THE PEOPLE

HOLIDAYS

Holidays.

Hindus have several religious holidays throughout the year but all are not commonly kept. Almost in every month there occurs a sana (holiday), an utsava (festival), a jayanti (birthday anniversary of a god or goddess, a saint or a hero), or a jatra (fair). There are also days for individual observances such as vrat (vow) or a upavas (fast). To the religious-minded Hindu every tithi (lunar day) has some religious significance; it is sacred, suitable, auspicious or otherwise for some purpose or another. These get mention in a pancanga (almanac), but in their observance a person is led by the tradition of his family, caste, and local usage. While all Hindus have a few common holidays or festivals, some sections have their exclusive ones, the Brahmans claiming many more than the rest.

There are fourteen chief yearly holidays observed by Hindus in Ratnagiri district; nine of them, are feasts or days of rejoicing, and five fasts or times of penance. The chief feasts are: (1) Padva, (2) Karka Sankrant, (3) Naga-pancami, (4) Narali Paurnima, (5) Ganesa Caturthi and Gaur, (6) Navaratra and Dasara, (7) Divali, (8) Makar Sankrant, and (9) Hoil. The fasts are: (1) Rama-Navami, . (2) Asadhi Ekadasi, . (3) Gokul . Astami, (4) Kurtiki Ekadasi, and (5) Sivaratra.

Feasts.

 Padava.

The first of Caitra is called Gudhi-padva it being the New Year Day according to Salivahana Saka (era). With this day begins the new season, the spring. A gudhi— bamboo pole capped with a small silver or brass pot and a new piece of cloth and a string of flowers hanging to it at a flag — is set by each householder in front of his house and worshipped. All bathe early in the morning, eat a mixture of neem leaves, gul and cumin, have a sumptuous meal at noon and in the evening visit the chief temple to hear the varsaphala, (year's forecast), read by the village priest. The day is considered auspicious for building or entering a new house, putting a child to school, or starting a business.

Karka-Sankrant.

The day the sun enters the sign of Cancer which occurs in July is known as Karka-sankrant and observed by agricultural classes with festivity.

Naga-Panchami.

The bright fifth of Sravana is observed as Nagapancami day when in many a Hindu house a clay naga (cobra) is worshipped and a feast enjoyed. In villages, activities like digging and ploughing which are believed to hurt snakes, are completely suspended and the day is spent in festive gatherings of sports and games. Snake-charmers go about the streets carrying snakes encased in baskets, and collect offerings of parched rice, milk and copper coins made by people in worship of nagas (cobras).

On the full moon day of Sravana comes Narali-Paurnima (cocoanut day), a day of festival of definite social value. Because of the auspicious position of the Sravana constellation that day, Brahmans and others entitled to wear the sacred thread observe it as a day of upakarma or popularly known as sravani ceremony when they discard the sacred thread that they have been wearing and put on new ones after the performance of certain Vedic rites. The businessmen, particularly in sea coast towns, to appease the rough waters of the monsoon, sea, or rather to propitiate god Varuna, the presiding deity of all waters, worship the sea with an offering of a cocoanut and pray for the safety of their ships which start sailing from the day. On this day instead of having a rakhi tied on the wrist by the sister, the agriculturist in Konkan wears a poute round his neck or tied to his wrist. This is done at the village temple generally at noon time. From this night they assemble for practising their Govinda and Gauri dances, the former only a week and the latter slightly over a fortnight ahead.

Ganesa-Caturthi.

On the bright fourth of Bhadrapada comes Ganesa-caturthi, the birthday anniversary of Ganesa, the god of wisdom and of all auspicious beginnings. A festive image — a painted clay figure in the making of which the artist uses some latitude — is brought and installed in the house with due religious ceremony. The image is kept in the house from one and a half day to ten and sometimes even twenty-one days as may be the family custom, worshipped twice daily during the period and finally taken out in a procession and immersed in the sea or some watery place.

Gaur.

Conjoined with the Ganapati festival women hold a feast for three days in honour of Parvati or Gauri, the mother of Ganesa. No festival is more enthusiastically observed by the agricultural classes of Konkan than the Gauripujan. It occurs within a couple of days after Ganesa-caturthi. The first day is Gauryavahana, the invitation to Gauri, second one is Gauripujan, the worship of the goddess and the last day is Gaurivisarjana, the immersion day. The image of Gauri which is arranged in a chair consists of a bundle of Terada plants dressed in a sadi and adorned with ornaments, and a head made of clay properly shaped, dried and coloured. Those who cannot afford to buy this head substitute it with a paper image; the rich may have the whole image made of clay. Among higher castes who do not consider the festival as an important one, young girls bring seven pebbles from the river or the sea, worship and immerse them on the prescribed days.

Navaratra and Dasara.

The Dasara, so called from dasa (ten) and ahar (days) is a ten-day festival in honour of the goddess Durga, the final day celebrated on the tenth of bright Aswin. The first nine days are known as Navaratra, and on the first of these the ceremony of ghatasthapana or the invocation of the goddess to be present in the ghata is performed. A copper or brass tambya (jar) is filled with water, a copper coin and a betelnut put inside and the mouth covered with mango-leaves and a cocoanut. It is then installed on a few handfuls of rice heaped on a wooden stool and is daily worshipped for nine days as goddess Durga. On loose earth spread round about it are sown grains of eighteen kinds and sprinkled with water; a string of flowers is daily hung over the goddess. This worship is observed only in some families by tradition, and a common collective worship is held in the village temple. On the morning of the tenth or the Dasara day Hindus take an early bath and worship their religious books (granths), iron weapons and tools, and household gods. They have sumptuous meals at noon, and towards evening they don holiday attire and gather together to worship sami (Prosopis spicigera) or in its absence, the apta (bauhinia racemosa) tree. On this day the leaves of apta are supposed to symbolize gold and are exchanged while greeting one another. The Dasara day is considered highly auspicious for the undertaking of any new work or business; and children who are commencing their studies generally attend school for the first time on this day.

Divali.

Dipavali. or Divali as it is popularly known is the largest and the most enjoyed festival of the Hindus. Strictly speaking, the festival is confined to three days—the 13th, 14th and 15th of the dark half of Asvina but it gets extended by two days with the addition of Bali-pratipada, the first and Yamadvitlya, the second of the bright Kartika, which closely follow. During the period each evening a number of pantya (small oil-lamps) are lighted in all frontages of the house and in every nook and corner inside.

Of the five days, Narak-caturdasi, the fourteenth of dark-Asvina is the most important one since this day is considered as the Divali by all classes. The importance of other days differs in various groups. Dhanatrayodasi and Laksmi-pujana, the thirteenth and the last day of Asvina respectively are.of.special importance to the merchant classes as they have their vahi-pujana (worship of books of account) on the former day and Laksmi-pujana (the worship of the goddess of wealth) on the latter. This class is busy with stock taking and accounts, because the next day, i.e. the first day of the Kartika marks the beginning of the new commercial year. Bhaublja, the second day of Kartika is considered more important by the Brahmans and others claiming that status. On this day the brother visits his sister, generally at her house, and by way of present offers her cash, a fine piece of cloth or an ornament according to his means. Balipratipada, the first of Kartika, is one of the three and a half muhurtas, an auspicious time to declare engagements of marriage, etc.

Makara Sankranta.

The day the sun enters Makara (the zodiac sign of Capricorn), which as a solar incident occurs on the 14th of January but on an uncertain tithi (lunar date) in the month of Pausa, is celebrated as Makara Sankrant. It is marked with a feast in the afternoon and in the evening men and women dress in holiday clothes and visit friends and relatives to exchange tilagula or halva (sesame-sweet) as sweet greetings of the season.

The annual festival of Holi begins from the fifth of the bright half of Phalguna and lasts till the Ranga-Pancami day i.e. fifth day of the dark half of Phalguna.

Holi or simga.

In villages the advent of Simga festival is eagerly awaited both by the old and the young. Boys from all localities of the village assemble at the place appointed for the Holi and thence go from house to house asking for firewood. Bonfires are lit from the tenth day of Phalguna but the principal day is the full-moon day, when the mothi Holi (big bonfire) is celebrated. Daily they arrange the firewood and other combustible articles around the branch of a mango, Savar or a betelnut palm in a pit dug out for the purpose and then set the holi (pile) on fire. They then take five rounds round the Holi amidst beating of drums and loud cries of obscene words and later play games of Atyapatya and Khokho. At the close of the game they daub their foreheads with sacred ashes gathered from the Holi fire. This process is continued every night till the close of the full-moon day.

On the full-moon day all the males of the village including old men gather after sunset at the Holi spot with their collections of firewood. A huge pile arranged round a newly cut plantain tree, is worshipped and kindled, the right of kindling the Holi fire going to the mankari or patil of the village. A naivedya (offering) of poli (cake) is offered to the Holi. In some places a cock is also sacrificed to the bonfire, and cocoanuts from all the houses in the village are thrown into it. Some of these cocoanuts are removed after they are roasted and distributed as prasad. Some persons kindle a small Holi in front of their houses and worship it individually, but they can take part in the public Holi. Next morning people heat water over the fire and use it for the purpose of bathing with a belief that the water has some curative properties. The day is known as Dhulavad or dust (throwing) day and the day following is known as Senavad or cowdung (throwing) day. On the fourth day Dhunda Raksasin, a demon goddess is worshipped by the people, and the day is spent in merry making and singing songs called lavanis. The fifth day known as Rangapancami is the last day of the Simga festival. The sacred fire of the Holi is extinguished by throwing coloured water over it, and people take out bullock carts loaded with stores of coloured water through the streets and enjoy the liberty of making the passers-by victims of dashes of coloured water. All through the festival small troupes consisting of singers, musicians and a dancer-boy dressed as a girl and called Radha go from house to house entertaining and collecting posta (money presents).

Vratas.

The performance of some ceremonies are restricted to women alone. They consist of certain religious observances of the nature of vratas. The ceremonies of Haratalika, Rsi-pancami, Vata-Savitri, Mangala-Gauri, Sitala-Saptami, similarly the rites of Mahalaksmi, Vasubaras, Siva-mutha, Sola-Somvar, and that of Makara Sankrant pre observed by women exclusively.

The rite of Rsi-pancami is performed on the fifth of bright-Bhadrapada to make amends for sins committed without knowledge. On this day women go to a river, a well or some sacred place, cleanse their teeth with the sticks of Aghada plant, and empty 108 lotas of water on the head. They then take seven pebbles from the place and worship them as Saptarsis (the Seven Seers). Their chief rule that day is to eat nothing that is hand-grown. On Vata-Savitri day which falls on the Jyestha full-moon they worship a banyan tree or its boughs. Some women in performing this vrata live for three days on fruits, tubers and milk. On the Haratalika day i.e., the 3rd of bright Bhadrapada women worship clay figures of Parvati, Sakhi (her friend) and Sivalinga, and fast the whole day. Even girls of tender years observe this fast. During caturmas (four months of rainy season) some women observe the Solasomavaravrata (a vow observed on sixteen successive Mondays) at the end of which they hold a grand worship of Siva and Parvati and feast at least seventeen dampatyas (couples). The worship of Mangala-Gauri is a ceremony performed by married girls for five successive years on every Tuesday of Sravana.. Similarly, the goddess Mahalakshmi is worshipped on the 8th day of bright-Bhadrapada. On the Makara Sankranta day women worship a sugada (two earthen pots tied face to face, one of which contains some corn and kunku and turmeric powders) and present it to a Brahman. The Siva-mutha consists of handful of corn offered to the god Siva by married girls on every Monday in the month of Sravana. The seventh of bright-Sravana known as Sitala saptami is a day sacred to Sitala Mata. or the Small-pox Goddess and at some places the female head of the family observes it by taking cold bath in the morning and offering worship to the goddess. Vasu-baras which falls on the 12th of dark Asvina is observed by some women who have children, with a fast for the day, and at night worshipping a cow and giving in charity a calf.

Fasts.

Other sacred days commonly observed by the people with a fast and usually followed by a feast the next day are: —

Rama-Navami.

The birthday anniversary of god Rama, the seventh incarnation of Visnu and the hero of Ramayana is celebrated with birthday festivity on the bright ninth of Caitra. That day people flock in holiday dress to Sri Rama's temple. Exactly at 12 noon the Haridds announces the birth of Sri Rama by tossing gulal (red powder) and the people join him. The idol of Rama is then cradled. The ceremony closes with arati, distribution of sunthavada, and tirthaprasad and kirtana and bhajana held in praise of Rama. The day is observed as a partial fast by the devout who take food after 12 noon.

Maha-Ekadasis.

The 11th day, both of the bright and dark half of every month is known as ekadasi i.e., a day of prayer and fasting, but all are rarely observed. But the two ekadasis occurring in the bright halves of Asadha and Kartika are considered very sacred as they mark the beginning and the end of caturmas (holy season). They are observed as fast and prayer days by a very large number of people, and followers of Varkari sect make it a point to visit the temple of Vithoba of Pandharpur on those days.

Gokula-Astami.

On dark eighth of Sravana falls Gokulastami festival in honour of Sri Krsna's birthday. The birth of Lord Krsna's according to the puranas took place exactly at midnight of this day and the next day the baby was taken to Gokula. The period and manner of celebrating this occasion vary from place to place. Usually people fast on the astami day, worship an idol of Sri Krsna at midnight and celebrate his birth with the distribution of sunthavada. They break their fast that night with feasting or the strict may postpone it to the next day of dahikala or Gokul-day when the ceremony of breaking the handi is celebrated in temples.

Siva-ratra.

On the dark 13th or 14th of Magha comes Maha-Sivaratra (Siva's Great Night) which is observed by devotees of Siva with a fast and worship. The night is spent in singing devotional songs and playing at Sari-pata or Songatya, a favourite game of Siva and his wife. Next morning after worshipping the god all partake of a feast.

Minor Holidays.

Besides these important fasts and festivals a few minor holidays are found current in the district.

Aksatrtiya.

On the third of bright-Vaisakha comes Aksaya Trtiya which is equally auspicious as Varsa Pratipada as it is one of the sade tin muhurtas and as such is believed to secure the merit of permanency to any act performed on the day. Akhati as the agriculturist of Konkan understands it is a day which reminds him of the onset of monsoon which is not far off; as an auspicious beginning of field activities he does some spade work on the day.

Tulasi-Vivaha.

On the 12th lunar day of Kartika comes the festival of Tulasi-lagna. The holy basil plant usually found enshrined on a pedestal in the back-yard of a Hindu householder is married that evening with an idol of Krsna. Parched rice (curmuras) and pieces of sugarcane and copra are distributed. This day opens for the year the marriage season of the Hindus.

Tripuri-Paurnima.

In commemoration of the triumph of god Siva over the demon Tripurasura, people observe the 15th of bright-Kartika as Tripuri-Paurnima. They illuminate that night with-pantya (earthen lamps) all temples in the village, but particularly the temple of Siva.

Rathasaptami.

The 7th of bright Magha, is deemed special festival in honour of the Sun-god. On that day people draw on a small wooden stool an image of the sun, seated in a chariot drawn by seven horses, and worship it with great reverence. Milk and rice are then boiled on a fire made of cow-dung cakes in front of the household Tulsi plant. If the milk overflows to the east, it is believed that there will be abundance of crops, but if it flows to the west it is taken as a sign of the near approach of famine Women do not grind corn on the Ratha-Saptami day.

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