Maha Shivaratri

Maha Shivaratri is celebrated with great devotion and religious fervor by Hindus, in honor of Lord Shiva, one of the Hindu Gods forming the Trinity. The festival falls on the moonless, 14th night of the new moon in the Hindu month of Phalgun (in the month of February - March, according to English Calendar). On the festival of Maha Shivaratri, devotees observe day and night fast and worship Shiva Lingam, to appease Lord Shiva. Many interesting legends have been related to the festival of Maha Shivaratri, explaining the reason behind its celebrations as well as its significance.

According to one of the most popular legends, Shivaratri is the wedding day of Lord Shiva and Parvati. It is also believed that Lord Shiva performed ‘Tandava’, the dance of the primal creation, preservation and destruction on this auspicious night of Shivaratri. According to another popular legend, described in Linga Purana, it was on Shivaratri that Lord Shiva manifested himself in the form of a Linga for the first time. Since then, the day is considered to be extremely auspicious by the devotees of Shiva and they celebrate it as Maha Shivaratri - the grand night of Shiva. 

Shiva devotees observe strict fast on Maha Shivaratri, with many people having only fruits and milk and some not even consuming a drop of water. Worshippers dutifully follow all the traditions and customs related to Shivaratri festival, as they strongly believe that sincere worship of Lord Shiva, on the auspicious day, releases a person of his sins and also liberates him from the cycle of birth and death. As Shiva is regarded as the ideal husband, unmarried women pray for a husband like Him, on Shivaratri. On the other hand, married women pray for the well being of their husbands, on this auspicious day. 

On Maha Shivratri, devotees wake up early in the morning and take a bath, if possible in river Ganga. After wearing fresh clothes, they visit the nearest Shiva temple, to give ritual bath to the Shiva Lingum (with milk, honey, water etc). The worship continues the whole day and whole night. Jaagran (nightlong vigil) might also be observed in Lord Shiva temples, where a large number of devotees sing hymns and devotional songs, in praise of Lord Shiva. In the morning,g devotees break their fast by partaking the prasad offered to Lord Shiva, after the aarti, the night before.

Maha Shivaratri Date 2011 - 03 March.

Diwali Puja

Though we often recognize Diwali as a festival of lights, crackers and sweets, the most important part of the entire festival is the Diwali Poojan. As we consider Diwali as an auspicious festival which is said to bring prosperity, wealth and wisdom in home, we pray to the Goddess of wealth, Laxmi and the God of Wisdom, Ganesha for showering their blessings upon us. It is believed that on the eve of Diwali Goddess Laxmi visits everyone and brings peace and prosperity to those homes where she feels happy and pleased. That is why a traditional Diwali Pooja is performed after sunset in all the homes on the day of Diwali.

Traditional Deepavali Pooja 
Diwali Pooja is performed in different families in a different way depending upon their regional and cultural customs. In villages, even the cattle are adorned and worshipped by farmers on this occasion as they regard them as their main source of their income. In south India also, cows are offered special veneration this day as they are supposed to be the incarnation of Goddess Lakshmi. However, in most of the families the Pooja is done in a simple way by installing the idols of Goddess Laxmi and Lord Ganesha on the eve of Diwali.

The Pooja begins by the gathering of the entire family in the Pooja room and installation of the new idols of the deities in the small mandir at home. The senior most member of the family along with the priest of the family performs all the ritual. The ritual begins with the purification ceremony, each of the deities is bathed first with water, then with panchamitra (a mixture of milk, curd, ghee sugar & honey) and then with water again, this is actually a process of the purification of the idols before deities are invoked into it. After this, five pieces of ghee diyas are lit in front of the deities in order to drive away the shadows of evil spirits. The pooja thali containing all kids of prasads are then placed infront of the deities.

All the members of the family are then asked to close their eyes and chant the mantras as recited by the priest. Even if they do not know the mantra they can simply close their eyes and remember the deities with full devotion. It is said that if you remember the God by true heart, they certainly come to your place to bless you. Once the mantras are over, all the members of the family offer auspicious items like abir (red colour), sindoor (vermillion) and haldi (turmeric), flower and sweet dishes to the deities. They also light incense sticks and diyas infront of the deities and seek their blessings. People also offer silver or gold coins, nariyal and jewelries to the deities.

Once the offering and individual Pooja is over, people do arti and sing bhajans for welcoming the god in to their home and thanking them for being kind to their family till now. Ganesh Aarti is followed by Lakshmi Aarti. The aarti thali is then taken in each room of the home to purify the entire home. After the aarti is over, the priest of the family is presented with gifts and the process of lighting diyas in the entire home begins. After the lighting is done, people take the ‘prasad’ and burst crackers.

History of Diwali

The festival of Diwali is celebrated by Indians throughout the world in a joyous mood, with zeal and enthusiasm. The festival is predominated by colorful display of lights, bursting of crackers, cleanliness, sweets, lots of shopping, happiness. The festive spirit brings people of different communities closer, to celebrate the vibrant festival in the most blissful and lively way. Like most of the festivals in India, Diwali too has its base in mythology and there is a very interesting history about this festival. Go through the following lines to get information on the history of Diwali.

History of Diwali

Five Days of Diwali Celebrations 
The first day of this festival begins with 'Dhan Trayodashi' or 'Dhanteras'. After the Dhanvantari Trayodashi, the second day of Diwali is called 'Narak Chaturdashi', which is popular as 'Chhoti Diwali'. The third day of Diwali, which is also called 'Badi Diwali' is the main day of celebrations of the festival of diwali. The fourth day of the festival is devoted to Govardhan Pooja (worship of Lord Govardhan Parvat). The fifth day of the festival is Bhai Dooj, the time to honor the brother-sister relationship. 

Dhanteras History
The first day of Diwali celebration is marked by Dhanteras. According to the legends, during the churning of ocean by the Gods and the demons, Dhanvantari - the physician of the Gods came out of the ocean on the day of Dhanteras, with a pot of amrita that was meant for the welfare of the humankind. This day also marks the arrival of Goddess Lakshmi, which is celebrated by drawing small footprints of the deity, with rice flour and vermilion powder. 

Narak Chaturdashi (Choti Diwali) History
One famous story behind the celebrations of Diwali is about the demon king Narakasur, who was ruler of Pragjyotishpur, a province to the South of Nepal. During a war, he defeated Lord Indra and snatched away the magnificent earrings of Mother Goddess Aditi, who was not only the ruler of Suraloka, but also a relative of Lord Krishna's wife - Satyabhama. Narakasur also imprisoned sixteen thousand daughters of Gods and saints in his harem. A day before Diwali, Lord Krishna killed Narakasur, released the jailed daughters and restored the precious earrings of Mother Goddess Aditi. 

Diwali And Shri Ram of Ayodhyaa
The most famous legend behind the celebrations of Diwali is about the prince of Ayodhya Nagri - Lord Shri Ram. According to the legend, the king of Lanka, Ravan, kidnapped Lord Ram's wife (Sita) from the jungle, where they were staying as per the instructions of King Dashratha, father of Lord Ram. Then Ram attacked Lanka, killed Ravan and released Sita from the custody. He returned to Ayodhya with his wife Sita and younger brother Lakshamana after fourteen years. 

Therefore, the people of Ayodhyaa decorated their homes as well as Ayodhyaa, by lighting tiny diyas, in order to welcome their beloved prince Shri Ram and Devi Sita. It was the day of 'Kartik Amavasyaa' when they also celebrated the victory of Shri Ram over the King of Lanka, Ravan. Ram is considered the symbol of good and the positive things and Ravan represents the evils. Therefore, Diwali is considered the festival, which establishes the victory of good over the evil. On the night of Diwali, people light diyas, which is again an icon of positive energy to conquer darkness, the is symbol of negative energy. 

Govardhan Puja History 
'Govardhan' is a small hillock situated at 'Braj', near Mathura. The legends in 'Vishnu Puraan' have it that the people of Gokul used to worship and offer prayers to Lord Indra for the rains, because they believed that it were He, who was responsible for rainfall for their welfare. However, Lord Krishna told them that it was Mount Govardhan (Govardhan Paevat) and not Lord Indra, who caused rains. Therefore, they should worship the former and not the latter. 

People did the same, which made Lord Indra so furious that the people of Gokul had to face heavy rainfall because of his anger. Lord Krishna came forward to ensure their security and after performing worship and offering prayers to Mount Govardhan, he lifted it as an umbrella, on the little finger of his right hand, so that everyone could take shelter under it. After this event, Lord Krishna was also known as Giridhari or Govardhandhari. 

Bhai Dooj History 
According to the legends, Lord Yamraj, the God of Death, visited his sister Yamuna on the 'Shukla Paksha Dwitiya' day in the Hindi month of 'Kartik'. When Yamraj reached Yamuna's home, she welcomed him by performing his aarti, applying 'Tilak' on his forehead and by putting a garland around his neck. Yamuna also cooked varieties of dishes, prepared many sweets for her brother and offered all those to Him. 

Lord Yamraj ate all those delicious dishes and when he was finished, he showered blessings on Yamuna and gave her a boon that if a brother visits his sister on this day, he would be blessed with health and wealth. This is why this day of Bhayya Duj is also known by the name of 'Yam-Dwitiya'. Thus, it has become a tradition that on the day of Bhai-Dooj for the brothers to visit their sisters' home and offer them gifts. Sisters also make various dishes for their brothers and give gifts to them. 

History Of Sikh Community's Diwali 
In the Sikh community, Diwali celebrations have special importance as for them it, is popular as the day when their sixth Guru, Guru Har Govind ji came back from the captivity of the fort of Gwalior city. The people illuminated lamps in the way to Shri Harmandhir Sahib, which is known by the name of 'the Golden Temple', to honor and welcome their beloved Guru. 

History of Jain Community's Diwali 
For the Jain community, the festival of Diwali has special significance. It is the day when the famous Jain prophet Bhagvaan Mahaveer, the founder of Jainism, attained 'Nirvana'. Therefore, the people of Jain community celebrate the festival of Diwali in remembrance of Lord Mahavira.

Chicken Biryani Receipe

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup ghee (clarified butter)
• 20 whole cloves
• 9 whole cardamom pods
• 5 bay leaves
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 5 small green chile peppers
• 2 tablespoons ginger garlic paste
• 1 (3 pound) whole chicken, cut into pieces
• 1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 6 fresh curry leaves (optional)
• 3 cups uncooked jasmine or white rice
• 4 1/8 cups water
• 1 sprig cilantro leaves with stems

Directions

1. Soak rice for 30 minutes in enough water to cover; then drain.
2. Meanwhile, heat ghee in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in cloves, cardamom, and bay leaves. Then stir in onion, and cook until soft, 6 to 7 minutes. Stir in chile peppers and ginger paste. Stir in yogurt, salt, and curry, and then place chicken in pan. Cook for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally and turning the chicken pieces, until only about 1 cup of liquid remains.
3. Mix in rice, water, and cilantro. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 20 minutes. Check rice after about 12 minutes; if it is dry, add 1/2 cup water, and continue cooking.

Indian Telugu Festivals

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