Tag Archives: India Culture & Traditions Q&A

What is Significance Of Ram Navami? Salutations to Lord Rama, an Incarnation of Lord Vishnu, who is measureless, who is of the nature of pure Consciousness and bliss, who is the consort of Sita, Master of Sri Hanuman, and the Lord of the three worlds, who took His birth at His own will in order to establish righteousness, destroy the …

Chaitra Navratri signifies the start of the Indian or the Hindu new year i.e. the 1st day or Prathama tithi of the Chitra Sudi, every year. Navratri, the festival of nine nights is dedicated to Goddess Durga and her nine forms. The nine days have great religious significance as Goddess Durga, the divine mother, had destroyed the evil force (in …

The day following Lohri is called ‘Maghi’, signifying the beginning of the month of Magh. According to Hindu beliefs, this is an auspicious day to take a holy dip in the river and give away charity. Sweet dishes (usually kheer) are prepared with sugar cane juice to mark the day. Lohri is more than just a festival, especially for the …

The celebration of the new year is actually the oldest of all holidays, but it hasn’t always been observed on January 1. Babylonians first celebrated the beginning of the new year about 4000 years ago around 2000 BC. Unlike our holiday today, the Babylonians marked the beginning of the year on what is now March 23 since that is when …

Every culture has its own way to celebrate New Year’s Day. In the U.S., many people throw parties, and crowds gather in New York’s Times Square and at Chicago’s State Street on New Year‘s Eve. In the American South, people eat black-eyed peas for good luck in the new year. In Spain and some of South America, people get good …

What is the History of Christmas Carols? Carols were first sung in Europe thousands of years ago, but these were not Christmas Carols. They were pagan songs, sung at the Winter Solstice celebrations as people danced round stone circles. The Winter Solstice is the shortest day of the year, usually taking place around the 22nd December. The word Carol actually …

Jesus “Christ” is known as the founder or central figure of “Christianity.” Christmas is a Christian holiday on December 25 that commemorates the birth of Jesus. Ancient Romans also commemorated Jesus’ birth by marking a division of the calendar still in use today. The years before Jesus’ birth are marked as B.C. (Before Christ), and the years after Jesus’ birth …

No, the various species of zebra Burchell’s, mountain and Grevy’s-all have different coat patterns. (So also, do the various subspecies such as Chapman’s.) Thus, although all zebras look superficially the same, scientists can tell them apart by comparing the width of the stripes and the overall patterning. Awkward target but why to zebras have stripes to begin with? You might …

This is the most obvious question to ask about zebras but unfortunately nobody really knows the answer. Looking as zebras in the zoo, the stripped patterning seems very conspicuous and could hardly be thought of as protective. One theory, however, claims that this is, in fact, so. The bold stripes may serve to break up the shape of the zebra. …

There are three different variations of Teej, namely – Hariyali, Kajari and Hartalika Teej. All the three Teej falls in different times and are celebrated with fervor and enthusiasm by womenfolk in India. Date of Teej Festival is decided according to the arrival of monsoon and hence it changes every year. There are special rituals and customs associated with every …