People of the Hindu faith celebrates just about anything. Whether it be full moon, new moon, birthdays, initiations, marriage of the gods, death of asuras, the birth of gods, the new year, harvests, anniversaries, deaths, or marriages. Just name the event, and you will find dance, song and music to go along with it.
There is normally a religious connotation behind the major Hindu celebrations. It is no wonder as Hinduism is seen to be an organic religion. Everything, whether inanimate or animate are considered to be sacred and connected in some way or the other to divinity. Any event that gets commemorated is followed by thanksgiving.
Major Hindu Celebrations Dates
Just by browsing through the Hindu Festivals Celebration dates, you will get a pretty good idea of the many days being celebrated by them. Let us take a closer look at the Hindu Celebrations for 2012.
13 Jan 2012 – Lohri
14 Jan 2012 – Makar Sankranti & Pongal
23 Jan 2012 – Mauni Amavasya
28 Jan 2012 – Basant Panchami
20 Feb 2012 – Mahashivrati
8 Feb 2012 – Holi
9 Feb 2012 – Hola Mohalla
1 Apr 2012 – Ram Navmi
6 Apr 2012 – Hanuman Jayanti
12 Apr 2012 – Bikrami Samvat (New Year)
14 Apr 2012 – Baisakhi
24 Apr 2012 – Akshaya Tritiya
30 May 2012 – Ganga Dussenhra
21 June 2012 – Rath Yatra
3 July 2012 – Guru Poornima
24 July 2012 – Naaq Panchami
2 Aug 2012 – Rakh/Raksha Bandhan
9 Aug 2012 – Sri Krishna Janmashtami
29 Aug 2012 – Onam
19 Sept 2012 – Ganesh Chaturathi
16 Oct 2012 – Navratras begins
20 Oct 2012 – Durga Puja begins
24 Oct 2012 – Dussehra
1 Nov 2012 – Karva Chauth
11 Nov 2012 – Dhan Teras
13 Nov 2012 – Diwali
14 Nov 2012 – Govardhan Puja
15 Nov 2012 – Bhai Duj
17 Nov 2012 – Chhath Puja begins (Nahai Khai)
20 Nov 2012 – Chhath Puja ends (Suryodaya Argh)
Interesting Facts About Hinduism and Celebrations
As one of the oldest known major religions today, Hinduism has more than a billion followers. With no single founder, this religion managed to grow for over 4000 years now and is aptly called the Sanatan Dharama, or the Eternal Religion.
Central to the Hindu faith is their believe in reincarnation (transmigration of your soul when you die), also called Samsara (Continuous cycle of birth and rebirth).
Hindus have four main goals in life which are artha, dharma, moksha, and kama. Emotional and physical pleasures are fulfilled by Kama. Artha fulfill their need for power, which gets harmonised in a higher framework of Dharma.
Even though Hinduism as a religion recognises a single deity, it also recognises other goddesses and gods as a manifestation of the Supreme God. Sacred texts found among the Hindus are the Ramayana, the four Vedas (Describes basic Hindu philosophy), Mahabharata, and the Holy Bhagvad Gita.
The richness of the Hindu culture is reflected by the many Hindu festivals that are observed and celebrated. Major Hindu celebrations include Dussehra, Raksha Bandhana, Navaratri, Diwali, Lakshmi Puja, and numerous others.
From the aforementioned, it is clear to see that Hinduism is not just an intellectual breed of philosophy, but also a way of living in this universe. This can very quickly be picked up when you travel around India and hear people talk about the various legends that involves different gods behind every major Hindu celebration. Hinduism contributes to the magical agelessness of India.
As far as celebrations goes, you will find a string of Hindu celebrations that runs from late August through December. Besides these major festivals that are celebrated, you will hear people talk about lesser festivals that is held in privacy instead of out in the public places.
There are rituals being observed around solar and lunar eclipses, a person’s zodiac sign, phases of the moon, and even days of the week. Most of all, the major Hindu celebrations and other lesser festivals are always observed in a peaceful spirit that resembles love and understanding.
