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Ramnavami is dedicated to
the memory of Lord Rama, the son of king Dashrath.
He is known as 'Maryada Purusottama' and is
the emblem of righteousness. The festival commemorates
the birth of Rama on the ninth day after the
new moon in Sukul Paksh (the waxing moon), which
falls sometime in the month of April.
Lord Rama is remembered for his prosperous and
righteous reign. He is considered to be an avatar
or reincarnation of Lord Vishnu, who came down
to earth to battle the invincible Ravana (demon
king) in human form. Ramrajya (the reign of
Rama) has become synonymous with a period of
peace and prosperity.
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On the Ramnavami
day, devotees crowd the temples and sing devotional
bhajans in praise of Rama and rock images of
him in cradles to celebrate his birth. There
are recitations of Tulsi Ramayan, the epic,
which recounts the story of this great king.
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Deepawali or Diwali, is a
festival of lights symbolising the victory of
righteousness and the lifting of spiritual darkness.
The word 'Deepawali' literally means rows of
diyas (clay lamps). This is one of the most
popular festivals in the Hindu calendar. It
is celebrated on the 15th day of Kartika (Oct./Nov).
This festival commemorates Lord Rama's return
to his kingdom Ayodhya after completing his
14-year exile.
The most beautiful of all Indian festivals,
Diwali is a celebration of lights. Streets are
illuminated with rows of clay lamps and homes
are decorated with colours and candles. This
festival is celebrated with new clothes, spectacular
firecrackers and a variety of sweets in the
company of family and friends. All this illumination
and fireworks, joy and festivity, signify the
victory of divine forces over those of wicked.
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The Goddess
Lakshmi (consort of Vishnu), who is the symbol
of wealth and prosperity, is also worshipped
on this day. In West Bengal, this festival is
celebrated as Kali Puja, and Kali, Shiva's consort,
is worshipped on the occasion of Diwali.
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| » Guru
Nanak Jayanti |
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Celebrated on the full-moon
day of the Hindu month of Sravana Guru Nanak
Jayanti, the foremost of all the Gurupurabs
or anniversaries of the 10 Sikh Gurus, is the
birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev, the founder
of the Sikh faith, who ushered in a new wave
in religion. The first of the 10 Sikh Gurus,
Guru Nanak was born in 1469 at Talwandi, near
Lahore. The disinclination to accept the practice
of several religions in society, professing
different deities drove the much-traveled leader
to break free from the shackles of religious
diversity, and establish a religion based on
a single God who is the eternal truth. The festive
event of Guru Nanak Jayanti includes the three-day
Akhand Path, during which the Guru Granth Sahib,
the holy book of the Sikhs is read out from
the beginning to the end without a break. On
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the day of the
main event, the Granth Sahib is ornamented with
flowers, and carried on a float in a proper
procession throughout a village or city. The
procession is headed by five armed guards, representatives
of the 'Panj Pyaras,' who carry the Nishan Sahibs
or the Sikh flag epitomising their faith. Religious
hymns from the Granth Sahib are sung throughout
the procession, marking a special feature of
the event. The procession finally leads to a
Gurudwara, where the gathered devotees get together
for a community lunch, which is called Langar.
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| » Christmas |
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Christmas originates from the word Cristes maesse,
or 'Christ's Mass'. The first Christmas is estimated
to be around 336 AD in Rome. It is celebrated
on 25th December all over the world, to commemorate
the birth of Jesus Christ, the Sun of God. It
is regarded as one of the most important of
all Christian festivals. It is a public holiday
in India and most of the other countries.
There is the widely accepted Christian legend
of the New Testament relating to the birth of
Christ. In the story, God sent angel Gabriel
to a girl named Mary, a virgin. Gabriel told
Mary that she would give birth to the
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Son of God,
and the child would be named Jesus. He would
grow up to become a king, and his kingdom would
have no boundaries.
The angel Gabriel also visited Joseph and told
him that Mary would give birth to a child and
advised him to take good care of her, and not
to abandon her. On the night that jesus was
born, Mary and Joseph were on their way to Bethlehem
to get their names registered as per the rules
then. They found refuge in a stable, where Mary
gave birth to Jesus at midnight and laid him
in a manger. Thus Jesus, the Son of God was
born.
St. Benedict, alias Santa Claus, is a legendary
chubby oldie figure, clad in red and white dress,
who rides the reindeer and forms a significant
part of the celebrations especially for children.
He loves kids and gets chocolates, gifts and
other desired goodies for them, which he apparently
places in their stockings at night.
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| » Khajuraho
Dance Festival |
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The Khjuraho Festival of
Dance is a week-long event held every year in
February/ March. It attracts the cream of Indian
classical dancers who perform amid the temples
in the western enclosure. In 2000 the festival
will take place from 2 to 8 March, marking the
end of Khajuraho's year -long millennium celebrations.
Performances are open-air, with the floodlit
temples as a backdrop.
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