Festivals Of India 2009 - 2010

This is the list of popular festivals and important days in Indian calendar for year 2009 - 2010


October - 2009
Vikram Sanvat 2066 - 19/10/09
Bhaiduj - 19/10/09
Shri Jalaram Jayanti - 25/10/09
Prabodhini Ekadashi - 29/10/09
Bhagwad Geeta Jayanti - 28/10/09

November - 2009
Bakri Eid (Eid-ul-Adhaa) - 28/11/09

December - 2009
Christmas - 25/12/09
Muharram - 27/12/09

January - 2010
New Year - 01/01/10
Makarsankrnti (Uttarayan) - 14/01/10
Indian Republic Day - 26/01/10

February - 2010
Maha Shivratri - 12/02/10
Chatripathi Shivaji Jayanti - 19/02/10
Holi - 28/02/10

March - 2010
Dhuleti - 01/03/10
Rangpanchmi - 05/03/10
Gudi padavo - 16/03/10
Ram navami - 24/03/10
Swaminarayan Jayanti - 24/03/10
Mahavir Jayanti - 28/03/10
Shri Hanuman Jayanti - 30/03/10

April - 2010
Good Friday - 02/04/2010
Easter - 04/04/2010
Shri Vallabhacharya Jayanti - 10/04/10

May - 2010
May Day (Gujarat - Maharastra Day ) - 01/05/10
Akshya Tritiya (Akhatrij) - 16/05/10
Buddha Purnima - 27/05/10

July - 2010
Ratha Yatra (Puri Yatra) - 13/07/10

August - 2010
Indian Independence Day - 15/08/10
Pateti (Parsi New Year) - 19/08/10
Raksha Bandhan (Naryeli Punam) - 24/08/10

September - 2010
Shri Krishna Jayanti - 01/09/10
Janamastmi (Dahi Handi) - 02/09/10
Ramzan Eid - 10/09/10
Shri Ganesh Chaturthi - 11/09/10
Ananth Chaturthi - 22/09/10

October - 2010
Mahatma Gandhi Jayanti - 02/10/10
Dashera - 17/10/10
Sardar Patel Jayanti - 31/10/10

November - 2010
Dhanteras - 04/11/10
Diwali ( Lakshmi Pujan ) - 06/11/10
Hindu New Year (Vikram Savant - 2067) - 07/11/10

Diwali 2009 - Festival of Lights

Diwali is celebrated over a number of days. The festival of light takes place in the latter half of the last month of the Hindu year.

Each Hindu month is split into 15 day cycles. The second half being the darker as the Hindu calendar is based on lunar cycles. Hindus generally start doing pooja (offering prayers) on the 10th day of the second half of the month. On the 11th day which is called Ekadashi. People tend to fast and offer prayers to Vishnu and Krishna , followed by Vagh Baras when the goddess of power, Durga Maa is worshipped with various poojas and “abhishek”. (Abhishek means the bathing of a deity by constant flow of water). Five days of celebrations begin thereafter.

DAY 1 - Dhun Teras (13th Day)
Dhun means money or wealth. Traditionally people would wash their money on this day. In their homes, people literally wash coins in milk and water and worship Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth. It can also be said that to give or distribute money to the poor and needy, is a way of ¡washing your wealth¢.

DAY 2 - Kali Chaudas (14th Day)
Some say that those who are into tantra, learn their ¡mantras¢ on this day. Alternatively, people offer Nived (food) to the goddess that is local to where they are originally from. This goddess is called their ¡Kul Devi¢, in order to cast off evil spirits. Some families also offer food to their forefathers on this day.

DAY 3 - Diwali (15th Day)
Diwali is the last day of the Hindu year and thus also the end of the Hindu financial year. Many businessmen close their account books and do rituals to open their new account books for the next financial year, in order to gain prosperity in the next financial year. In the Ramayana Rama, Sita and Lakshmana returned to the kingdom of Ayodhya on this day as it was the last day of the last year of their 14 year banishment. As it was so dark, the subjects of the kingdom, lit ¡divas¢ (little wicks doused in ghee) to light the path. The lights are seen as a triumph of good over evil, light over dark, happiness (the homecoming) over sadness (the banishment).

DAY 4 - New Year's Day (1st Day)
The new cycle of days now starts with Bestu Varush or New Year¢s Day. Everybody greets each other with good wishes and a happy new year, 'Saal Mubarak¢. The young bow down and touch the feet of their elders to gain blessings. Money or gifts of clothes are also given. At the temples 56 different foods are offered to the deities, this is known as Annakut Darshan, the food is blessed and offered as prashad to the people who come to worship at the temple and to the poor and needy.

DAY 5 - Bhai Bhij or Bhai Duuj (2nd Day)
Sisters call their brothers and his family to their homes for a meal. Brothers normally take a gift or leave money under their plates when they have finished their meal. Traditionally this was so that the brother could check that all was well with his sister in her marital home.

That brings Happiness in our life.

Diwali is festival of Light,

That brings Hope in our life.

Diwali is Festival of Colors,

That brings Beauty in Our life.

And Diwali is Festival of Traditions,

That shows Culture of Society.

Wish You and Your Family Very HAPPY DIWALI

Vardayini Maa Palli Rupal Village - Festival of Ghee

Rupal Village located near to Ghandhinagar about 40 Km from Ahmedabad. This village celebrates unique festival on the ninth day of the great festival Navratri ( Indian Festival of Praying 9 different Godess and Dandiya Dance ).

On the night of ninth day, a "Rath" of Mata Vardayini is taken out from the middle of the villlage and reach to the main temple in about 4 hours. This year the festival celebrated on 27th Sept. 2009.

People of the village say that, This festival has been started by the "Pandavs" since the time of Mahabharat. People come to the village and do prayer for their family and mainly their small children.

The "Palli" is a made from the wood of tree "khijada" on the same day itself. Its a wooden frame of about 8-9 feet height with stand to lift it. Holy fire (Akand Jyoth) kept at 5 places on the frame, one at the top and other at the four corners of the Palli.

People of village take out the Palli from the middle of the village and palli stops at 27 spots in the village. Each spot is having tons of Pure Ghee or Clarified Butter kept ready to pour on the "Palli" Rath. This tons of Pure Ghee is donated by the millions of people who come to this small village to visit the Palli and take blassings of Mata Vardayini.

This year about 700, 000 people visited a small village to have a gimps of the palli. When you see from the top of any home, you do not see anything other then heads of the people. Now each person who visit the village, put some amount of Pure Ghee on the drums kept on each spot.

I bet, no person has ever seen or imagined the amount of ghee collected at one place and poured on the Palli in just few minutes.


This year about more then 600,000 kg of Ghee poured on the Palli. You can see the Ghee collected in the oil drums in this picture. To believe it, you need to visit it personally.






After the Palli leave from one place, you can see the small river of Ghee flowing from that place. To leave that spot, you need to walk out from that small river of Ghee. Even after a months of the festival, smell of Pure Ghee comes out of the streets of the village.

People visits every year and day by day the popularity of the festival is increasing and more and more people visits the place.



Its great experience of the life to see the festival. Do visit once in you life and receive the blassing from the Mata Vardayini.

Jay Vardayini Mata.

Ambaji Padyatri Seva - Bhadarvi Punam Seva

"Jai Ambe", "Jai Mata Ji". This the main slogan that you heard now a days in the road that lead to Ambaji in the month of Badrapad according to Indian Calendar (Comes between August and September). Every year about 40 to 50 lakh (4 to 5 million) devotee's walk to a temple Ambaji (about 180 Kms from Ahmedabad near to Rajesthan bordar). Most people walk this journey in 5 days but a people in masses takes about 15 days reach the temple on purnima (Full Moon).

Gujarat State Transport also provide special help to devotee's by putting extra 1500 buses for their transportation. Gorvenment takes extra precautions by keeping a medical camps at various places during this days and distribute free drugs. But government cannot help out single handed to this many number people. As this situation people come out from various villages to help the devotee by providing free food, free medical.

Lots of big companies also close their working for these days and put all their office staff to help out the devotees. Lots of small group of people provide help like providing water, shelter for night stay with all other basic needs.

We are also doing small amount of help by providing a small packet of "Chana" which is a very healthy food and people can eat that while walking or while resting for a while. Chana give them a good strength and also a good time pass while a long walk to temple Ambaji. We are providing this service since last 10 years and our fund and people to help out in this service increases day by day which is a blassing from a Mata Amba and we will continue this service as long as we can.

Usually temple are closed after 8:00 PM IST and during afternoon, its closed from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM. (Timing changes according to the season so please confirm the timing from the temple site). But during this days temple is closed only for an hour of time during a day and kept open for the darshan of the Maa Ambe for devotees walking to Ambaji.

People once visit this place during this season wish to come next year no matter what the condition to the blessing from the Maa Amba. Its saying that if you come here with a wish full faith in Maa Ambe then your wish will get fulfilled thats for sure.

Tomatina - Tomato Fight Festival of Spain

La Tomatina (Tomatina) is a food fight festival held on last Wednesday of August every year in the town of Buñol in the Valencia region of Spain. Tens of thousands of participants come from all over the world to fight in a brutal battle where more than one hundred metric tons of over-ripe tomatoes are thrown in the streets.

The week-long festival features music, parades, dancing, and fireworks. On the night before the tomato fight, participants of the festival compete in a paella cooking contest. It is tradition for the women to wear all white and the men to wear no shirts. This festival started in a casual way in 1945[1], but wasn't officially recognized until 1952.

Approximately 20,000–50,000 tourists come to the tomato fight, multiplying by several times Buñol's normal population of slightly over 9,000. There is limited accommodation for people who come to La Tomatina, and thus many participants stay in Valencia and travel by bus or train to Buñol, about 38 km outside the city. In preparation for the dirty mess that will ensue, shopkeepers use huge plastic covers on their storefronts in order to protect them.

History of the Festival

The festival is in honor of the town's patron saints, St. Louis Bertrand (San Luis Bertràn) and the Mare de Déu dels Desemparats (Mother of God of the Defenseless), a title of the Virgin Mary.

The tomato fight has been a strong tradition in Buñol since 1944 or 1945[1]. No one is completely certain how this event originated. Possible theories on how the Tomatina began include a local food fight among friends, a juvenile class war, a volley of tomatoes from bystanders at a carnival parade, a practical joke on a bad musician, and the anarchic aftermath of an accidental lorry spillage. One of the most popular theories is that disgruntled townspeople attacked city councilmen with tomatoes during a town celebration. Whatever happened to begin the tradition, it was enjoyed so much that it was repeated the next year, and the year after that, and so on. The holiday was banned during the Spanish State period under Francisco Franco for having no religious significance, but returned in the 1970s after his demise

Source : Wikipedia

GaneshChaturthi - Vighna Harta Ganesh Birthday

Lord Ganesh is considered to be the God who bless us with and wealth upon human beings. Lord Ganesh considered as Vighna Harta ( Take away hurdles from life) and because of that Lord Ganesh rememberd first while undertakings all new work whether at place of work or at home. He is known as the God of good luck and prosperity. Therefore, before any auspicious occasion, Hindus performs the puja of Lord Ganesha, to achieve success in it. Ganesh Chaturthi, the day marking the birth of the Lord, is celebrated in a grand manner mainly in Maharashtra and all other parts of India. It falls in the Hindu lunar month of Bhadra and lasts over a period of ten days. One of the most loving festivals of India.

Small idols of vighnaharta ganesh are brought with great reverence and installed in the homes on decorated pedestal. Different kinds of sweets and dishes are prepared during these festivities. In coastal Karnataka people bring sugar canes and tender coconuts as offerings to Lord Ganesha. Some families immerse the idol of Ganesha after one and a half days. Others keep and worship the deity for five days or seven days or the full period of ten days and immerse the idol on the Ananth Chaturdashi day.

The Festival started by Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaja, the great Maratha ruler, to promote culture and nationalism, the festival was revived by Lokmanya Tilak (a freedom fighter) to spread the message of freedom struggle and to defy the British who had banned public assemblies. The festival gave the Indians a feeling of unity and revived their patriotic spirit and faith. This public festival formed the background for political leaders who delivered speeches to inspire people against the Western rule. The festival is so popular that the preparations begin months in advance.

Ganesha statues installed in street corners and in homes, and elaborate arrangements are made for lighting, decoration, mirrors and the most common of flowers. Poojas (prayer services) are performed daily. The artists who make the idols of Ganesh compete with each other to make bigger and more magnificent and elegant idols. The relevantly larger ones are anything from 10 meters to 30 meters in height. These statues are then carried on decorated floats to be immersed in the sea after one, three, five, seven and ten days. Thousands of processions converge on the beaches to immerse the holy idols in the sea. This procession and immersion is accompanied by drum- beats, devotional songs and dancing.

It is still forbidden to look at the moon on that day as the moon had laughed at Ganesha when he fell from his vehicle, the rat. With the immersion of the idol amidst the chanting of "Ganesh Maharaj Ki Jai!" (Hail Lord Ganesh). The festival ends with pleas to Ganesha to return the next year with chants of "Ganpati bappa morya, pudcha varshi laukar ya" (Hail Lord Ganesh, return again soon next year.


Prayer (Arti)of Lord Ganesh.

Jai Ganesha Devaa

Jai ganesha jai ganesha jai ganesha devaa
Maataa jaakii paarvatii, pitaa mahaadevaa
Eka danta dayaavanta, caara bhujaa dhaarii
Maathe sinduura sohai, muuse kii savaari
Jai ganeshaa...

Andhana ko aankha deta
Korhina ko kaayaa
Baanjhana ko putra deta
Nirdhana ko maayaa
Jai ganeshaa...

Paana carhe, phuula carhe
Aura carhe mevaa
Ladduana ko bhoga lage
Santa karen sevaa
Jai ganesha...

Image Source : www.lalbaugcharaja.com