Attukal Pongala is the most important festival of Attukal Bhagavathy Temple. The offering of Ponkala is a very special temple practice in the southern part of Kerala. The ten-day- long celebration commences in the Malayalam month of Makaram-Kumbham (February – March) on the Karthika star. Ponkala ceremony is on the auspicious day of Pooram star which coincides with full moon. …

Makar Sankranti History: Makar Sankranthi, or Sankranti is a popular Indian festival. It is celebrated in many parts of the country and also in some other parts of the world with great zeal and enthusiasm. It is a harvest festival which is basically celebrated in the Hindu communities. In Indian, the states of Bihar, Bengal, Punjab, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan and …

Makar Sankranti SMS: Makar Sankranti is one of the important Hindu festivals of India, celebrated with great enthusiasm across the length and breadth of the country. The festival holds significance, because it is the time, when the culmination of winter coincides with the harvest season. In the northern parts of India, the festival is called Sankranti or Lohri and in …

What is the Bonfire Ritual in Lohri Festival? In the evening, with the setting of the sun, huge bonfires are lit in the harvested fields and in the front yards of houses and people gather around the rising flames, circle around (parikrama) the bonfire and throw puffed rice, popcorn and other munchies into the fire, shouting “Aadar aye dilather jaye” …

First Lohri of Bride or The New Born: The first Lohri celebrated by a new bride or a newborn represents a grand occasion and immediate family members are invited for feast and exchange of gifts. Once the party is over, Lohri is celebrated with traditional dancing and singing around the bonfire. Lohri pampers women and children. This is particularly a …

जातिगत भेदभाव हमारी सबसे बड़ी दुर्बलता, संगठित होना इस काल की आवश्यकता: स्वामी विवेकानंद “जब तक करोड़ों भूखे और अशिक्षित रहेंगे, तब तक मैं प्रत्येक उस आदमी को विश्वासघातक समझूँगा, जो उनके खर्च पर शिक्षित हुआ है, परन्तु जो उन पर तनिक भी ध्यान नहीं देता!” जातिगत भेदभाव सबसे बड़ी दुर्बलता: विवेकानंद सन् 1857 के प्रथम स्वाधीनता संग्राम से पराधीनता …

विश्व एक व्यायामशाला है, जहाँ हम खुद को मजबूत बनाने के लिए आते हैं: स्वामी विवेकानंद भारतीय संस्कृति के मूल मंत्र ‘वसुधैव कुटुंबकम’ की प्रासंगिकता से सर्वप्रथम स्वामी विवेकानंद ने ही पूरे विश्व को परिचित कराया था। प्रधानमंत्री नरेंद्र मोदी के नेतृत्व में भारत ने इस मूल मंत्र का और सुदृढ़ तरीके से प्रचार-प्रसार किया। स्वामी विवेकानंद: वसुधैव कुटुंबकम वसुधैव …

Lohri History: The history of Lohri, a seasonal festival of North India is as old as that of story of Indus Valley civilization itself. The Festival of Lohri marks the beginning of the end of winter and the coming of spring and the new year. The fires lit at night, the hand warming, the song and dance and the coming …

Bonfires and Bonhomie: Creating an aura of warmth to ward off the winter chill, there are a host of harvest festivals lined up for mid-January. So while it’s Lohri in North India, it’s Uttarayan in Gujarat, Pongal and Tamil New Year in the South, Magha or Bhugali Bihu in Assam, and Makar Sankranti in the rest of the country to …

What are customs and legends of Lohri? In the morning on Lohri day, children go from door to door singing and demanding the Lohri ‘loot’ in the form of money and eatables like til (sesame) seeds, peanuts, jaggery, or sweets like gajak, rewri, etc. They sing in praise of Dulla Bhatti, a Punjabi avatar of Robin Hood who robbed the …