Gandhi Jayanti

Gandhi Jayanti is a national festival celebrated in India to mark the birth anniversary of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi born 2 October 1869. It is celebrated annually on 2 October, and it is one of the three national holidays of India. The UN General Assembly announced on 15 June 2007 that it adopted a resolution which declared that 2 October will be celebrated as the International Day of Non-Violence.

Gandhi Jayanti is celebrated yearly on 2nd October. It is one of the official declared national holidays of India, observed in all of its states and union territories.

Gandhi Jayanti is marked by prayer services and tributes all over India, including at Gandhi's memorial in New Delhi where he was cremated. Popular activities include prayer meetings, commemorative ceremonies in different cities by colleges, local government institutions and socio-political institutions. Painting and essay competitions are conducted and best awards are granted for projects in schools and the community encouraging a non-violent way of life as well as celebrating Gandhi's effort in the Indian independence movement. Gandhi's favourite bhajan (Hindu devotional song), Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram, is usually sung in his memory. Statues of Mahatma Gandhi throughout the country are decorated with flowers and garlands, and some people avoid drinking alcohol or eating meat on the day. Public buildings, banks and post offices are closed.

Balagangadhar Tilak Jayanti

One of the stalwarts of India’s freedom movement, Balagangadhar Tilak also known as Lokmanya Tilak was born in Ratnagiri, Maharashtra on July 23, 1856. He is known for his famous quote “Self Rule is our birthright, and We shall have it!” He was reverently addressed as Lokmanya (or “Beloved of the people” or “Revered by the world”).

After completing his graduation, Tilak began teaching in a private school in Pune and went on to become a journalist. He was very vocal in his criticism of the Western education system and set up the Deccan Education Society to educate India’s youth. Tilak founded the Marathi daily Kesari (Lion), in the pages of which he actively propagated the cause of freedom. He joined the Indian National Congress. He was known for his hardcore Hindu views. In 1907, the Congress Party split into the two factions.

The British authorities charged Tilak with sedition and he was imprisoned from 1908 to 1914 in Mandalay, Burma. He re-joined the Indian National Congress in 1916 and helped to found the All India Home Rule League in 1916-18.

He wrote many books on Indian culture, history and Hinduism like The Orion or Researches into the antiquities of the Vedas (1893), Arctic Home in the Vedas, Geetarahasya and others. He passed away on August 1, 1920.

Bakrid

Eid-ul-Adha or Bakrid is also known as the 'festival of sacrifice'. Bakrid celebration lasts for about three days.

It honours the willingness of Prophet Ibrahim, the messenger in Islam who was ready to sacrifice his son Ismail to prove his obedience to God. While he was about to sacrifice, God moved by his obedience, stopped him and replaced the child with a lamb and asked him to sacrifice the animal instead of his son.

Muslim communities around the world celebrates the festival by sacrificing a male goat in the honour of sacrifice. The festivals begin with Eid prayer in Mosque and followed with their prescribed ritual of sacrificing goat which is later distributed in three proportions: poor’s, relatives and themselves. They visit family, friends to offer wishes and celebrate together.

As per Islamic calendar, Bakrid generally falls on the tenth day of the Dhu al-Hijjah which is the last month of the lunar year. Annual Hajj pilgrimage also takes place in this month. Celebrating Eid-al Adha is an act of sacrificing gratitude to Allah by sacrificing animals.

In our lifetime, we give up on a number of things that are important to us, for a bigger purpose, similarly the sacrifice of animals is a symbol of willingness to sacrifice and stay true to our purpose.

Bakra-Eid dishes include mutton biryani, mutton keema, mutton korma, etc. and sheer kurma and kheer among desserts.

Hanuma Jayanti

Hanuman Jayanti is a Hindu religious festival that celebrates the birth of Hindu God Hanuman, who is immensely venerated throughout India and Nepal. This festival is celebrated on different days in different parts of India. In most states of India, the festival is observed either in Chaitra (usually on the day of Chaitra Pournimaa) or in Vaishakha, while in a few states like Kerala and Tamil Nadu, it is celebrated in Dhanu (called Margazhi in Tamil).

Lord Hanuman is worshipped as a deity with the ability to attain victory against evil and provide protection. On this auspicious day, devotees of Lord Hanuman celebrate him and seek his protection and blessings. They flock to temples to worship him and present religious offerings. In return, The devotees receive Prasad by the temple priests as sweets, flowers, coconuts, tilak, sacred ash (udi) and Ganga jal (holy water). People also celebrate him on this day by reciting various devotional hyms and prayers like the Hanuman Chalisa and reading holy scriptures like the Ramayana and Mahabharata.

Hanuman Janam-Utsav is an important festival of the Hindus. Hanuman Janmotsav is also the biggest celebrated festival in India. Lord Hanuman is an ardent devotee of Lord Rama and is widely known for his unflinching devotion to Rama. Hanuman is the symbol of strength and energy. He is said to be able to assume any form at will, wield the gada (including many celestial weapons), move mountains, dart through the air, seize the clouds, and equally rival Garuda in the swiftness of flight.

Birth

Lord Hanuman was born on the Anjaneri mountain. His mother Anjana was an apsara who was born on earth due to a curse. She was redeemed from this curse on giving birth to a son. The Valmiki Ramayana states that his father Kesari was the son of Brihaspati, he was the King of a place named Sumeru. Anjana performed intense prayers lasting 12 long years to Rudra to get a child. Pleased with their devotion, Rudra granted them the son they sought. Hanuman, in another interpretation, is the incarnation or reflection of Rudra himself.

Hanuman is often called the son of the deity Vayu (Wind God); several different traditions account for the Vayu's role in Hanuman's birth. One story mentioned in Eknath's Bhavartha Ramayana (16th century CE) states that when Anjana was worshiping Rudra, the King Dasharatha of Ayodhya was also performing the ritual of Putrakama yagna in order to have children. As a result, he received some sacred pudding (payasam) to be shared by his three wives, leading to the births of Rama, Lakshmana, Bharata, and Shatrughna. By divine ordinance, a kite snatched a fragment of that pudding and dropped it while flying over the forest where Anjana was engaged in worship. Vayu, the Hindu deity of the wind, delivered the falling pudding to the outstretched hands of Anjana, who consumed it. Hanuman was born to her as a result. Another tradition says that Anjana and her husband Kesari prayed Rudra for a child. By Rudra's direction, Vayu transferred his male energy to Anjana's womb. Accordingly, Hanuman is identified as the son of the Vayu

Another story of Hanuman's origins is derived from the Vishnu Purana and Naradeya Purana. Narada, infatuated with a princess, went to his lord Vishnu, to make him look like Vishnu, so that the princess would garland him at swayamvara (husband-choosing ceremony). He asked for hari mukh (Hari is another name of Vishnu, and mukh means face). Vishnu instead bestowed him with the face of a vanara. Unaware of this, Narada went to the princess, who burst into laughter at the sight of his ape-like face before all the king's court. Narada, unable to bear the humiliation, cursed Vishnu, that Vishnu would one day be dependent upon a vanara. Vishnu replied that what he had done was for Narada's own good, as he would have undermined his own powers if he were to enter matrimony. Vishnu also noted that Hari has the dual Sanskrit meaning of vanara. Upon hearing this, Narada repented for cursing Vishnu. But Vishnu told him not to repent as the curse would act as a boon, for it would lead to the birth of Hanuman, an avatar of Rudra, without whose help Rama (Vishnu's avatar) could not kill Ravana.

Worship

The devotees visit temples and apply tilaka of sindoor to their foreheads from Hanuman's idol. As per legend, When Lord Hanuman found Sri Sita applying sindhūr to her forehead, He questioned her and she replied that doing so would ensure a long life for her husband, Lord Sri Rama. Lord Hanuman then proceeded to smear his entire body with sindhūr, thus ensuring Lord Sri Rama's immortality.

In Tamil Nadu and Kerala, Hanuman Janmotsav is celebrated on the New Moon day in Margazhi (Dhanu) month. Famous Hanuman temples in these states like Nanganallur, Namakkal, Suchindram, Thrikkaviyoor and Alathiyoor celebrate this day with pomp and valour.

In Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, Hanuman Janmotsav is celebrated by Diksha of 41 days beginning on Chaitra Purnima and concluding it on the tenth day during Krishna Paksha in Vaishaka.

In Maharashtra, Hanuman Janmotsav is celebrated on the full moon day (pūrnima) of the Hindu lunar month of Chaitra. A special feature of Hanuman Janmotsav is that according to some religious almanacs (panchāngs) the birthday of Hanuman falls on the fourteenth day (chaturdashi) in the dark fortnight of the month of Ashvin while according to others it falls on the full moon day in the bright fortnight of Chaitra. On this day in a Hanuman temple, spiritual discourses begin at dawn since Lord Hanuman was born at sunrise. During the time frame of birth, the spiritual discourse are halted and the offering of food (Prasad) is distributed to everyone.

On Hanuman Janmotsav sadhaks observe fasts and carry out special puja, patha and anusthan i.e. Shri Ramcharitmanas akhand patha, Srimad Bhagavad Gita patha, Srimad Bhagavad Purana patha, Srimad Vishnu Purana patha and abhishek to Lord Vishnu along with patha of Vishnu Sahasranama, Ram Nam mantra ashtjam.

Spiritual discourses are organised in most of the Hindu temples on this day. Lord Hanuman is considered as the most powerful being in all the lokas (realms).

Datta Jayanti - Dattatreya Jayanti

Dattatreya is the God who is an incarnation of the Divine Trinity Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva .

The word Datta means "Given", Datta is called so because the divine trinity have "given" themselves in the form of a son to the sage couple Guru Atri and Mata Anusuya . He is the son of Guru Atri, hence the name "Atreya ."

 In other regions, and some versions of texts such as Garuda Purana, Brahma Purana and Sattvata Samhita, he is an avatar of Lord Vishnu only Several Upanishads are dedicated to him, as are texts of the Vedanta-Yoga tradition in Hinduism.

 One of the most important texts of Hinduism, namely Avadhuta Gita (literally, "song of the free soul") is attributed to Dattatreya.

Over time, Dattatreya has inspired many monastic movements in Shaivism, Vaishnavism and Shaktism, particularly in the Deccan region of India, south India, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Himalayan regions where Shiva tradition has been strong. His pursuit of simple life, kindness to all, sharing of his knowledge and the meaning of life during his travels is reverentially mentioned in the poems by Tukaram, a saint-poet of the Bhakti movement.

Datta Jayanti, also known as Dattatreya Jayanti, is a Hindu festival, commemorating the birth day celebration of the Hindu god Dattatreya (Datta), a combined form of the Hindu male divine trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.

It is celebrated on the full moon day of the Margashirsha (Agrahayana) month according to the Hindu Calendar (December/January) throughout the country, and in particular in Maharashtra.

Legend

Dattatreya was the son of the sage Atri and his wife Anasuya. Anasuya, an archetypal chaste and virtuous wife, did severe Tapas (austerities) to beget a son equal in merits as Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, the Hindu male trinity (Trimurti). Saraswati, Lakshmi and Parvati, the goddess trinity (Tridevi) and consorts of the male trinity, became jealous. They deputed their husbands to test her virtuousness.

The three gods appeared before Anasuya in the disguise of sanyasis (ascetics) and asked her to give them alms naked. Anasuya was perplexed for a while, but soon regained composure. She uttered a mantra and sprinkled water on the three mendicants, turning them into babies. She then breast fed them with her milk naked, as they wished. When Atri returned to his ashram (hermitage), Anasuya narrated the event, which he already knew through his psychic powers. He hugged the three babies to his heart, transforming them into a single baby with three heads and six arms.

As the triad of gods did not return, their wives got worried and rushed to Anasuya. The goddesses begged her forgiveness and requested her to return their husbands. Anasuya accepted their request. The Trimurti then appeared in their true form, before Atri and Anasuya, and blessed them with a son Dattatreya.

Though Dattatreya is considered a form of all the three deities, he is especially considered an avatar of Vishnu, while his siblings the moon-god Chandra and the sage Durvasa are regarded forms of Brahma and Shiva respectively.

Worship

On Datta Jayanti, people take bath early in the morning in holy rivers or streams, and observe fast. A puja of Dattatreya is performed with flowers, incense, lamps, and camphor. Devotees meditate on his image and pray to Dattatreya with a vow to follow in his footsteps. They remember Dattatreya's work and read the sacred books Avadhuta Gita and Jivanmukta Gita, which contain the god's discourse. Other sacred texts like the Datta Prabodh (1860) by Kavadi Baba and the Datta Mahatmya by Param Pujya Vasudevananda Saraswati (Tembe Swami Maharaj), both of which are based on Dattatreya's life, as well as the Guru-charita based on the life of Narasimha Saraswati (1378−1458), considered an avatar of Dattatreya, are read by devotees. Bhajans (devotional songs) are also sung on this day.

Datta Jayanti is celebrated with much fanfare in the god's temples. The temples dedicated to Dattatreya are located throughout India, the most important places of his worship are in Karnataka, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat like Ganagapur in Karnataka near Gulbarga, Narasimha Wadi in the Kolhapur district, Pithapuram in Andhra Pradesh near Kakinada, Audumbar in Sangli district, Ruibhar in Osmanabad district and Girnar in Saurashtra.

Some temples like Manik Prabhu Temple, Manik Nagar host an annual 7-day festival in honour of the deity in this period. In this temple, Datta Jayanti is celebrated for 5 days from Ekadasi to Poornima. People from Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Telangana come here to have darshan of the deity. The saint Manik Prabhu, who is also regarded as an incarnation of Dattatreya by the people of Datta Sampraday, was born on Datta Jayanti.

Datta Jayanti was celebrated by Sadguru Shree Aniruddha Upasana Trust (Mumbai, India) in Amalner city in Jalgaon district of Maharashtra, India between 30 November to 3 December 2017 wherein thousands of devotees from various parts of Maharashtra participated and took blessings of Lord Dattatreya. Shri Ganpati Atharvashirsha, Lalita Ambika Poojan, Datta Bawani, and Shri Datta Sahastranaam were chanted in this four-day event. With the spirit of self-discipline, the foundation managed the event in peace and harmony.

New Year Eve

In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve, the last day of the year, is on 31 December. In many countries, New Year's Eve is celebrated at evening parties, where many people dance, eat, drink, and watch or light fireworks. Some Christians attend a watch-night service. The celebrations generally go on past midnight into New Year's Day, 1 January.

Boxing day

Boxing Day is a holiday celebrated the day after Christmas Day, occurring on the second day of Christmastide. Though it originated as a holiday to give gifts to the poor, today Boxing Day is primarily known as a shopping holiday. It originated in the United Kingdom and is celebrated in a number of countries that previously formed part of the British Empire. Boxing Day is on 26 December, although the attached bank holiday or public holiday may take place either on that day or one or two days later (if necessary to ensure it falls on a weekday). Boxing Day is also concurrent with the Christian holiday Saint Stephen's Day.

In parts of Europe, such as Bulgaria, Catalonia, Czechia, Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Scandinavia, 26 December is celebrated as a second Christmas Day.

Sharadadevi Jayanti

Sharada Devi (22 December 1853 – 20 July 1920), born Kshemankari/ Thakurmani/ Saradamani Mukhopadhyay, was the wife and spiritual consort of Sri Ramakrishna, a nineteenth-century Hindu mystic and saint. Sharada Devi is also reverentially addressed as the Holy Mother (Sri Sri Maa) by the followers of the Sri Ramakrishna monastic order. Sri Sharada Devi is one of the notable woman saints and mystics of the nineteenth century. She paved the way for the future generation of women to take up monasticity as the means and end of life. In fact the Sri Sharada Mutt and Ramakrishna Sharada Mission situated at Dakshineshwar is based on the ideals and life of her. Sri Sharada Devi played an important role in the growth of the Ramakrishna Movement.

Sri Sharada Devi was born in Joyrambati. At the age of five she was betrothed to Sri Ramakrishna. According to her biographers, both lived lives of unbroken continence, showing the ideals of a householder and of the monastic ways of life. The disciples of Sri Ramakrishna regarded her as their own mother, and after their guru's death looked to her for advice and encouragement. The followers of the Ramakrishna movement worship her as an incarnation of the Adi Parashakti or the Divine Mother.

At Dakshineswar Kali Temple

At Dakshineswar, Sharada Devi stayed in a tiny room in the nahabat (music tower). She stayed at Dakshineswar until 1885, except for short periods when she visited Jayrambati. By this time Ramakrishna had already embraced the monastic life of a sannyasin; as a result, the marriage was never consummated.

Last days

Sharada Devi spent her final years moving back and forth between Jayrambati and Calcutta. In January 1919, Sharada Devi went to Jayrambati and stayed there for over a year. She died at 1.30 am on Tuesday the 21 July 1920 at Mayer Badi (in the first floor of the Shrine Room), Kolkata.

Quotes

• Practise meditation, and by and by your mind will be so calm and fixed that you will find it hard to keep away from meditation.
• The mind is everything. It is in the mind alone that one feels pure and impure. A man, first of all, must make his own mind guilty and then alone can he see another man's guilt.
• "I tell you one thing. If you want peace of mind, do not find fault with others. Rather see your own faults. Learn to make the whole world your own. No one is a stranger, my child; the whole world is your own."
• One must have devotion towards one's own guru. Whatever may be the nature of the guru, the disciple gets salvation by dint of his unflinching devotion towards his guru.

Impact and Legacy

Sharada Devi played an important role as the advisory head of a nascent organization that became a monastic order devoted to social work—the Ramakrishna Mission.

Kissan Day

Importance and Observation

Kisan Diwas is observed across the country on 23 December to celebrate the birthday of Chaudhary Charan Singh.

On this occasion, farmer seminars will be organised at the divisional, district and block levels. Political leaders cutting across party lines pay tributes to fifth PM of India on his 11th birth anniversary. Leaders visit the former PM’s samadhi at Kisan Ghat in New Delhi.

Government in 2001 decided to observe 23 December every year as Kisan Diwas (Farmers Day).

Chaudhary Charan Singh holds the record of being the only Prime Minister of India who did not face the Parliamentary floor for a single day after assuming the office.

Winter Solstice

The winter solstice also known as midwinter occurs when one of the Earth's poles has its maximum tilt away from the Sun. It happens twice yearly, once in each hemisphere. For that hemisphere, the winter solstice is the day with the shortest period of daylight and longest night of the year, when the Sun is at its lowest daily maximum elevation in the sky. At the pole, there is continuous darkness or twilight around the winter solstice. Its opposite is the summer solstice. Also, the sun goes 90 degrees below the horizon at solar midnight to the nadir.

History

The solstice may have been a special moment of the annual cycle for some cultures even during neolithic times. Astronomical events were often used to guide activities, such as the mating of animals, the sowing of crops and the monitoring of winter reserves of food. Many cultural mythologies and traditions are derived from this.

Observations

Although the instant of the solstice can be calculated, direct observation of the solstice by amateurs is impossible because the sun moves too slowly or appears to stand still (the meaning of "solstice"). However, by use of astronomical data tracking, the precise timing of its occurrence is now public knowledge.

International Human Solidarity Day

Human Solidarity Day is the United Nations (UN) observance and is observed on 20th December every year.

Meaning

Solidarity is an awareness of shared interests, creating a sense of unity in societies. Cooperation and solidarity can pursue the aim of the UN of lifting people out of poverty, hunger and disease.

Theme and Purpose

The theme and basic purpose of solidarity day are to eradicate poverty and promote the culture of cooperation, equality and social justice, which tends to human and social development particularly in developing countries.

On 22 December 2005, the General Assembly of the United Nations revealed that solidarity is one of the basic pillars of the relationship among people of the world in the twenty-first century. The United Nations emphasized upon governments to maintain equality and social justice among people for the eradication of poverty and decided to celebrate 20 December of each year as International Human Solidarity Day.

International Human Solidarity Day Activities

• International Human Solidarity Day provides us with a bright opportunity to celebrate our unity in diversity.
• On this Day importance and needs of solidarity must be debated and discussed at proper forums.
• Solidarity is one of the basic tools for the eradication of poverty from society.
• This Day is also a reminder for governments to respect international agreements.
• On International Human Solidarity Day we must raise public awareness about the utmost significance of solidarity, in order to fulfil the desired targets of the United Nations for Sustainable Development Goals

Logo

The UN symbol of international Human Solidarity Day is the sketch of four humans encompassing the earth with their arms collectively. The sketches of humans are of different colors which is the symbol of unity and solidarity.