Hindu Punjabi Festivals

This list of Hindu Punjabi festivals summarizes festivals observed in Punjab. The festivals of Maghi and Vaisakhi are determined by the solar aspect of the Punjabi calendar. The rest are based on the lunar months of the Punjabi calendar.

Observance

Punjabi Hindus follow the Punjabi calendar to observe religious festivals.

List and descriptions of major Hindu Punjabi festivals

Major Hindu Punjabi Festival Date Observed (from year to year dates vary) Description
MaghiJanuary 14This festival commemorates Uttarayan and is the Punjabi name for Makara Sankranti.[1]
HoliMarch/Phalgun Purnima Spring festival of colours.[2][3]
Rama Navami Chaitra Celebrates birth of Lord Rama.[3][4]
Hanuman Jayanti March/Chaitra Purnima In honour of Lord Hanuman.[3]
Maha Shivratri Varies In honour of Lord Shiva.[5][6]
Vaisakhi April 13/Vaisakh Punjabi new year. Falls on Mesha Sankranti.
Krishna Janmashtami Shravana, Krishna Paksha, Ashtami Celebrates the birth of Lord Krishna.[3][4]
Raksha BandhanSawan full moon Brothers and sisters day.[3][7]
Sanjhi Varies To honour the Mother Goddess.[8]
Navratri The tenth day of the lunar month Ashwin To honour the Goddess Durga.[3][9]
Śrāddha Second half of the month Bhadrapada Remember ancestors.
Dussehra the tenth day of the lunar month Ashwin Celebrated defeat of Ravana by Lord Rama.[3][10]
Diwali Kartik new moon Celebrates return of Lord Rama and Sita to Ayodhia.[3][10]
Vishwakarma Day Day after Kartik new moon Reverence to the God of architecture.[11]
Bhau-beej known in Punjab as Bhai Dooj Varies Brothers are sisters day celebrated two days after Diwali.[10]
Karwa ChauthFourth day after Kartik full moon Women fast for the well being of their husbands and pray to the moon.[3][12]
Kartik PoornimaNew moon of Kartik A Fair is held at Ram Tirath Mandir in Amritsar where the sons of Lord Rama, Luv and Kush are believed to have been born.[13]

Other festivals

In addition to the above, Punjabi Hindus observe other Punjabi festivals such as, Basant Festival of Kites, Teej and Gugga.

See also

References

  1. ↑ drikpanchang
  2. ↑ Hindustan Times 18 03 2014
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 Punjabiyat: The Cultural Heritage and Ethos of the People of Punjab by Jasbir SIngh Khurana Hemkunt Publishers (P) Ltd ISBN 978-81-7010-395-0
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 http://www.indtravel.com/punjab/festival.html
  5. ↑ Office Holidays
  6. ↑ The Times of India 20 02 2012
  7. ↑ Hindustan Times 10 08 2014
  8. ↑ Alop ho riha Punjabi virsa by Harkesh Singh Kehal Pub Lokgeet Parkashan ISBN 81-7142-869-x
  9. ↑ Durga Puja
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 http://www.bharatonline.com/punjab/festivals/index.html
  11. ↑ http://punjab.gov.in/en_GB/list-of-holidays
  12. ↑ Madhusree Dutta, Neera Adarkar, Majlis Organization (Bombay), The nation, the state, and Indian identity, Popular Prakashan, 1996, ISBN 978-81-85604-09-1, ... originally was practised by women in Punjab and parts of UP, is gaining tremendous popularity ...
  13. ↑ The Tribune 14 11 2008