The Orthodox Church uses the old Julian calendar which is 13 days behind the Gregorian calendar. In the former Soviet Republic, the Bolsheviks adopted the Gregorian calendar at the end of 1917, which put them in line with the rest of the Western world. However, the Orthodox Church, opposed to the Bolsheviks trying to suppress religion, kept the Julian calendar. …
Read More »How to celebrate Diwali in Maharashtra?
How to celebrate Diwali in Maharashtra? Maharashtra, with its major chunk of Marathi population celebrates Diwali in a special way that is quite different from Diwali celebrations in North India. The four day long Diwali Festival, in this state usually begins with Vasu-baras, in honor of the female cow, representing motherhood. The rituals of this day involves married women performing …
Read More »Tell about Diwali Festival?
Tell about Diwali Festival? Deepavali or Diwali means “a row of lights”. It falls on the last two days of the dark half of Kartik (October-November). For some it is a three-day festival. It commences with the Dhanteras, on the 13th day of the dark half of Kartik, followed the next day by the Narak Chaudas, the 14th day, and …
Read More »What’s Origin and Significance of Karwa Chauth?
Significance of Karwa Chauth: The fast of Karwa Chauth is of particular importance to all Hindu married women in India. They believe that the festival ensures prosperity, longevity and well-being of their husbands. The origin of this festival was based on a very sweet and noble idea. Though this idea has lost its true sense as today the whole outlook …
Read More »What is Dusshera? 10th Day of Navratri
What is Dusshera? Dusshera, as the name suggests occurs on the “tenth” day following the Navratri. It is a festival to celebrate the triumph of good over evil, and marks the defeat and death of the demon king Ravana in the epic Ramayana. Huge effigies of Ravana are burnt amidst the bangs and booms of firecrackers. In northern India, especially …
Read More »Why Lord Ganesha Has Only One Tusk?
Why Lord Ganesha Has Only One Tusk? Story – 1 Lord Ganesha and Mooshika Why Lord Ganesha Has Only One Tusk? Here are two stories of how Ganesha lost one of his tusks. Lord Ganesha loved to eat. One evening, having stuffed himself to capacity, he decided to take a post-prandial ride on his favored mount, Mooshika, a rat or …
Read More »How did Lord Ganesha obtain his Elephant Head?
Lord Ganesha Elephant Head? Story – 1 Shiva and Parvati How did Lord Ganesha obtain his Elephant Head? story is probably the one taken from the Shiva Purana. Once, while his mother Parvati wanted to bathe, there were no attendants around to guard her and stop anyone from accidentally entering the house. Hence she created a boy’s idol out of …
Read More »What are the rituals of Nag Panchami Festival?
What are the rituals of Nag Panchami Festival? Nag Panchami is one of the prominent Hindu festivals of India. It falls on the fifth day of the moonlit-fortnight in the month of Shravan according to the Hindu calendar, which corresponds to July-August as per the Gregorian calendar. Historical records suggest that the worship of snakes was wide-spread even before the …
Read More »More than one-fifth of the world population lives in just one country. Which one?
China has more than one fifth of the world population. This country is the third largest in the world. More than billion people live in China, which makes it the most populated country in the world. The demographics of China are identified by a large population with a relatively small youth division, which was partially a result of China’s one-child …
Read More »What is Car Festival of Lord Jagannath?
The Ratha Yatra or Car Festival Of Lord Jagannath at Puri is the most famous and the most spectacular festival which attracts countless pilgrims from all over India and also from abroad. This festival takes place in Asadha Sukla Dwitiya when the images of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra and Sudarshana are taken in a grand procession on three …
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