Hindu Religious Festivals
See also: List of Hindu festivalsHindus observe sacred occasions by festive observances. All festivals in Hinduism are predominantly religious in character and significance. Many festivals are seasonal. Some celebrate harvest and birth of God or heroes. Some are dedicated to important events in Hindu mythology. Many are dedicated to Shiva and Parvati, Vishnu and Lakshmi and Brahma and Saraswati
A festival may be observed with acts of worship, offerings to deities, fasting, feasting, vigil, rituals, fairs, charity, celebrations, Puja, Homa, aarti etc. They celebrate individual and community life of Hindus without distinction of caste, gender or class.
'Utsava' is the Sanskrit word for Hindu festivals, meaning 'to cause to grow 'upward'.
In the Hindu calendar dates are usually prescribed according to the lunar calendar. In vedic timekeeping, a tithi is a lunar day.
Hindu festivals include:
- Diwali
- Gudi padwa
- Pongal
- Holi
- Navratri
- Ganesh Chaturthi
- Raksha Bhandan
- Krishna Janmashtami
- Dussehra
- Dasara
- Onam
- Vijayadashami
- Shivaratri
- Ugadi
Read more about this topic: Religious Festival
Famous quotes containing the words religious and/or festivals:
“The sceptics assert, though absurdly, that the origin of all religious worship was derived from the utility of inanimate objects, as the sun and moon, to the support and well-being of mankind.”
—David Hume (1711–1776)
“This is certainly not the place for a discourse about what festivals are for. Discussions on this theme were plentiful during that phase of preparation and on the whole were fruitless. My experience is that discussion is fruitless. What sets forth and demonstrates is the sight of events in action, is living through these events and understanding them.”
—Doris Lessing (b. 1919)