Chhath Puja 2015

Chhath Puja is a major Hindu festival, which is mainly celebrated in the states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Eastern U.P., and some parts of Nepal. Chhat Puja is celebrated two times a year; one is during summers and other one in winters. The name of the festival symbolizes about its day of occurrence, as 'Chhath' refers to 'sixth'. According to the Hindu Calendar , the first Chhath Puja of the year falls on the sixth day of the Chaitra month, after the festival of Holi . This Chhath Puja is also known as Chaiti Chhath (because of the Chaitra month) and Surya Puja. The second Chhath Parva of the year falls on the sixth day of Kartika month, after the festival of Diwali . This Chhath Puja is also known as Kartiki Chhath. Kartiki Chhath is the major Chhath Puja, on which grand celebrations are observed by the people. Kartiki Chhath will again be celebrated by devotees with utmost faith and devotion.

Chhath Puja 2015 Dates

The dates for two types of Surya Puja or Chhat Puja in 2015 are as follows:

Chhath Puja	Date	Day	Event	Tithi
Chhath Puja 2015	November 15	Sunday	Nahai Khai	Chaturthi
Chhath Puja 2015	November 16	Monday	Kharna	Panchami
Chhath Puja 2015	November 17	Tuesday	Sandhya Argh	Shashthi
Chhath Puja 2015	November 18	Wednesday	Suryodaya Argh	Saptami

People from different states call Chhath Puja with different names. These differences are because of the variations in their regional languages. Some of the names of Chhath Puja are as follows: Chhath Parva, Dala Chhath, Surya Shashti, Chhath Mahaparva, Dala Puja, Surya Puja and so on. Though the names of the festival are different, but the emotion of celebrating Chhath Puja is the same.

Chhat Puja is celebrated in the honor of Lord Surya, by paying reverence to the Sun. Chhath Parva (festival) is one of the most difficult Parva of Hindu religion. This festival continues up to 4 days and strict fast is observed by all the devotees. They observe Nirjala (without having water) Vrat (fast) for up to 2 days.

Chhath Puja 2015: Significance Of Chhath Parva Every year, Chhath Parva is celebrated in the honor of Lord Sun, the ultimate source of energy and life. It is a way to thank the Sun for his divine energies, that help in sustaining life on earth. That is why, Chhath Puja is also known as Surya Shashti. Sun is the only Lord, who is directly visible to us. Lord Sun arrives daily to spread light, positivity, and life on earth. The rising and setting of Sun, both play a very important role in maintaining the cycle of life. Apart from providing the necessary energy for our survival, solar energy is also very beneficial for our health. It improves the activity of white blood cells. Sun is the only and great source of Vitamin D, which helps in strengthening of bones.

Performing the Surya Puja or Puja for Sun, greatly reduces the feelings of anger, ego, jealousy, and other negative feelings. The hymns and benefits of worshiping Lord Sun are also described in Rigveda. Recite those hymns of Rig Veda and perform Puja with full dedication to attain the maximum benefits during Chhath Puja in 2015.

Chhath Puja 2015: Legend of Chhath Puja Let's now discuss the legend of Chhath Puja, which gives the actual reason for its occurrence and celebrations in the year 2015. Legend Of Mahabharta Draupadi, the wife of Pandavas was a great devotee of Lord Sun. She used to worship Sun with utmost faith and devotion. Because of this reason, she was also blessed with the divine powers of Sun that could treat the diseases like leprosy and skin problems. Draupadi started the tradition of Chhath Puja to honor Lord Sun.

Warrior Karna, the son of Lord Sun also used to perform Chhat Puja for honoring the powers of his father, Surya. Then, all the followers of Karna started performing Surya Puja for honoring Sun. This legend is also related to the time of Mahabharta. Chhath Puja 2015:
Four Auspicious Days Of Chhath Puja Chhath Puja is a four-day long festival, with each day having a special significance. Know more about these special four days of Chhath Puja by reading about them in detail. First Day (Nahai Khai) : 'Nahai Khai' is the name given to the first day of Chhath Puja.
The word 'Nahai' refers to bathing and 'Khai' refers to 'eating'.

The devotees first take bath in the holy river such as Ganga, Yamuna, or many more. Then, they bring the holy water of river to their homes for preparing Prasad or sacred food for Lord Sun.. Second Day (Kharna) : The second day of Chhath Puja is known as 'Kharna'. Devotees observe a whole day long fast without even having water, till late evening. They break their fast, after performing Puja and offering Prasad to Sun before sunset. This Prasad mainly includes Kheer (sweet rice porridge) and fruits. Third Day (Sandhya Arghya) :

Third day of Chhath Puja is known as Sandhya Arghya. Whole day fasting is again observed by the devotees on the third day of Chhat Puja. Special preparations are done by the devotees for performing the evening ritual of 'Sandhya Arghya'. Special Arghya and offerings are presented to the setting Sun. These offerings include coconut, fruits, and flowers, which are presented on a bamboo tray. All the family members assemble on the bank of some holy river or pond and offer the special Arghya together. Fourth Day (Parana) :
Fourth day of the festival is known as Usha Arghya or Parana day. The final morning ritual or Bihaniya Arghya is performed by the devotees. They all gather on the banks of holy river, along with their families and perform the rituals to receive the blessings of rising Sun. After performing the ritual, they break the fast by having ginger and sugar. This marks the end of the four-day long Maha Parva – Chhath Puja. Chhath songs are sung by ladies while celebrating Surya Puja. Chhath songs from the areas of Bihar and Jharkhand are extremely popular. Chhath songs are considered to be a holy part of Chhath Puja. Now, we hope that you have got to know about the rituals of the four special days of the Maha Parva - Chhath Puja. So,

follow all the rituals and celebrate Chhath Puja in 2015 with full enthusiasm and joy. Chhath Puja 2015: Rules & Regulations Being one of the most difficult Parva of Hindu religion, strict rules and regulations are followed by the devotees. It is believed that a small mistake while performing the rituals of Chhath Puja is highly inauspicious. So, let's discuss about the rules and regulations of

Chhath Puja, before celebrating Chhath Puja in 2015. Fast of Chhath Puja should be performed by taking full care of cleanliness and purity. All the works related to the performance of Chhath Puja should be performed by adult married women.
The ladies and gents of the family have to sleep on floor on the night of the main day of the festival. The kitchen and all the utensils should be thoroughly cleaned before preparing the Prasad of Chhath Puja.

Temporary separate kitchen and utensils are also arranged especially for celebrating Chhat Puja. There is a tradition of preparing Thekua (regional sweet dish) for celebrating the festival of Chhath Puja. All the preparations for making Prasad should be done by adult married ladies. All the adult married ladies have to follow certain rules such as they can't eat cooked food and can't wear stitched clothes.
Follow these rules and celebrate the festival of Chhath Puja in 2015 with full enthusiasm and joy. This auspicious festival helps in gaining the blessings of Lord Sun. He bless his devotees with immense power and strength. Worship Lord Sun during Chhath Puja in 2015 and be a part of his immense favor. Happy Chhath Puja 2015 to all the devotees.

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History of Diwali

It is since ancient times that Diwali has been celebrated. It is not easy to say now what really was the reason behind its origin. Different people believe different events to be the cause behind this festival. Here are ten mythical and historical reasons that are possibly behind the Diwali (Deepavali) celebrations.

Rama, Lakshmana, Sita and HanumanThe most well known story behind Diwali is in the Ramayana, the great Hindu epic. According to Ramayana, Rama, the prince of Ayodhya was ordered by his father, King Dasharatha, to go away from his country and come back after living in the forest for fourteen years. So Rama went on exile with his devoted wife Sita and faithful brother, Lakshmana. When Ravana, the demon king of Lanka abducted Sita and took her away to his island kingdom of Lanka, Rama fought against and killed Ravana. He rescued Sita and returned to Ayodhya after fourteen years. The people of Ayodhya were very happy to hear of their beloved prince's homecoming. To celebrate Rama's return to Ayodhya, they lit up their houses with earthen lamps (diyas), burst crackers and decorated the entire city in the grandest manner.

This is believed to have started the tradition of Diwali. Year after year this homecoming of Lord Rama is commemorated on Diwali with lights, fireworks, bursting of crackers and merriment. The festival gets its name Deepawali, or Diwali, from the rows (avali) of lamps (deepa) that the people of Ayodhya lit to welcome their King.

Sri Krishna and ArjunAnother well known story related to Diwali history is narrated in the other Hindu epic, 'Mahabharata'.
Mahabharata reveals to us how the five royal brothers, the Pandavas, suffered a defeat in the hands of their brothers, the Kauravas, in a game of dice (gambling). As a rule imposed on them, the Pandavas had to serve a term of 13 years in exile. When the period was over, they returned to their birthplace Hastinapura on 'Kartik Amavashya' (the new moon day of the Kartik month). The five Pandava brothers, their mother and their wife Draupadi were honest, kind, gentle and caring in their ways and were loved by all their subjects. To celebrate the joyous occassion of their return to Hastinapura and to welcome back the Pandavas, the common people illuminated their state by lighting bright earthen lamps everywhere. The tradition is believed to have been kept alive through the festival of Diwali, which many believe, is held in remembrance of the Pandava brothers' homecoming.

It is also believed that on this very Diwali day, the Goddess of wealth, Lakshmi rose up from the ocean. The Hindu scriptures tell us that long long ago both Devas (gods) and Asuras (demons) were mortal. They had to die sometime or other, like us. But they wanted to live forever. So they churned the ocean to seek Amrita, the nectar of immortality (an event mentioned in the Hindu scriptures as "Samudra-manthan"), during which many divine objects came up. Prime among these was Goddess Lakshmi, the daughter of the king of the milky ocean, who arose on the new moon day (amaavasyaa) of the Kartik month. That very night, Lord Vishnu married her. Brilliant lamps were illuminated and placed in rows to mark this holy occassion. This event is supposed to have given rise to an annual celebration at the same time each year. Even today, Hindus celebrate the birth of the goddess Lakshmi and her marriage to Lord Vishnu on Diwali and seek her blessings for the coming year.

The origin of Diwali also refers to the stories narrated in the Hindu Puranas, the primary source of Hindu religious texts. According to the Bhagavata Purana (the most sacred Hindu text), it was on a Kartik day that Lord Vishnu, took on the form of a dwarf (Vaman-avtaara) and defeated King Bali. Bali, or rather King Mahabali, was a powerful demon king who ruled the earth. Once Bali got a boon from Lord Brahma that made him unconquerable. Even gods failed to defeat him in battles. Although a wise and good king otherwise, Mahabali was cruel to the Devas (gods). Finding no way to defeat Bali, the Devas went to Lord Vishnu and insisted him to find a way to stop Bali. Lord Vishnu made a plan. He disguised himself as a short Brahmin and approached Bali for some charity. A large-hearted king, Mahabali tried to help the Brahmin. But the whole thing was a trick by Lord Vishnu and ultimately the King had to give up all his kingship and wealth. Diwali celebrates this defeating of Mahabali by Lord Vishnu.

The Bhagavata Purana also tells us about Narakasura, an evil demon king who somehow got great powers and conquered both the heavens and earth. Narakasura was very cruel and was a terrible ruler. It is believed that Lord Vishnu killed Narakasura on the day before Diwali and rescued many women whom the demon had locked in his palace. The people of heaven and earth were greatly relieved to have got freedom from the hands of the terrible Narakasura. They celebrated the occassion with much grandeur, a tradition that is believed to be alive through the annual observance of Diwali.


Goddes KaliAccording to another legend, long ago after the gods lost in a battle with the demons, Goddess Kali took birth from the forehead of Goddess Durga to save heaven and earth from the growing cruelty of the demons. After killing all the devils, Kali lost her control and started killing anyone who came her way which stopped only when Lord Shiva intervened. You all must have seen the well-known picture of Ma Kali, with her tongue hanging out? That actually depicts the moment when she steps on Lord Shiva and stops in horror and repentance. This memorable event has been commemorated ever since by celebrating Kali Puja, which is observed in several parts of India in about the same time as Diwali.

Historically it is believed that on a Diwali day in 56 BC King Vikramaditya, the legendary Hindu king of India famed for his wisdom, bravery and large-heartedness, was crowned and declared to be a king. This was marked by a grand celebration by the citizens of Vikramaditya's kingdom celebrated the coronation of their king by lighting up small earthen lamps and that custom still prevails. Many people and even some historians say that this event gave rise to the annual observance of Diwali.

Diwali also marks the sacred occasion when on a new moon day of Kartik (Diwali day) Swami Dayananda Saraswati, one of the greatest reformers of Hinduism attained his nirvana (enlightenment) and became 'Maharshi' Dayananda, meaning the great sage Dayananda. In 1875, Maharshi Dayananda founded the Arya Samaj, "Society of Nobles", a Hindu reform movement to purify Hinduism of the many evils it became associated with at that era. Every Diwali, this great reformer is remembered by Hindus all over India.

For Jains, Diwali commemorates the enlightenment of Vardhamana Mahavira(the twenty-fourth and last Tirthankaras of the Jains and the founder of modern Jainism) which is said to have occurred on Oct. 15, 527 B.C. This is one more reason to engage in Diwali celebrations for pious Jains and other than the purpose of commemoration, the festival stands for the celebration of the emancipation of human spirit from earthly desires.

For Sikhs, Diwali holds a special significance for it was on a Diwali day that the third Sikh Guru Amar Das institutionalized the festival of lights as an occasion when all Sikhs would gather to receive the Gurus blessings. It was also on a Diwali day in 1619 that their sixth religious leader, Guru Hargobind Ji, who was held by the Mughal Emperor Jahengir in the Gwalior fort, was freed from imprisonment along with 52 Hindu Kings (political prisoners) whom he had arranged to be released as well. And it was also on the same auspicious occasion of Diwali when the foundation stone of the Golden Temple at Amritsar was laid in 1577

Happy Dhanteras Diwali festival

Dhanteras is the first day of the Diwali festival which is celebrated with lot of enthusiasm and energy. People in India are celebrating the festival of buying gold, silver today. Dhanteras usually falls before Lakshmi Puja which is the main day of Diwali festival. This festival is also known as Dhanatrayodashi or Chhoti Diwali. Dhanteras itself means wealth and prosperity and it falls in the month of Ashwin. The occasion falls on the 13th Lunar day according to the Hindu calendar. (Read: Diwali 2015 Dhanteras special: Significance and importance of purchasing gold, utensils and new clothes)

Dhanteras occasion holds a special significance for businessmen and the entire business community who tend to purchase gold on this auspicious day. On the auspicious day of Dhanteras, Goddess Lakshmi came out of the ocean during the churning of the Milky Sea. Lord Kubera the God of wealth, is worshipped along with Goddess Lakshmi on the auspicious day of Trayodashi.Devotees try to please Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Ganesha by singing traditional devotional songs, mantras and seek their divine blessings.

Rava Idli-Sooji Idli Recipe

Cook Time : 15 mins
Ingredients:

Rava (sooji/semolina) -1 cup
Curd - 1 cup
Salt as required
Coriander leaves - handful
Cashew nuts - 6-7 (break it )
Carrot -1 (medium size)
Baking soda - 1/4 tsp

For the seasoning

Oil -1 tbsp
Mustard - 1 tsp
Asafoetida/hing - a pinch
Urad dal - 3/4 tsp
Green chilli - 2 finely chopped
Ginger - 1 inch piece finely chopped
Curry leaves - few

Preparation

Chop carrots, ginger, green chilli and coriand

Method:

Heat oil in a kadai /pan, add mustard seeds, when mustard splutters, add hing and urad dal.

When dal changes colour, add cashew nuts, ginger, green chilli and curry leaves.

Then add rava and roast it nicely for a few minutes. Do not burn the rava.

Allow it to cool. After it cools, add curd, finely chopped coriander leaves, carrot, baking soda and needed salt. Add water little by little and mix it well without lumps. The consistency of the rava idli batter should be similar to idli batter.The batter should neither be thick nor thin, so adjust water accordingly.

Let the rava idli batter rest for 15-20 minutes.

Pour it on greased idli moulds and steam cook for 10-15 minutes just as you do for normal idlis.

Serve piping hot with tomato chutney or any chutney of your choice.

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er leaves finely.

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