6.1.1 Hindu festivals by month and region

Explained

Ugadi.

• Ugadi is the Telugu form of Yugadi: yuga (age) + adi (beginning). Other stories: Kali yuga began; Vishnu as Matsya recovered the Vedas from Somakasura; start of the Shalivahana Shaka era.
• Ugadi pachadi has six tastes (shadruchulu): neem flowers bitter (sorrow), jaggery sweet (joy), raw mango astringent (new challenges), salt (zest), tamarind sour, chilli or pepper pungent.
• Panchanga Shravanam: the year's almanac is read. The panchangam has five limbs: tithi, vara, nakshatra, yoga, karana (rashi is not one of them).
• The nine days from Ugadi to Rama Navami are Vasanta (Chaitra) Navaratrulu.
• April solar new years are a separate group, on Mesha Sankranti: Puthandu (Tamil Nadu), Vishu (Kerala), Vaisakhi (Punjab), Bohag Bihu (Assam), Poila Baishakh (Bengal).

Sri Rama Navami. Rama, Vishnu's 7th avatar, born at noon (Abhijit muhurtam) in Punarvasu star, Karkataka lagna, after Dasharatha's Putrakameshti led by sage Rishyashringa. In the Telugu states the Kalyanam matters more than the birthday. At Bhadrachalam (temple built by Bhakta Ramadasu) the government sends silk clothes and pearl talambralu, a custom from Tana Shah's (Qutb Shahi) time. After bifurcation Andhra Pradesh holds the state celebration at Vontimitta (Kodandarama temple, Kadapa district). Prasadam: panakam and vadapappu; many begin writing Ramakoti that day.

Vinayaka Chavithi.

• Birth: Parvati shaped a boy from her bathing paste (nalugu pindi); Shiva cut off his head; an elephant's head was fixed.
• Ganadhipatyam: to win lordship of the ganas, Kartikeya flew round the worlds on his peacock; Vinayaka circled his parents three times on his mouse and won.
• Moon curse: the Moon laughed at him, so seeing the moon this night brings false blame; hearing the Syamantaka mani story removes it.
• 21 leaves (Ekavimshati patra puja), e.g. machi, garika, maredu, jammi, and Tulasi, offered to Ganesha on this day only; undrallu, kudumulu; immersion on Ananta Chaturdashi. Big pandals: Khairatabad (Hyderabad), Lalbaugcha Raja (Mumbai).

Dasara (Devi Navaratrulu).

• Coming at the start of Sharad ritu, the nine nights are also called Sharannavaratrulu; the 10th day is Vijayadashami. Dasara is read as "removal of ten sins".
• Mahishasura had Brahma's boon that no man could kill him. The gods' powers joined as Durga, who rode a lion. Gifts: Shiva trident, Vishnu discus, Varuna conch, Vayu arrow, Yama staff. She killed him with the trident on the 10th day: Mahishasuramardini.
• Navadurga, day by day: 1 Shailaputri, 2 Brahmacharini, 3 Chandraghanta, 4 Kushmanda, 5 Skandamata, 6 Katyayani, 7 Kalaratri, 8 Mahagauri, 9 Siddhidhatri.
• Shami (jammi) tree: the Pandavas hid their weapons in a Shami tree near Virata's capital (Matsya) for the 13th year (ajnatavasam) and took them back on Vijayadashami; hence Shami puja and Ayudha puja.
• Across India: Vijayawada Kanaka Durga ends with the Hamsa vahana teppotsavam on the Krishna; Mysuru carries Chamundeshwari on the elephant howdah (Ambari); Telangana keeps Bathukamma and looks for the Palapitta (Indian roller) bird on Vijayadashami; Kolkata Durga Puja ends with immersion in the Hooghly; Gujarat dances Garba and Dandiya; the north stages Ramlila and burns Ravana. Vijayanagara's "Rayala Dasara" under Krishnadevaraya was described by the Portuguese traveller Domingo Paes.

Deepavali: five days in the north.

• Narakasura could die only at his mother's hands; Satyabhama, an amsha of Bhudevi (his mother), killed him with Krishna.
• Other stories: Rama's return to Ayodhya; Lakshmi rose from the churned ocean; Vishnu's boon to Bali.
• Customs: abhyanga snanam with sesame oil (Lakshmi in oil, Ganga in water); lamps drive out Alakshmi; many Andhra homes do the Kedara Gauri vratam.
• Regions: Bengal worships Kali (Kali Puja); Gujarat's new year Bestu Varas is the next day, with new account books (Chopda Pujan); Tamil Nadu celebrates on Naraka Chaturdashi itself; Sikhs mark Bandi Chhor Divas, Guru Hargobind's release from Jahangir's prison (Gwalior fort); Odisha lights jute sticks for ancestors (Kaunria Kathi); Maharashtra begins with Vasubaras (cow and calf puja). Deepavali joined UNESCO's intangible heritage list in 2025.

Sankranti (Pedda Panduga).

• Bhogi: gratitude to Indra, the rain god; Bhogi mantalu (bonfire of old things); children showered with regi pallu.
• Makara Sankranti: the Sun passes from Dhanu into Makara; Uttarayana (six months = one day of the gods) begins; tarpanam with black sesame; Haridasu, Gangireddulu, muggulu with gobbemmalu.
• Kanuma: thanksgiving to cattle (and birds); saying "Kanuma nadu minumu tinali" (eat black gram); no travel. Mukkanuma follows.

Maha Shivaratri. Moon in Ardra star; every Krishna Chaturdashi is a Masa Shivaratri. Stories: Shiva appeared as an endless pillar of light while Brahma (swan) and Vishnu (boar) failed to find its ends (Lingodbhava, placed at Arunachalam); he held the halahala in his throat (Neelakantha); Shiva–Parvati's wedding. Observances: fast, jagarana, bilva archana, Rudrabhishekam. Palkuriki Somanatha's Panditaradhya Charitra describes Srisailam's Shivaratri.

Holi. Holika, sister of Hiranyakashipu, had a boon against fire; she sat in a fire with Prahlada and burnt while he escaped (Holika Dahan, the night before). In the south it is Kama Dahanam: Shiva burnt Manmatha with his third eye. Colours recall Krishna and Radha. Day two is Dhulivandan (colours). Regional forms: Lathmar Holi at Barsana (women beat men with sticks); Dol Jatra (Bengal; Tagore's Vasantotsav at Santiniketan); Hola Mohalla (Sikhs); Shigmo (Goa); Yaosang (Manipur); Phagwah (Bihar); Dol Purnima (Odisha).

Krishnashtami. Born in Kamsa's prison at Mathura, 8th avatar, 8th child, Ashtami tithi. Andhra: Utla Panduga (pots hung and broken); Tirumala holds Gokulashtami Asthanam and next day Sikyotsavam (utla festival). Manipur enacts Rasa Lila.

Raksha Bandhan (Shravana Purnima). Stories: Draupadi tied a strip of her saree on Krishna's bleeding finger; Lakshmi tied a raksha on Bali to win Vishnu back; Shachi tied one on Indra before battle; Rani Karnavati sent a rakhi to Humayun; Yamuna and Yama. Names: Jandhyala Purnima (Telugu: sacred thread renewed, Upakarma), Avani Avittam (Tamil Nadu, Kerala), Narali Purnima (west coast, coconut to Varuna), Kajari Purnima (Madhya Pradesh). Tagore used it for Hindu–Muslim unity during the Partition of Bengal (1905).

Kumbh Mela.

• Story: during the churning, Garuda carried the amrita pot and drops fell at four places. Adi Shankaracharya is credited with organising it.

• Cycle: Ardh Kumbh every 6 years at Haridwar and Prayagraj; Purna Kumbh every 12 years at each site; Maha Kumbh after 12 Purna Kumbhs (144 years) at Prayagraj; Magha Mela every year at Prayagraj.
• Customs: Shahi Snan (royal bath), led by the Naga sadhus of the akhadas (Juna, Niranjani, Mahanirvani); Kalpavasam, a month in riverside huts on sattvic food.

Pushkaralu. Pushkara, holder of the power of all tirthas, stays in a river while Brihaspati is in that river's rashi: Adi Pushkaram is the first 12 days, Antya Pushkaram the last 12. Rites: Pushkara snanam, pitru tarpanam, danams, nadi harati. Kumbh also uses Jupiter but adds the Sun and Moon and has only four sites.

Puri Rath Yatra (Ghosha / Gundicha Yatra).

• Snana Yatra on Jyeshtha Purnima, then 15 days of Anavasara (no darshan). Pahandi: deities carried to the chariots. Chhera Pahara: the Gajapati king sweeps the chariots with a gold-handled broom. The chariots go about 3 km to the Gundicha temple ("aunt's house") for 9 days; the return is the Bahuda Yatra.
• Chariot building starts on Akshaya Tritiya; new neem-wood idols every 8, 12 or 19 years (Navakalevara); India's second-biggest Rath Yatra is at Ahmedabad.

Regional festivals of India.

Other faiths' festivals asked in the paper.

• Buddha Purnima (Vaishakha Purnima): birth (Lumbini, 563 BCE), enlightenment (Bodh Gaya, age 35), mahaparinirvana (Kushinagar, age 80) fell on the same tithi; Vesak in Sri Lanka.
• Gurpurab: Guru Nanak's birth (1469, Talwandi, now Nankana Sahib) on Kartika Purnima. Guru Gobind Singh Jayanti (born 1666, Patna; died at Nanded). Hola Mohalla (1701, Anandpur Sahib) shows martial skills.
• Mahavir Jayanti: Chaitra Shukla Trayodashi; born at Kundagrama near Vaishali.
• Nowruz: Parsi new year on 21 March (equinox); linked with King Jamshed; Haft-Sin table of seven "S" items.