FESTIVALS AND CELEBRATIONS SHRI SHIKSHAYATAN SCHOOL KOLKATA

NAMES OF FESTIVALS IN INDIA DOL/HOLI NABA BARSHA/BAISAKI DURGA PUJA/NAVRATHRI DIWALI/KALI PUJA BHAI DOOJ/BHAI PHONTA

DOL/VASANTA UTSAV Dol is a spring festival It is celebrated in the month of Phalguna, (March) as the lunar month is locally known .

IT IS A FESTIVAL OF COLORS Despite being a Hindu festival, it is now regarded as a secular event.

Dol the great Indian festival of colors, is a unique celebration of high spirits, when the new season is courted with a riot of rich colors. Celebrating the mood of nature with a range of colors . The spirit of celebration is to showcase the shifting panorama of life, of sights, movement of feelings. And the color symbolizes the energy, the vivid, passionate pulse of life signifying vitality.

NABABARSHA (BENGALI NEW YEAR)

As the month of Baishakh is the first month of the Bengali year, Nababarsha or Bengali New Year is on the first day of Baishak. On this day in many houses Goddess Lakshmi and God Ganesh are worshipped.

People eat different exotic food items like- sweets, meat, fried rice, different fishes cooked in different ways.

DURGA PUJA

DURGA PUJA Durga Puja is the greatest festival of the Bengalis. It is mainly celebrated in WestBengal in the month of October. It is also celebrated throughout India and all over the World. It is said that Goddess Durga comes down to earth with her four children – Lord Ganesha , Devi Laxmi, Devi Saraswati and Lord Kartik.

DURGA PUJA Goddess Durga has ten hands with ten different weapons to kill the demon – Mahisasura. People pray for four days offering prayers to the goddess. DHAK – It is the main musical instrument played during the pujas.

DURGA PUJA People enjoy the festive mood for four days. The four days are respectively known as SHASTI, SAPTAMI, ASTAMI, NAVAMI and DASHMI. People hop from one pandal to another wearing new clothes. The pandals are beautifully decorated. The streets are lighted up with colourful lights.

DURGA PUJA After four days of enjoyment the idols are immersed into the Ganga river on BIJOYA DASHMI. Married women take part in “SINDUR KHELA”. People embrace each other , younger ones touch the feet of their elders and all the people share sweets among themselves saying – “SHUBHO BIJOYA”. We all wait for another Durga Puja next year.

KALI PUJA/DIWALI

Kali Pooja/Diwali is celebrated on the Amavasya or the new moon night in the Hindu month of Kartik (October/November).

DIWALI Diwali is celebrated all over India with great enthusiasm by bursting crackers. People light diyas, exchange greetings and sweets on this day

ID-UL-FITR Id-Ul-Fitr festival or Eid-Ul-Fitr festival, commonly known as Eid is the most important Occasions of Islamic calendar. Id ul Fitr festival is celebrated by Muslim community all over the world with great devotion and joviality. Eid ul Fitr festival denotes the end of 'Ramadan', the month of fasting and beginning of the new month namely 'Shawwal'

BHAI PHONTA

The festival of Bhai Dooj or Bhaubeej is popularly known as Bhai-phota (or Bhai phonta) among Bengalis. Just as Bhaidooj celebrations in rest of India, Bhai-phota falls on the last day of five-day-long Diwali festival, on the second day of Diwali. This is the second day of the bright fortnight or Shukla Paksha of Hindu month of Kartika. On Bhaubeej, sisters pray for their brothers to have long and happy lives by performing the Teeka ceremony. Brothers give their sisters gifts.

Saraswati Puja Saraswati Puja is one of the most devotional festivals of West Bengal. People worship Saraswati (Goddess of learning) during this time .

This festival is celebrated in all schools and colleges and the youth can be seen participating in the puja with much enthusiasm . It is also marked as the day of eating plums.