Tag Archives: Hindu Culture & Traditions Q&A

Mattu Pongal: This third day is meant for the cattle (‘mattu’) – the giver of milk and puller of the plough. The farmer’s ‘dumb friends’ are given a good bath, their horns are polished, painted and covered with metal caps, and garlands are put around their necks. The Pongal that has been offered to the gods is then given to …

Why it is a Harvest Festival? Pongal comes from the word ‘ponga’ which literally means ‘boil’ and so ‘pongal’ connotes ‘spillover’ or that which is ‘overflowing’. It’s also the name of the special sweet dish cooked on the Pongal day. Pongal continues through the first four days of the ‘Thai’ month that starts on January 14 every year. What is …

Pongal festival is celebrated for four continuous days beginning from the last day of Tamil month of Maargazhi (December – January) and lasting upto the third day of Thai. Pongal is celebrated in the month of January after the winter solstice. When is Pongal festival? The date of Pongal usually remains same as it is reckoned according to the solar …

Lohri Folk Songs: Dulla Bhatti grew up as a real fighter and warrior learning the art with his keen eye from here and there, unknowingly in the foot-steps of his father and grandfather. When he was young enough, his mother told him the about the past and from then on Dulla pledged that his only purpose in life was to …

Dulla Bhatti was a famous legendary Rajput hero of Punjab, who led a rebellion against the famous Mughal king Akbar. There is a kind of epic in Punjabi language called Dulle di var, which narrates the battle events of Dulla Bhatti. Still there is a famous region in Punjab (now in Pakistan), called Dulle Di Bar means the forest of …

Navratri Customs: Navratri is a very important and popular festival of India. It comes twice on a year, once around March-April and the second time, around September-October. The nine days and nights of Navratri are entirely devoted to Mother Goddess. Throughout this period, fasts, strictly vegetarian diets, japa (chanting mantras in honor of the Goddess Shakti), religious hymns, prayer, meditation …

Why we worship Mother Goddess on Navratri? We think this energy is only a form of the Divine Mother, who is the mother of all, and all of us are her children. “Why mother; why not father?“, you may ask. Why we worship Mother Goddess on Navratri? Let me just say that we believe that God’s glory, his cosmic energy, …

What is Navratri Kolu or Navarathri Golu? Bommai Kolu or Bommala Koluvu is the artistic display of dolls by women during Navratri and Dussehra in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and among certain communities in Kerala. The dolls, called Kollu or Golu, represents the durbar or assembly of Goddess Durga. This assembly is held just before Mother Goddess ventures on …

Why Navratri comes twice a year? Every year the beginning of summer and the beginning of winter are two very important junctures of climatic change and solar influence. These two junctions have been chosen as the sacred opportunities for the worship of the divine power because: Navratri comes twice a year The festival of Navratri occurs twice every year. One …

Why did Gandhi fast? Gandhi (1869-1948), known as Mahatma meaning ‘great soul’, is regarded as the father of India. From 1919 he led the country’s campaign for independence from the British, which was eventually granted in 1947. He was committed to non-violent action, such as refusing to pay taxes, strikes, and non-cooperation with the British, believing that independence could not …