The festivities include fund-raising, building
all kinds of innovative forms Ganesh idols, organizing public performances of music and dance, cooking grand feasts and making
a lot of noise. The festivities end when the idol of the year is immersed in water (visarjan),
accompanied by loud shouts of Ganapati Bappa Moraya.
HOLI
The colorful festival of Holi is celebrated in most parts of India during
February-March (in the month of Phalguna according to the Hindu calendar). The celebrations vary depending on region and local traditions
but the common part is exchange of colors.
Legends of Holi
- Holika was an aunt of a boy named Prahlad, who died in the fire arguing against her king brother Hiranyakashipu who
had declared himself as God. In her honor, an effigy of Holika is burnt in a bonfire in some parts of India.
- Holi was also the day when Kama, the God of Love disturbed Lord Shiva's meditation and was burnt down by Shiva. An effigy of Kama is burnt in some parts of
India on the day of the Holi festival.
- Holi was also the name of a female demon Putana who tried to kill boy
Krishna, by giving him her poisoned nipples to suckle. The miracle boy Krishna
is said to have sucked so intensely that he drained the demon of her life. Hence the biggest celebration of Holi takes place
at Mathura.
Celebrations
On the day of the Holi, people (men and women) irrespective of caste and
creed mingle together and exchange colors. The celebrations can get wild and rowdy -- it is one of the few occasions of the
year that the sexes are allowed to mix freely. People use tools and tricks to spray, paint and drown friends and relatives
in color.
DIWALI
Diwali or Deepavali, the festival of "rows of lights", is one
of the most important of all Hindu festivals. It is believed that it was on this day that Lord Rama entered Ayodhya after
fourteen years of exile. Deepavali is also celebrated as Naraka Chaturdashi, the day when the demon of darkness and dirt,
Narakasura, was destroyed by Lord Krishna. The celebrations commence with a purifying oil bath and the lighting of lamps,
symbolic of the spiritual light pervading the earth and the destruction of darkness and ignorance.
CHRISTMAS
Christmas is a Christian holiday held on December 25 which celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. Eastern Orthodox Churches, which use the Julian Calendar to determine feast days, celebrate on January 7 by the Gregorian Calendar. The date is merely traditional and is not thought to be the actual birthdate
of Jesus. Christ's birth, or nativity, is said to fulfill Old Testament prophecies concerning the coming of a messiah, or savior.
The word Christmas is derived Middle English Christemasse and from Old English Cristes męsse. It is a contraction meaning "Christ's mass". The name of the holiday is often shortened to Xmas because Roman letter "X" resembles the Greek letter Χ (chi), an abbreviation for Christ (Χριστός).
In Western countries, Christmas has become the most economically significant
holiday of the year. The popularity of Christmas can be traced in part to its status as a winter festival. Many cultures have
their most important holiday in winter because there is less agricultural work to do at this time. Examples of winter festivals
that have influenced Christmas include the pre-Christian festivals of Yule (e.g. yuletide, yule log) and Saturnalia.
In Western culture, the holiday is characterized by the exchange of gifts among friends and
family members, some of the gifts being attributed to Santa Claus (also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas and Father Frost). However, various local and regional Christmas traditions are still practiced,
despite the widespread influence of American, British and Australian Christmas motifs disseminated by film, popular literature, television, and
other media.
