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When the last showers of the monsoon are beginning to fall sparsely
between spells of bright sunshine , comes the month of Ashwin. In
this month/the festive season in India reaches a crescendo with
the beginning of the nine-day Navaratri festival.
DURGA PUJA : Homage
To The Mother Goddess
The Durga Puja of Bengal, performed during the nine days of Navaratri,
is now a legendary celebration. Whole villages of idolmakers get
busy months before, working with clay and hay, forming beautiful,
lustrous idols of Durga, her sons Kartikeya and Ganesha and her
daughters Lakshmi and Saraswati.
DUSSERA :
Day Of Victory
Vijayadashami or Dussera, the 10th day of the bright half of Ashmn,
is celebrated as the day of victory to rejoice about Durga's triumph
over the demon Mahishasura. In Mysore, at the hiiltop Chamundi tempie,
Dussera is a picturesque festival. The goddess is the maharaja's
family deity and a procession of elephants, courtiers and court
symbols attracts tourists by the thousands as it wends its circuituous
way to the temple, decorated splendidly for the festival. With the
decline of the royal family of Mysore however, this festival has
lost some of its traditional lustre.
SHARAD PURNIMA : The
Autumn Harvest Moon
By the time the autumn full moon is ready to rise on the dark horizon,
Dussera festivals are over and the eyes of merrymakers are turned
towards shops full of fireworks and sweets for Diwali. Sharad Purnima
occurs exactly a fortnight before Diwali. This is a harvest festival
when Laxmi, the goddess of prosperity, visits all homes to bring
fortune and good luck to all people, young and old.
DIWALI : Lighting
The Lamps
Every year, on the dark nights of Diwali the sound of firecrackers
announces the celebration of the favourite festival of Indians.
Homes are decorated, sweets are distributed by everyone and thousands
of lamps lit to create a world of fantasy. Of all the festivals
celebrated in India, Diwaliis by far the most glamorous and important.
Enthusiastically enjoyed by people of every religion, its magical
and radiant touch creates an atmosphere of joy and festivity. The
ancient story of how Diwali evolved into such a widely celebrated
festival is different in various regions.
