CREATED BY : Connecting Classroom Club.Anula Vidyalaya, Nugegoda.

BUDDHIST FESTIVALS HINDU FESTIVALS Vesak ThaipongalVesak Thaipongal Poson DeepavaliPoson Deepavali Esala Maha SivaratriEsala Maha Sivaratri ISLAMIC FESTIVALS CHRISTIAN FESTIVALS Milad Un Nabi ChristmasMilad Un NabiChristmas Ramazan EasterRamazan Easter hajj

Vesak

 Vesak day is the most important day for Buddhists all around the world.  It is the day that commemorates the birth, the enlightenment, and the passing away of the Lord Buddha.  Widely celebrated in many parts of Asia, Vesak day is an official public holiday for Buddhists to celebrate it as a festival. What is Vesak ?

 On this day, I will go to the temple with my family to pay our respects to the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha (Triple Gem).  The temple will be beautifully decorated with bright cloths, lights and lanterns. Once there, we will offer candles, incense and flowers as gifts to Lord Buddha to show our respects and gratitude for his teachings.

POSON

 This year on Vesak day we celebrated the 2600th year of enlightenment of Lord Buddha.  Two hundred and eighty-two years after the death of Lord Buddha, Arahat Mahinda came to Mihintale to introduce Buddhism to Sri Lanka.  King Devanampiyatissa was the king of Anuradhapura.  On a full moon day when the king was out hunting, chasing a deer at Mihintale rock, he heard the words of Arahat Mahinda, “Tissa! Tissa! Come to me”.  He was shocked and shouted, “Who dared to call me by my name”.  “We are disciples of Lord Buddha,” Arahat Mahinda replied calmly.

 The King was pleased by the words of Arahat Mahinda.  Arahat Mahinda wanted to test the king if he was wise enough to understand Lord Buddha’s Dhamma.  He asked some intellectual questions and the king answered very wisely.  The king and his group dropped their arms down and sat to listen to the “bana” Mahinda Thero preached them.  Upon listening, all of them embraced Buddhism and surrendered to the Triple Gem.  King Devanampiyatissa was the first Buddhist king of Sri Lanka.

ESALA PERAHERA

 The Kandy Esala Perahera is the most beautiful pageant in Sri Lanka.  This perahera was started by King Kirthi Sri Rajasinghe.  The starting event of the Esala Perahera is the planting of the “kap “or “the kap situvima”.  The first item in the perahera is the sound of whip crackers.  It is followed by the flag bearers.  The Peramune-rala is the one who sits on the first elephant in the perahera.

 After that so many groups of dancers and drummers, beautifully dressed, add beauty to the perahera.  The tusker carrying the casket walks majestically on the pavada.  The Diyavadana Nilame and other nilames follow the tusker.  There are hundreds of elephants that can be seen in the perahera.

 Pongal is a Tamil harvest festival. It is same as Thanksgiving Day.  In an agriculture based civilization, harvest plays an important role.  The farmer cultivating the land depends on his cattle, timely rain and the Sun.  Once a year, he expresses his gratitude to everything which symbolizes the harvest celebration.  With the end of the wet month of Margazhi (mid December to mid January) the new Tamil month of Thai heralds a series of festivals.  The first day of this month is a festival day known as "Pongal Day". Pongal means the "boiling over" of milk and rice during the month of Thai.

DEEPAVALI

 Diwali is a widely celebrated festival of Hindus.  It marks the return of Lord Rama to his kingdom after an exile of fourteen years.  The victory of Rama over Ravana is a victory of the forces of good over the forces of evil  People light up their house with earthen lamps known as ''Diyas'' and Candles.  Sweets are distributed among friends and relatives on this day.  Men, women and children wear new and colourful clothes on the day of Diwali. They greet on another and wish each other the blessings of Diwali  Children let off crackers, the noise of which, continues till late into the night.

 People keep their houses neat and clean.  Some people believe that Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, visits a clean and well-lit houses on the night of Diwali.

Mahasivaratri

 Maha shivaratri is celebrated on the night of (Maha) Vad 14 as it is believed that this is the day when Lord Shiva transformed and appeared as the Shivalinga.  The ritual is traced back to ancient times when a hunter sat atop a bilitree waiting to hunt a deer.  He kept a constant watch and kept dropping the leaves on the ground.  They fell on the Shivalinga that was below the tree.  When he finally captured a deer, it requested the hunter to let him go to see its family. The deer promised that it would return.

The hunter agreed and he kept himself awake by plucking the bili leaves and dropping them on the Shivalinga. Thus he unknowingly performed the puja. When in the morning the deer returned, the hunter could not kill it. As he was purified of all the evils and sins due to the puja he did at night. The hunter and the deer were blessed by Lord Shiva. From that day onwards Maha Shivaratri has been celebrated by fasting and being awake all night. Hindus perform puja of Shiva all through the night.

Milad-un-nabi

Milad un Nabi is a public holiday in most Muslim nations. It is common for Muslims to gather in public and listen to religious leaders talk about the Prophet’s deeds, telling stories about his infant and his adult lives. Milad un Nabi is the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad. While many Muslims don’t celebrate birthdays. Milad un Nabi is a joyous occasion, as the birth of the Prophet is considered a great blessing for humanity.

The Prophet’s memory is also praised with songs and salutations, and people often decorate their homes and mosques with lights and flags. It is also common for families to donate to charity and prepare food for the impoverished and sick. While Milad-Un-Nabi is a happy occasion, celebrations are relatively low-key, as it also marks the anniversary of Mohammad’s death.

Ramazan

 During Ramadan, people of Islamic faith fast during daylight hours.  They usually wake up before sunrise for a small meal and then do not eat again until the sun sets at night.  The word "Ramadan 'itself means "parched thirst" and "sun-baked ground"  Some families have their children participate in the fast anyway or they find other ways to teach their kids about devotion, generosity, goodwill and self-control.  After 30 days of sacrifice, Muslims hold a three-day celebration of fast- breaking called Eid al-Fitr.  Oftentimes, Muslim kids receive gifts and indulge in treats during that festival.

Christmas

 Christmas is the most important festival of the Christians.  It is celebrated on the 25th December every year with great pomp and show.  This festival is celebrated as the birthday of Lord Jesus Christ.  Christ was the founder of Christianity.  It is believed that he was sent to this world to save mankind.  Great preparations are made for the occasion.  All houses and churches are cleaned and white washed.  The Christmas tree is decorated with artificial stars, flowers, lights, toys etc. on this day.

 At night, all sing Christmas carols, songs and offer prayer to God who sent his son, Christ to earth to remove all sins and sufferings.  After the prayer, exchange of gifts happen between all the members of the house, friends and the guests.  Any person disguised as Santa Claus distributes sweets among the children. Big feasts are arranged.  Delicious dishes, cakes and puddings are served.  After the feast, all members dance & sing.

Easter

 Easter is the celebration of Jesus Christ's rising from the dead after His crucifixion which took place on what we now term Good Friday.  Easter is usually celebrated on the first Sunday after the full moon following the Vernal or Spring Equinox on March 21st.  This can be any Sunday between March 22nd and April 25th.  It is the most sacred of all the Christian holidays or celebrations.

 Christ's return (or rising) from death is called the Resurrection.  According to the scriptures, Christ's tomb was empty three days after His death, which is commemorated on Good Friday.  His followers saw Him and talked to Him after this.  Christians therefore believe that they have the hope of a new life (an everlasting life in Heaven) after their earthly death.

THANK YOU!!!