Ganeshotsava: Ten Days Festival Of Ganesha, The Lord Of Beginning, Purity, Wisdom and Collectivity; Remover of Obstacles

Ganeshotsav is celebrated for ten days in the month of Bhadrapada, from the fourth day to the fourteenth day of Shukla Paksha (the brighter fortnight, from full moon to new moon), during which Ganesha, the Lord of Beginning, Purity, Intelligence, Knowledge and Wisdom and the Lord of Collectivity, hence, the Lord of Leadership and Unity; the Remover of Obstacles - is worshipped.

Ganesha - The Lord of Beginning, Purity, Knowldege and Wisdom, Collectivity and the Remover of Obstacles ....

Who is Ganesha ?

Ganesha or Ganapati, the son of Lord Shiva and Maa Paarvati, is the Hindu Deity of Beginning, Purity, Knowledge and Wisdom, the Lord of Collectivity, hence, the Lord of Leadership and Unity and the Remover of Obstacles ....

The name / word Ganesha is a combination of two words, Gana, meaning group / multitude / community / categorical system and isha, meaning Lord or Master. Hence, Ganesha or Ganapati is the Lord of Collectivity - the Lord of Leadership and Unity.

Ganesha's life symbolizes that Success in Life is a result of blessings of parents .... Ganesha had won the contest of going round the world with his elder brother Lord Kartikeya by revolving thrice around his parents, whom he called His World ....

Ganesha - The Lord of Beginnings ....

Ganesha, the Lord of Leadership and Unity, is the first among many and shoulders the responsibilities of many.

Ganesha is the first to be worshipped and is called Prathama Poojita, meaning the one who is worshipped first, in the beginning of every auspicious occasion / event.

Here, Prathama means first and Poojita means worshipped. That is because, Ganesha is the personification of Purity, Knowledge and Wisdom, which gives him the name - Vinaayaka, one who embodies and bestows Vinaya (or Vivek) ....

• Purity - purity of intent, thought, word and action;
• Knowledge - that is beneficial to Self, which includes the small self we tend to / learn to define ourselves as and our true infinite self that is One.
• Wisdom - the knowledge / discretion / experience / insight of differentiation as well as assimilation / integration, that translates to a well-lived life, balanced and fulfilled as regards physical, emotional, social and spiritual aspects of existence.

Beginning is the first step to any venture and a beginning based on the Purity, Knowledge and Wisdom that Ganesha personifies is the one that receives His Grace and Blessings.

Hence, it is customary to worship Ganesha at the beginning of every occasion, be it celebrating a festival, marriage ceremony, opening ceremonies of business / enterprise / new home or office and so on ....

Even during regular prayers, first remembering Shree Ganesha is a widely practiced tradition.

Ganesha - The Lord of Purity, Knowledge, Intelligence and Wisdom .... The Lord of Beginning ....

Ganesha - The Vighnesha, The Lord of Obstacles and The Vighnahartaa, The Remover of Obstacles

The Lord of Beginnings, Ganesha also steers the progress which follows a beginning, as the Vighnesha, the Lord of Obstacles - another relevant, related and very important attribute of the Energy our Ganesha personifies.

Vighnesha, again is a combination of two words, Vighna meaning obstacles and isha meaning Lord or Master.

Ganesha being Vighnesha is the Lord of obstacles, One who controls and removes obstacles.

Being the Remover of Obstacles, Ganesha is also called Vighnahartaa, One who destroys obstacles.

Reflections ....

People often think a "good intent" is everything that is needed. Any means to fulfill the intent are fine, so long as the desired end result is attained. Such by-hook-or-crook tendencies are the root cause of majority of the problems prevailing at various levels and scales, all around the world.

A thief has the intention of becoming wealthy, to have a comfortable life for himself and his family. That intention in itself is not bad. The choice of means to fulfill that intention requires a change over.

This reminds of the tale of transformation of the great Sage Maharshi Valmiki, who wrote the Raamaayana, from a dacoit to a sage ....

• It is said that Sage Valmiki was earlier a dacoit, who robbed people passing through the jungles where he resided.
• Once, he tried to rob the Saptarishis or the Seven Sages passing through the forest.
• The Seven Sages, Saptarishis are the seven seers of Vedic India after whom the stars of the Saptarishi constellation (popular as Ursa Major constellation in contemporary astronomy) are named in Ancient Indian Astronomy.
• They asked the dacoit as to why he was leading such a life. He answered that he was doing everything for the sake of his family.
• They asked him to go to his family and ask if they were ready to share and bear the burdens of the consequences of his wrong deeds.
• Each of his family members denied accepting any consequences of his deeds as they said he is solely responsible for his choice of how he performs his duty.
• This was an eye-opener for him. He left everything to perform penance, guided by the Saptarishis, at the end of which he emerged as the great Sage Valmiki.

If we look around, there seems to be a flood of good causes everywhere, all around - social, environmental, gender related, related to "religion" and so on .... So many people have worked and so many, many are still working .... Still the chaos keep rising. Why ? The reason behind this could only be - misdirected, mismanaged, mishandled means .... These definitely are issues concerning leadership - how collective strength of groups / multitudes is being managed. Also, these are issues concerning Education and Culture - both being very intricately and inseparably connected and which strongly influence community life.

Ganesha as Vighnesha, is the embodiment of that Energy, that Power which regulates the subtle balances of means and ends.

Be it a leader or a follower, the immense and significant strength of collectivity has to be utilized judiciously. That is possible by being honest to one's responsibilities.

Ganeshotsava - Ten Days of Festivities and Celebrations for Worshipping Ganesha ....

In the monsoon month of Bhadrapada as per the Hindu Lunar Calendar, the ten days beginning from the fourth day (Ganesha Chaturthee), to the fourteenth day (Anant Chaturdashee), of the Shukla Paksha (the brighter fortnight, between full moon to new moon days), Ganeshotsava is celebrated by people who believe in and follow the Hindu religion / thought / philosophy of life.

The idol of Ganesha is consecrated on the first day of the festival - Ganesha Chaturthee. The idol is a symbol of the form of the formless, infinite Ganesha. There are several prayers of Lord Ganesha in the Vedas. The Ganapati Atharvasheersha - an ancient and powerful Vedic hymn describes Ganesha as One with every Deity, Direction, Time and Timelessness .... which means Ganesha is the Absolute Truth.

Mythological Background ....

According to mythology, Ganesha was a very dutiful son of his mother, Maa Paarvati. One day, while she went to take bath, Maa Paarvati asked Ganesha to be on guard and not allow anyone to enter the house. Lord Shiva, his father, came after a while and Ganesha prevented him from entering the house. Shiva got annoyed. The argument between them on the matter of denying Shiva an entry into his own home and Ganesha's obedience and devotion towards his mother, turned serious. In the battle that followed, angry Shiva's Trishul (trident) blew away Ganesha's head. When Maa Paarvati came there, her grief at the loss of her son filled Lord Shiva with a deep sense of remorse. He replaced Ganesha's head with the head of a baby elephant that could be found suitable enough for replacement and brought him back to life. This is how Ganesha has the head of an elephant.

Shiva replaces little Ganesha's head with that of a baby elephant and brings him back to life ....

However, there is a symbolic significance of the form of Lord Ganesha, as can be seen explained in the picture below ....

Ganesha Symbolism

Ganeshotsav Celebrations ....

Introduction ....

The Ganeshotsava celebrations take place at a very large scale.

Lord Ganesha is fondly and popularly called Ganapati Bappa.

Millions of Ganesha idol are consecrated in households all over the world. The themes and decorations of Ganapati Bappa's comfortable and joyous stay bring out best of creativities among devotees that please and commend appreciation of every beholder.

There are community celebrations as well, in which huge idols are consecrated and worshipped for maximum ten days with great enthusiasm and devotion. Various programmes are organized as a part of the celebrations that attract millions of devotees and audiences.

In Maharashtra and Gujarat, Ganeshotsava is specially significant. Ganeshotsava celebrations of Mumbai and Pune are very famous. In Mumbai Siddhi Vinaayaka and Lalbaug Cha Raja is a special attraction for devotees from all over the world. In Pune, we have Dagadu Sheth Ganapati blessing devotees for more than two centuries now.

In 1893, freedom fighter and leader Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak had started large scale public celebrations of Ganeshotsava to unite people and to arouse patriotism, awareness and understanding of cultural values among masses.

Siddhivinayak Ganapati, Mumbai ....

How is Ganapati Bappa worshipped ?

Twice a day, once each in the morning and evening, Aarti is done, during which the Aarti song describing the glory of Lord Ganesha is sung, along with offerings of lit lamps.

Ganapati Bappa is believed to be very fond of Laddoos. So, Laddoos and other such sweets are offered as Prasaad during the Aarti Pooja.

Lunch and Dinner are also offered regularly, in which varieties of delicacies are prepared and offered to Ganapati Bappa.

Calling out Ganapati Bappa Morayaa .... , Mangalmurti Morayaa .... is a tradition that fills devotees with joy, enthusiasm and devotion and can be heard almost in every lane and by-lane of every city and town and village during Ganeshotsava celebrations.

Ganapati Celebrations in my Society, my neighbourhood this year .... The idols are eco-friendly clay idols that will be immersed here itself in a big vessel full of water. The clay water that will finally remain will be fed to plants ....

Bidding farewell to Ganesha - Visarjan ....

On the tenth day, after special pooja and offerings, Ganapati Bappa is given a grand farewell. This day is called Ananta Chaturdashi.

Ananta means infinite. It is the day when Bappa returns to his ever-present infinite form.

The idols are immersed in river or lake or pond or big enough water reservoir.

The processions carrying the idols are colourful and musical with lots of merriment, dancing, singing and rejoicing. The atmosphere resounds with "Ganapati Bappa Morayaa ....", urging Bappa to be back soon in the following year.

Huge idols of Ganesha being immersed in the sea at Mumbai during Visarjan .... There are environmental concerns connected to this. Now, eco-friendly small idols are gaining popularity ....

Ganapati Bappa Morayaa !!

May Ganesha bestow Purity, Intelligence, Knowledge and Wisdom to His Devotees !!

May the ongoing Ganeshotsava bring Health and Happiness, Peace and Prosperity to All !! 

Published on HubPages during Ganeshotsava-2021

Jay Ganesh !! Playlist on YouTube

Ganesh Vandana - Playlist on Spotify ….

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6nftqwHYfLGRMkeaxHf3Ct?si=vvEwFestSL-hhGgYb7TYzw&utm_source=copy-link&pi=GgniEsHgQJuKK

Gauri Vrat - Five Days Fasting Festival For Girls And Ladies In Gujarat In Memory of The Eternal Love of Shiva-Paarvati

 

Aashaadhh - The Rainy Month of Festivals

The month of Aashaadhh, as per the Hindu (Lunar) calendar, falling in the rainy season, during the months of June-July, brings along festivals and celebrations.

On the second day of the Shukla Paksha (the fortnight from Amaavasya - New Moon to Poornima - Full Moon), called Dwitiya in Sanskrit and other Indian languages, or Dooj in Hindi (Beej in Gujarati), the Chariot Festival, called Ratha Yaatraa is celebrated. The idols of Shree Krishna as Lord Jagannath, along with those of sister Subhadra and elder brother Balaram or Balabhadra from the famous Jagannath Temple of Puri in Odisha are taken for a ride around the city in specially decorated chariots on this day. The Deities visit the Temples of their maternal relatives and return to their majestic Abode at the Jagannath Temple. Special Pooja and rituals take place and hymns and other artistic offerings are presented to Lord Jagannath with great enthusiasm and devotion, filling the atmosphere with joy, festivities and devotion. The traditions of these celebrations have spread beyond Odisha, into different places all across India and abroad, like Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Kolkata, Dharmai (Bangladesh), different parts of the USA and so on.

Jagannath Rath Yatra ....

Gauri Vrat

When is Gauri Vrat celebrated ?

Eleven days after the Ratha Yaatraa Festival, on the Trayodashi or thirteenth day of the Shukla Paksha of the same month, a Five Days Fasting Festival called the Gauri Vrat is celebrated in Gujarat, in memory of the Eternal Love of Lord Shiva and Goddess Paarvati.

Little girls, sometimes as young as four or five years old girls very enthusiastically observe fasts for five days, perform pooja and enjoy the celebrations especially meant for them during the festival.

The Eternal Love Story of Shiva and Paarvati ....

Gauri or Gaur Maa ....

Gauri or Gaur Maa - another name of Maa Paarvati - is worshipped as Jawaaraa or saplings of (seven) grains grown in a small bamboo basket. The seven grains are - Paddy, Wheat, Barley, Sorghum, Bean, Pigeon Pea and Sesame. These grains, considered as auspicious, are sown in a tiny bamboo basket about seven days before the commencement of the festival in cow-dung manure and nurtured to grow into beautiful saplings.

How is Gaur Maa worshipped ?

The Gaur Maa is worshipped everyday in the morning and evening by lighting lamps and incense sticks and offering Kumkum, Abir, Gulaal, Turmeric Powder, flowers and other auspicious pooja material, singing songs and hymns while performing the Pooja and offering Prasaad.

Gauri or Gaur Maa ....

How are the fasts observed ?

During the Gauri Vrat the girls observe fasts, eating selected food, which does not contain salt.

Fruits, pure juices, dry fruits, milk and curd preparations, such as Shreekhand and other sweets can be taken.

During the first four days, once in a day, something prepared from wheat can be taken, such as roti or puri or pancakes or bhajia. Specially during these days, a salty green leafy vegetable is available which is allowed to be eaten along with the wheat meal.

On the last day, no wheat item or salty vegetable is allowed - only fruits and milk can be taken.

Little Girls enjoying their Prasaad with Gaur Maa ....

Jaagaran on the Fifth Day ....

On the last and fifth day, there is Jaagaran during night, which means the girls remain awake for the whole night. They play, sing and dance, go to nearby places like gardens, temples, etc.

Now a days, watching movies has become popular.

Video games, mobile games are also available to spend time.

Family members also remain awake with the girls and it turns out to be a great fun and merriment time.

Celebrations ....

Gauri Vrat is a festival of happiness. The girls decorate their hands with Mehndi, wear colourful clothes and jewelry, sing and dance, and play games, go to parks and gardens and so on ....

During Gauri Vrat days, special arrangements are made in the public places to ensure that the girls get to enjoy without hassles.

In gardens and parks and cinema halls, only girls and ladies are allowed.

Gardens, cinema halls, and other such places of entertainment and infotainment are kept open till late hours and all through the night on the Jaagaran day for them to enjoy without restrictions.

Special arrangements for free fruits, dry fruits, juices and sweets are made by various institutions and reputed families in the village / town / localities for the girls observing the Gauri Vrat fasts.

My mother tells about and sings special Garba and Folk songs on Gaur Maa. Now a days, we don't get to hear those songs ....

I could locate the video of an old song - Gaur Maa No Var Kesariyo Ne .... from the famous Gujarati film Sonbai Nee Chundadee, showing celebrations of Gauri Vrat in a village ....

Gaur Maa No Var Kesariyo ....

Singing and dancing ....

Bidding Farewell to Gaur Maa ....

The day after the Jaagaran day, that is on the sixth day, the Gaur Maa is given a festive farewell. The final pooja is performed. Traditionally, a group of all girls in a village or locality and their family members join together to form a farewell procession for their Gaur Maa to be taken to the nearby water source, like lake or river, with singing, dancing and merriments. Finally, in a ceremony called Visarjan, the Gaur Maa is reverentially immersed in the lake or river water.

After returning home, the girls are served special delicacies of their choice to open their fasts and return back to usual routine.

Gauri Pooja ....

Gauri Vrat Udyaapan Ceremony ....

The Gauri Vrat is done for minimum five and maximum any further odd number of years.

On the last year of the Gauri Vrat, special Udyaapan Ceremony (ritualistic ending of the Vrat) is performed, in which at least five or more odd number of girls doing Gauri Vrat are invited for opening their fasts. The girls are served delicious feast of their choice and given gifts as memories.

The Divine Couple - Shiva and Paarvati ....

The Jayaa Paarvati Vrat after Gauri Vrat ....

Grown up girls who are through with their Gauri Vrat, having performed the Udyaapan Ceremony, observe the Jayaa Paarvati Vrat.

The procedure is same, except that the Gaur Maa or Jawaaraa - the seven grain saplings are not grown.

The girls go every morning to the nearby Shiva Temple and worship Shiva and Paarvati there. They hear the Kathaa or the Tale of the Divine Love of Shiva and Paarvati at the temple.

After minimum five years or further any number of odd years, such as seven or nine or eleven years, the Udyaapan Ceremony of Jayaa Paarvati Vrat is celebrated in the same way as it is done for the Gauri Vrat.

Significance of Gauri Vrat ....

In the Hindu traditions, fasts are observed to develop the quality called Samyam (most closely translated to English as tolerance or patience or a combination of both).

The girls, and along with them their families get to learn family and social values through the example of Shiva and Paarvati. The Shiva family is an ideal family. Shiva is known as Mahadev - the God of Gods. Shiva is the first Guru - the Aadi Guru and the first Yogi - the Aadi Yogi. Paarvati is the manifestation of Aadyashakti - Mother of the Universe. Their elder son Kartikeya is the commander of the Army of Gods and younger son Ganesha is the God of Knowledge and Wisdom, the God of Beginnings, Leadership and Collectivity, the Remover of obstacles.

It is believed that the girls are blessed with success in their future family lives in the form of a life-partner of their dreams and choice and a happy marriage by observing the Gauri Vrat and the Jayaa Paarvati Vrat.

The Shiva Family ....

Guru Poornima ....

During Gauri Vrat, the third day is the Full Moon day - the Poornima - which is celebrated as Guru Poornima - a festival for expressing gratitude, reverence and devotion to the Guru - the (Spiritual) Mentor or Guide or Teacher, who imparts knowledge and dispels darkness of ignorance.

Holi - The Festival of Colours of Joy, Fun, Festivities, Hope, Love, Harmony ....

 

Holi is the Indian Spring Festival of Colours, full of Joy, Fun, Festivities, Devotion, Hope, Love, Harmony and Music celebrated by Indians and lovers of Indian culture all across the world .... A glimpse of the background, essence and ways of celebrating Holi ....

Introduction to Holi ....

Holi is the ancient Hindu festival / Indian festival celebrated on the Poornima (full-mon day) of the month of Faagun in the Indian / Hindu Lunar calendar that falls during Spring season. It is often called the Festival of Love, the Festival of Colours or the Festival of Spring. The time, the background and the ways of celebrating the festival makes it clear that every name given to the festival is true in its own ride, while also being inclusive of the domains of festivities that the other names highlight.

Holi is celebrated all over India and Nepal, as also in several other countries world-wide among people of Indian origin and lovers of Hindu / Indian traditions, including the United States of America, the United Kingdom, the West Indies, Mauritius, Fiji, Pakistan, Guyana, Indonesia, Surinam and so on.

At most places, Holi is celebrated for two days. However, it is celebrated for five to seven days or even for a fortnight in some places. While several different traditions of celebrating Holi have evolved, lighting the Holi pyre and offering pooja / prayers to it, playing with colours, preparing special Holi delicacies, merriment to the tunes of Holi songs and dances are common everywhere.

The Background - Why is Holi Celebrated ?

To Commemorate Victory of Prahlad's Faith and Unwavering Devotion : Victory of Good over evil ....

According to Shreemad Bhaagavatam or the Bhaagavata Puraana, Prahlad, the son of the demon king Hiranyakashyapa (also called Hiranyakashyapu) and Kayaadhu was a great devotee of Lord Vishnu (the Hindu Deity of Protection, Preservation and Sustainability of Creation), much to the dislike and disapproval of his father.

Hiranyakashyapa tries hard to dissuade Prahlad from worshiping Lord Vishnu, but in vain. So, he imprisons Prahlad. His attempts to poison Prahlad could not succeed, as Vishnu protects his little devotee. He tries to get Prahlad run over by mad elephants, but again Prahlad escapes.

Then, Hiranyakashyapa plans to burn Prahlad alive. Hiranyakashyapa's sister, Holika had received a boon as a result of a penance that fire would not burn her. Hiranyakashyapa asks Holika to sit on a pyre with Prahlad in her lap, so that the fire set to the pyre could burn Prahlad off to death. On the night of Poornimaa (full moon night) in the month of Faagun, Holika sits on a pyre with little Prahlad sitting in her lap and the pyre is set ablaze. Much against the plan, it so happens that Holika burns down to ashes and Prahlad remains unaffected by the fire.

Thus, the pure, innocent devotion of the little devotee stands victorious before the crooked conspiracies of his evil-minded father.

Then onwards, every year, on the Poornimaa (full moon night) of the month of Faagun , Holi is celebrated to commemorate this victory of devotion, love, faith and hope over evil.

A pyre is lighted and worshipped to commemorate the victory of little Prahlad's devotion. On the next day, people play with colours, eat various sweet delicacies and dance and sing to celebrate further.

Holika Dahan - In Memory of the Great Victory of Devotion - Prahlad survives, while his aunt, Holika burns down to ashes in spite of the boon that fire would not burn her ....

A Typical Holi Bonfire with people offering prayers and pooja ....

Another Reason for Holi Celebration : The God of Love comes back to life ....

On the fifth day of the Shukla Paksha (brighter fortnight, meaning from new moon to full moon day) of the month of Maagha as per the Indian / Hindu Lunar calendar, that falls around the end of January to middle of February as per Gregorian calendar, the festival of Vasanta Panchami is celebrated to mark the beginning of Spring - the season of Love and Joy. It is also the day of Saraswati Pooja, as the Goddess of Knowledge and Wisdom, Maa Saraswati is worshipped on this day to begin the season of Love - Spring - with prayers to be guided by Knowledge and Wisdom on the path of Love ....

According to some ancient Indian scriptures, called the Puraanas dedicated to Lord Shiva, such as the Shiva Puraana, Lord Shiva had burnt the Lord of Love, Kaamadeva on the day of Vasanta Panchami. The story goes like this -

Sati, the daughter of Daksha Prajaapati, was the consort of Lord Shiva.

Once, Daksha Prajaapati arranges a big Yagya (Pooja / festivity) in which he does not invite Shiva and Sati, as he was not pleased with their marriage.

Sati could not hold herself from going to her father's place. When Shiva tries to stop her, she argues that a daughter has the right and responsibility to be at her father's place and does not require a formal invitation to remain present in festivities at her parents' place .... Shiva sends her with some of his Ganas (attendants).

During the celebrations, Sati finds herself and her husband's honour being avoided / ignored and insulted. Furious, she immolates herself from the fire that sparks out of her Yogic powers, in protest ....

The celebrations turn into destruction .... Shiva, maddened by the grief of the loss of Sati, moves around with Sati's burnt dead body in hands .... It was as if the whole Creation was immersed in grief and darkness ....

To bring Shiva back to Himself, Lord Vishnu sends his Chakra (Discus), which disintegrates Sati's dead body into 51 pieces that fall at different places all across the land below. These 51 places are the 51 Shakti Peethas (the significant shrines and pilgrimage destinations in Shaktism, the Goddess-focused Hindu tradition).

Distressed Shiva slips into deep meditation after this incident. Sati reincarnates as the daughter of Himaalaya and Mainaa named Paarvati. Inspired by Sage Naarada, she performs penance to win Shiva over as her husband.

On the other side, a demon named Taarakaasur who had performed very severe penance to receive a boon that he could be killed only the son of Shiva, started wrecking havoc on innocent lives on the Earth.

The Devas (Divine Beings or Gods) get worried and see that it is imperative to awaken Shiva from his deep meditation, so that His much needed marriage with Paarvati materializes. They request the Lord of Love, Kaamadeva to awaken Shiva. Kaamadev, with his wife Devi Rati and his team of Spring and its beautiful creations cast spells on Shiva. Finally, Kaamadeva shoots his arrow of Love into Shiva's heart and a startled, angry Shiva opens His eyes. The flames from his Third eye (at the center of his forehead, between his eyebrows) burn Kaamadeva to ashes.

The other Devas come to the spot and explain Shiva about the urgencies of the situation. Shiva agrees to marry Paarvati. An aggrieved Rati pleads for bringing her husband Kaamadeva back to life and prays for forty days. It is said that on the full moon night of the succeeding month of Faagun, forty days after Vasanta Panchami, when Kaamadeva was burnt to ashes, Shiva, moved to compassion by Rati's prayers, brings Kaamadeva back to life (or promises his reincarnation and their reunion, as per some texts / scriptures). That was the day of Holi. So, Holi is the festival of Love.

This belief is popular especially in the Southern parts of India (in the states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh), among devotees of Shiva and Shakti. Here, the lighting of the Holi bonfire is called "Kaamadahanam", meaning incineration of Kaamadeva .... The sacrifice of Kaamadeva is thus prayerfully commemorated.

Aroused from His Deep Meditation, the flames from Lord Shiva's opened up Third Eye burn Kaamadeva ....

The Symbolism behind incinerating Kaamadeva - Kaamadahanam:

Love is the fundamental and one of the most misunderstood aspects of Life. There are several loopholes all around - mistaking lust for love, infatuation, considering "love" as a means of fulfilling ambitions beyond one's capacity or worthiness or out of a crazy sense of possessiveness or egotism or honour .... Much of this is due to ignorance borne of desires that branch out as lust, greed, hatred, anger, jealousy and so on ....

Kaamadeva is the God of Love, as also of human love and desire ....

Incinerating Kaama symbolizes getting rid of such ignorance, such worldliness as most of us call it, in the name of love.

Fire is considered as the ultimate purifier in almost every religion. Burning to ashes - incineration - symbolizes complete purification. Such an incineration - complete purification - happens due to the opening of the Third Eye of Shiva. The Third Eye is symbolic of Inner Vision, Insight, Wisdom and Knowledge. When this Eye opens, ignorance vanishes, as if flashed away into nothing by a purifying fire ....

A life, a relationship based on pure Love, free of undue worldliness makes for a well-lived, true Life.

On the other side is the genuineness of Love that gets mistaken as lust. That is also a fact of life. Fiery ordeals, gratifying realizations, loving revivals and added strength carve the path of Love and Truth.

Holi Celebrations ....

Lighting the Holi Pyre ....

Wood and cow-dung cakes are used for preparing the Holi pyre.

Offerings into the Holi fire - Abeer, Gulaal, Kumkum, Akshat (rice grains), Haldi (turmeric powder), kapoor (camphor), Ghee (clarified butter used in Indian cuisine), Shree Fala (coconut), pop jowar (sorghum), pop corn, khajoor (date fruit), roasted gram, groundnuts and so on. Up to coconut, the list would be common at most places. The rest of the items may be vary regionally.

A Typical Holi Pyre ...

A Typical Holi Pyre ....

A Typical Holi Pyre ....

Playing with Colours ....

Traditionally, the colours are made from natural ingredients from plants - flowers, leaves and so on. Powdered colours, coloured water or even plain water are used for playing Holi.

Water - coloured or plain - filled in beautiful spray guns of various shapes and sizes called Pichakaaree that are available especially during Holi is sprinkled / sprayed over each other.

Pink and white coloured powders are considered necessary and auspicious for Holi celebrations. Pink coloured powder is called Gulaal and white coloured powder is called Abeer. They are also used as offerings, in general, in Pooja.

People happily apply colours as Tilak (a distinctive spot of colored powder or paste worn on the forehead by Hindu men and women as an ornament or religious symbol) to one another or apply colours on cheeks or sprinkle them on each other.

Abeer-Gulaal and other colours are respectfully offered to the feet of elders / Gurujanas (Guru, parents, teachers, experts and such other revered people) to seek their blessings on Holi.

Overflowing enthusiasm and zeal get expressed as throwing of colours on each other. Scenes of throwing / pouring bucket full of water are also seen at many places. Playing Holi in groups in big shallow tanks full of coloured water have been common at many places.

Holi - the Festival of Colours ....

Holi Celebrations in Vrajbhoomi - Krishna's Birthplace ....

Any talk about Holi celebrations remains incomplete without the mention of Shree Krishna's Holi celebrations in Vrajbhoomi during his childhood and adolescence. Vrajboomi (also called Vraj or Braj or Brij or Brajbhoomi or Brijbhoomi) is a region in India on both sides of the Yamuna river with its centre at Mathura-Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh state.

The Holi celebrations in many parts of this region continue for around a fortnight.

Most of the Holi songs called Hori Geet describe celebrations of Holi in Vrajbhoomi by Raadhaa-Krishna and the Gopa-Gopis. There are many types of Holi Songs popular all over India, in various languages and in Indian Classical, Semi-classical and Folk Music styles. Most of them have as there central theme, the Holi celebrations by Raadhaa-Krishna and the Gopa-Gopis in Vrajbhoomi.

Picture of Holi Celebrations by Raadhaa-Krishna and Gopa-Gopis in Vrajbhoomi ....

Holi Songs ....

Holi celebrations invariably include Music - singing and dancing to the tunes of Holi Songs, typically called Hori Geet.

There are folk songs in various regions of North India in local dialects, like Vraj Bhaashaa, Bhojpuri, Maithili, etc. that are specially for Holi celebrations, most of them devoted to Krishna. In the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand, very musical celebrations of Holi take place in the form of the Baithki Holi (singing of Raaga Based classical songs in temples, essentially spiritual in tone and feel), the Khari Holi (folk form, popular in rural areas) and the Mahila Holi (ladies special celebrations). In Punjab, theatrical performances called Swang or Nautanki are popular during Holi. Some areas also celebrate Holi with Wrestling matches. Wrestling is a very popular sport in the states of Punjab and Haryana.

In the Northeast of India, in Assam, Holi and Bihu Songs for the occasion, which is called Fakuwa / Doul here, are performed in groups. Most of them are in praise of / about Krishna. In another Northeastern state Manipur, during Holi celebrations that last for around six days, the youth perform a fold dance called Thabal chongba at night.

In Bengal, melodious songs for Dola Jatraa (Swing Festival) are sung along with dancing and playing with colours, as the procession carrying idols of Raadhaa and Krishna in a decorated palanquin move around the village / town / city areas. In Odisha also, Holi is celebrated with Dola Jatraa (Swing Festival) of Lord Jagannatha.

In the Southern state of Karnataka, at a place called Sirsi, Holi is celebrated with a special folk dance called Bedara Vesha. In Telangana, children sing folk songs called Jajiri during the ten days long Holi celebrations. In Tamil Nadu, Holi is celebrated as Panguni Uthiram, the celebration of blossoming of Love and Marriage.

In Gujarat, folk music and comedy festivals called Dayaro are organized to celebrate Holi, especially at locations where shrines of Shree Krishna are located, such as the famous pilgrim place Dwarka.

Dancing is spontaneous during Holi Celebrations ....

Holi Songs from Hindi movies ....

Holi is a very popular festival in the Hindi (and in general Indian) film and entertainment community. The message of harmony and love, forgetting all differences of cast, status and other discriminations prevailing in the society, complaints / vengeance among equals and reuniting is very prominently expressed in most Holi songs.

There are several very beautiful, melodious songs on Holi in Hindi films. Some of them are listed below (links given) :

• A very famous Holi song from the superhit Hindi film "Sholay" : Holi Ke Din Dil Khil Jaate Hein .... Singers - Lata Mangeshkar, Kishor Kumar and chorus.
• Holi song from the film "Mashaal" : Holi Aayee, Holi Aayee Re .... : Singers - Kishore Kumar, Lata Mangeshkar, Mahendra Kapoor and chorus.
• A very popular Holi song from the film "Silsila" starring superstar Amitabh Bachchan and his wife Jaya Bachchan, Rekha and Sanjeev Kumar .... : Rang Barase Bheege Chunarwaalee .... : Singer - Amitabh Bachchan and chorus
• A beautiful Holi song with good combinations of folk forms - touches of North Indian, Gujarati and Marathi folk styles, beautiful dance by actress Sandhya (two in one presentation - one side of the costume for lady and the other for a man, worth seeing), with elephant in it .... from the classic film "Navarang" : Are Ja Re Hat Natkhat .... Singers: Chitalkar Ramachandran (also the Music Director), Asha Bhosale, Mahendra Kapoor and chorus
• Holi song from the classic superhit "Mother India" : Holi Aayee Re Kanhaaee .... Singers - Shamshad Begum, Lata Mangeshkar and chorus
• A Holi song with Rajasthani background - lyrics, costumes, place and music showing a beautiful glimpse of the colourful brightness of that state from the film ": Aayo Phaganio .... Singers - Vinod Rathod, Udit Narayan, Sadhana Sargam and chorus
• Holi song showing celebrations in the mountain regions of the North India from the 1971 film "Paraayaa Dhan": Holi Re Holi ....
• An old Hindi Film song describing Holi celebrations in Vraj by Nandalaalaa (the son of Nand) Krishna .... the message of harmony also conveyed in the song : Nandalaalaa Holi Khele .... Singers - Mukesh, Mohd. Rafi and Asha Bhosle and chorus
• Holi celebrations in rural North India shown in this song from the film "Nadiyaa Ke Paar" : Jogiji Haan .... Singers - Chandrani Mukherjee, Hemlata, Jaspal Singh and chorus
• Modern Holi celebrations in urban India shown in this song (a couple of lines in the second paragraph in Punjabi) from the film "Aakhir Kyon" : Saat Rang Mein Khel Rahi Hai Dilwalon Kee Tolee .... Singers: Anuradha Paudwal, Amit Kumar and chorus
• A Holi song that has Gujarati Garba rhythm in it from the film "Kaamchor" : Mal De Gulaal Mohe .... Singer : Lata Mangeshkar, Kishor Kurmar and chorus
• A very beautiful Holi song - touches of Marathi (from Maharashtra state) folk music are there in this song, costume and dance performance by the actress are also of Marathi style - from the film "Phagun" : Piya Sang Khelo Holi Phagun Aayo Re .... Singer - Lata Mangeshkar and chorus.
• Holi song mentioning the Holi celebrations by Shree Raama in Avadh from the movie "Baghban" : Hori Khele Raghuveera Avadh Mein .... Singers - Amitabh Bachchan, Alka Yagnik, Sukhwinder Singh, Udit Narayan

Picture of Holi song from the movie "Sholay" ....

Holi Delicacies ....

Different Holi delicacies are prepared in different regions. I am touching upon some popular ones here ....

In North India, Gujia - a crescent shaped deep fried Indian sweet stuffed with Mawa (a coagulated milk solid) and nuts - is the most famous Holi Delicacy : Gujia Recipe

Thandai is a Holi drink prepared in a variety of ways. It is a chilled almond-flavoured beverage and is most sought after when the temperatures soar. Here is a typical popular recipe - Thandai Recipe

In Maharashtra, Puran Poli - the most famous Maharashtrian treat – that has Chana dal (split chickpeas) stuffing in wheat flour rotis is prepared to celebrate Holi : Puran Poli

Dahi Wada - Popular Urad dal (split black lentils) Wadas served with chilled yogurt, sprinkled with Cumin powder, Chilli powder and sweet Chutney : Dahi Wada Recipe

Malpua - A traditional Indian sweet – pancake like dessert, cooked in Ghee and often served soaked in sugar syrup : Malpua Recipe

Kachori - is a deep-fried dumpling which is a very popular street food. It can be filled with a variety of stuffing : Chana Dal Kachori Recipe

Holi Delicacies ....

Summing it up ....

Thus, Holi is a joyous festival celebrated during Spring in India that spreads ....

H - Happiness and Hope

O - Oneness and Optimism

L - Love and Laughter

I - Inspiration and Inclusivity

I wrote this article in response to the suggestions received from my friends authors and poets on HubPages - Brother Manatita and Brenda Arledge - to write about the festival of Holi. I thank both of them for inspiring me to write this. I hope you all enjoy reading this article.

- Vanita Thakkar (09th April, 2021)

Happy Holi !!

Did you know about Holi and why and how it is celebrated ?

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• 67% Yes, but not in much details.

From HubPages .... Published on 04th April, 2021