Festivals - Mahashivratri, Ganesh Chaturthi and Raksha Bandhan
Mahashivratri
Mahashivratri is a festival dedicated to Shiva. It is celebrated during the night and day that come just before the new moon.
In Hinduism, each new moon is dedicated to Shiva, but Mahashivratri is especially important. This is because it remembers the story of Shiva dancing his cosmic dance, beating out the rhythm of time. The figure of Shiva Nataraja, the Lord of the Dance, is connected to this story.
Mahashivratri is a festival that is marked by Hindus who focus their worship on the god Shiva. worshippers. They stay up all night together, fasting and expressing their devotion in singing and Repeating religious phrases or quotations from sacred texts.. The devotees break the fast with blessed food, called Food that is offered to deities (often as part of worship) and believed by some Hindus to therefore carry divine blessings., in the morning.
Ganesh Chaturthi
Ganesh Chaturthi is a festival dedicated to the elephant-headed god, Ganesha. It is celebrated in August or September.
Ganesha is known as the ‘remover of obstacles’ and devotees pray to him for prosperity and wisdom. During Ganesh Chaturthi, images of Ganesha are placed on raised platforms in homes or in elaborately decorated outdoor tents. Worship includes 16 ways of paying tribute, including chanting Knowledge. Specifically refers to the oldest and most sacred Hindu texts and scriptures, written in Sanskrit. Any teaching which is consistent with these scriptures is also accepted as Vedic (ie in the same group of scriptures as the Vedas). hymns, anointing the A statue of a god or goddess which has been made holy through a special ceremony; a term for any statue of a god or goddess. with red sandalwood paste and yellow and red flowers, and offering food (such as coconut and sweet dumplings, thought of as Ganesha’s favourite food).
The festival finishes with the murtis being carried in procession to rivers nearby, accompanied by drumming, singing and chanting. They sink into the water, symbolising Ganesha’s homeward journey to Mount Kailash - the home of his parents, Shiva and Parvati. Today the festival is celebrated in Hindu communities worldwide and is particularly popular in other parts of western India.
Raksha Bandhan
Raksha Bandhan is a celebration of brotherly and sisterly affection. It remembers an ancient story where Lakshmi tied a A bracelet given by sisters to brothers during the Hindu festival of Raksha Bandhan. to King Bali’s arm in return for letting her husband, Vishnu, return home. In Hindu practice, sisters replicate Lakshmi’s gesture by giving their brothers a rakhi bracelet to wear. The festival teaches Hindus to be generous.
