across the land and others relegated to a region or state. But now, an intermingling of celebrations can be seen as several festivals cross borders and set off gaiety all over the country. Rakesh kumar sees a cause to celebrate some of these unifying festivities
They say nothing binds people together like celebration. And if it is
a festival where members of all communities can participate, the bonds
are further strengthened. Of late, there have been several such
festivals, which were regional to begin with, but have panned out across
the country. Then there are some common festivals that are celebrated
in different ways.
This year, when Delhi government declared a government holiday on
Chath, a festival widely celebrated in Bihar and some parts of
Uttar Pradesh, the move brought cheer among the community hailing from
those states. Though many termed this to be a political stunt to
increase voter bank, at the same time it defined the outreach of the
festival. What was till a few years back limited to a particularly
state, has now widened its horizon and reached the Capital, where a gala
event is held. In fact, it is not only the Chath, but there are many
such festivals like Diwali, Holi, Durga Puja and Raksha Bandhan, which
were initially celebrated either in one or two states but have now
spread throughout the country, some of them even crossing border s.
Blessed with a multi- cultural population, India has numerous and varied
festivals, that are held throughout the year.
Land of festivals
Since India has always been a land of diversity, there are numerous
religions, languages, cultures and castes. Each month is crowded with
people celebrating fairs and festivals. Different religions have their
own cultural and traditional festivals. Each and every festival is
celebrated uniquely, according to rituals and beliefs. Each festival has
its own history, legend and significance of celebration. For instance,
it is a belief that Hindus have a holiday for every day of the year ~
even that may be an understatement! Exactly how many Hindu festivals are
celebrated is not known, but one scholar of Hinduism has listed more
than a thousand different Hindu festivals. The other major religious
faiths ~ Muslims, Sikhs, Jains and Christians ~ too have their share of
festivals around the year.
Not merely religious
Till recently, festivals were limited to their respective religions,
like Diwali or Holi used to be celebrated by Hindus, Eid by the Muslims,
Guru Purab only by Sikhs and Christmas by Christian only. However, over
time and with a change in mindset, other communities now join in the
festivities. For instances, Holi or Diwali are now celebrated by all.
People can be seen colouring others or distributing sweets irrespective
of their religions. On Eid, Guru Purab or Christmas, the same fervour
can be seen in the celebration among all communities. Not just this,
many festivals have not only crossed the boundary of religion but also
states. Earlier, many festivals, which were only celebrated in one
state, are now being celebrated all over the country though the way they
are observed may be a bit different.
A major divide is between South and the North, with each region having
its unique festivals and also common festivals celebrated differently.
South India has a culture inherited from the Dravidians, which is
different from that of Aryans. However, with Aryans having migrated to
South India ages ago, a mixing of culture and traditions has taken
place. Now, because of migration and influence of people traveling to
other parts of India and vice-versa, this intermingling is reflected in
festivals as well.
However, not many South Indian festivals, such as Pongal and Onam, have
found their way outside the state borders even though the migrant
population in other states celebrate them in the traditional manner.
However, the spirit behind the harvest festival Pongal is reflected in
Makar Sankranti, which is celebrated in several other states, including
in the North.
Origin of festivals
As already mentioned, there is no exact list of all the festivals in
India. However, there are many festivals, which owe their origin from a
particular part of the country and travel around. A number of them,
which were unknown to the rest of India, have now become pan-Indian
celebrations. There is a long list of such festival including
Holi, Krishna Janmashtami,
Govinda, Onam, Ganesh Chaturthi, Diwali, Navaratri, Dussehra, and Durga
Puja.
Common celebration
Some religious faiths like Christians and Muslims are spread across the
country. Their festivals ~ Christmas, Eid and Easter ~ are common to the
respective faiths no matter where they are. However, slight differences
in celebration can be noticed from state to state. The same goes for
the Sikhs, Buddhists and Jains, who are today spread across the country.
Holi
Holi is a festival of colours, which starts with a Holika bonfire on the night before Holi, where people gather, sing and dance. The next morning, people colour each other with dry powder and coloured water, with some water guns and coloured water-filled balloons for their water fight. Holi is of particular significance in the Braj region, which includes locations traditionally connected with Lord Krishna ~ Mathura, Vrindavan and Banaras.
In other parts of the country, the festival is being celebrated differently but with the same fervour. In Gujarat, UP, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh, the festival is celebrated like the rest of India, by sprinkling coloured water and applying colours to each other. However, South India did not traditionally have this festival. Now Holi is celebrated in South India too, though limited to cities, with as equal a vigour as in the North.
Diwali
This is another major festival, which is celebrated with much gaiety in North India. The day commemorates the return of Lord Ram to Ayodhya after his exile. Usually, on Diwali, the goddess Laxmi, a symbol of prosperity, is worshipped, people wear new clothes, share sweets and light firecrackers. This is how the festival of lights is traditionally celebrated all over India. However, in South India, it is celebrated with the same fervour, but with a different history. It commemorates the victory of Lord Krishna over the demon Narakasura.
This day is celebrated as Deepavali (Diwali in the North) and it usually falls a day before the Diwali in North India. On this day, houses are cleaned, decorated with beautiful Rangoli designs on the doorstep. An elaborate oil bath is taken early in the morning before firecrackers are set off. Given the number of people who have migrated from North to South, the festival has witnessed a drastic change in the way it is celebrated. Now, people of South India are not only celebrating Deepavali the traditionally way but also the way the North celebrates it ~ with illuminationas and bursting firecrackers.
Durga Puja
Durga Puja is a ceremonial worship of the mother goddess and is one of the most important festivals of India. The festival marks the victory of Goddess Durga over the demon Mahishasura. Thus, Durga Puja festival epitomises the victory of Good over Evil.
The rituals entail ten days of fasting, feasting and worship. The last four days ~ Saptami, Ashtami, Navami and Dashami are celebrated with much grandeur. Durga Puja is mainly celebrated in the Indian states of West Bengal, Bihar, Assam, Jharkhand, Orissa, Tripura and Manipur.
Apart from eastern India, Durga Puja also marks its presence in other parts of the country. For instance, in northern parts of the country, where the 10-day festivities end with Dushera, Ram Leela is staged on all the days and effigy of Ravana burnt on the last day. But pandals for Durga Puja crop up across several cities. The same is true in Gujarat and Maharastra also, where playing Dandiya is their main form of celebration. These states too organise Durga Pandals in different parts of major cities. Similarly, other states like Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Kashmir, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala, organise Durga Puja as a part of their celebration thanks to a sizeable Bengali population.
Janmashtami
This is a celebration to mark the birth of Lord Krishna. The festival is celebrated in the North by fasting and staying up until midnight, when Krishna is believed to have been born. At midnight, devotees gather around for devotional songs, dance and exchanging gifts.
In Uttar Pradesh, places associated with Krishna’s childhood, such as Mathura, Gokul and Vrindavan, Rasa Lila, depicting the life of Krishna is enacted on this day. However, residents of Dwarka city in Gujarat, where Krishna is believed to have spent his adulthood and established his kingdom, celebrate the festival by visiting the Dwarkadish temple. Many states like Maharashtra and Gujarat organise a Dahi Handi, to celebrate Krishna's playful and mischievous side, where teams of young men form human towers to reach a pot (handi) of butter strung up high. Lately, the Dahi-Handi celebration is seen in several other states too.
Ganesh Mahotsav
Ganesh Mahotsav or Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated to mark the birth of the elephant-headed God, Lord Ganesha. The 11-day festival witnesses much fanfare in Mumbai or western part of the country. On the occasion, most Hindu families install their own small clay statues for worship on Ganesh Chaturthi. As per the tradition of respective families, the domestic celebrations come to end an end after 11 days, when the statue is taken in a procession to a large body of water such as river or sea for immersion. Apart form Maharashtra, the festival is celebrated with the same fanfare in the southern states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh too. Now, the elephant god has stomped across several other states too, where the festival is celebrated with the same pomp and ceremony.
Karwa chauth
