Indian Festivals: Good Friday...

Indian Festivals: Good Friday...: Good Friday commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus. It is the most solemn day in the Christian calendar. The dates of Good Friday, which va...

Good Friday...

Good Friday commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus. It is the most solemn day in the Christian calendar. The dates of Good Friday, which vary each year, occur between March 20^th and April 23^rd. It falls on the last Friday before Easter. It is the pinnacle of the Holy Week. All Christians observe this day with great humility and reverence. It is this spirit of humility and reverence that is reflected in each of the Good Friday PowerPoints, which can be used as a preaching aid on Good Friday.

History of Good Friday

As early as the first century, the Church set aside every Friday as a special day of prayer and fasting. It was not until the fourth century, however, that the Church began observing the Friday before Easter as the day associated with the crucifixion of Christ. First called Holy or Great Friday by the Greek Church, the name "Good Friday" was adopted by the Roman Church around the sixth or seventh century. This collection of Good Friday videos reflect the types of traditions associated with the history of Good Friday. Good Friday, also known as "Holy Friday," is the Friday immediately preceding Easter Sunday. It is celebrated traditionally as the day on which Jesus was crucified. If you are interested in a study of the issue, please see our article that discusses the various views on which day Jesus was crucified. Assuming that Jesus was crucified and died on a Friday, should Christians remember Jesus' death by celebrating Good Friday?

The Bible does not instruct Christians to remember Christ’s death by honoring a certain day. The Bible does give us freedom in these matters, however. Romans 14:5 tells us, “One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.” Rather than remembering Christ's death on a certain day, once a year, the Bible instructs us to remember Christ’s death by observing the Lord’s Supper. First Corinthians 11:24-26 declares, “...do this in remembrance of me...for whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.”

Why is Good Friday referred to as “good”? What the Jewish authorities and Romans did to Jesus was definitely not good (see Matthew chapters 26-27). However, the results of Christ’s death are very good! Romans 5:8, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” First Peter 3:18 tells us, “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit.”

Many Christian churches celebrate Good Friday with a subdued service, usually in the evening, in which Christ’s death is remembered with solemn hymns, prayers of thanksgiving, a message centered on Christ suffering for our sakes, and observance of the Lord's Supper. Whether or not Christians choose to “celebrate” Good Friday, the events of that day should be ever on our minds because the death of Christ on the cross is the paramount event of the Christian faith.

If you would like to learn more about why Jesus' death on the cross was so “good,” please read the following article: What does it mean to accept Jesus as your personal Savior?

Good Friday Calendar:
2014 – April 18 2015 – April 3
2016 – March 25
2017 – April 14
2018 – March 30
2019 – April 19
2020 – April 10

Good Friday Origins

There are two possible origins for the name "Good Friday". The first may have come from the Gallican Church in Gaul (modern-day France and Germany). The name "Gute Freitag" is Germanic in origin and literally means "good" or "holy" Friday. The second possibility is a variation on the name "God's Friday," where the word "good" was used to replace the word "God," which was often viewed as too holy to be spoken aloud.

Good Friday Traditions

Good Friday rituals and traditions are distinct from every other Church observances. They add to Good Friday's significance. The ceremony is somber, with priests and deacons dressing in black vestments. The pulpit and the altar are bare; no candles are lit. The purpose behind the solemn presentation is to create an awareness of grief over the sacrifice of God's only begotten Son. Today, many churches hold special services on Good Friday evening to commemorate this important day. 

Good Friday Church Rituals

Starting anytime between midnight and 3 a.m., priests and other clerics begin to recite specific prayers. At the morning ceremony, the priest or church official recites lessons from the scriptures. Afterward, there is a succession of prayers asking for God's mercy and forgiveness on all mankind.

At the noon hour comes the Adoration of the Cross, where a representation of the True Cross is unveiled and the clergy and laity pay homage to the sacrifice of Christ. In the Jerusalem Church, a remnant of the True Cross itself is presented for the ceremony. Next comes the Mass of the Presanctified, in which the priest or church official takes Communion from the host that was blessed during the Maundy Thursday ceremony. The ceremony concludes around 3 p.m. with a procession, which is followed by evening prayers.

In many Protestant churches, Good Friday observances begin at noon and last until 3 p.m. This coincides with the hours that Jesus hung on the cross. These services often include sermons on the last seven phrases that Jesus spoke while being crucified. Other services include reenactments of the Passion according to the Gospel of John, processions of the Stations of the Cross, and the singing of appropriate hymns. The library of Good Friday clipart provides a collection of images to aid the in celebration of Good Friday.

To many Christians, Good Friday is a day of sorrow mingled with joy. It is a time to grieve over the sin of man and to meditate and rejoice upon God's love in giving His only Son for the redemption of sin.

The sufferings and death of Jesus, which Christians commemorate on Good Friday, may seem far removed from our everyday lives. After all, it is almost impossible to imagine that anyone reading this essay will ever be crucified. (On the other hand, persecution of Christians continues in many parts of the world even today.) So what can the story of Jesus's crucifixion, as recorded in the Gospels almost 2,000 years ago, teach us about our own lives?

One. Physical suffering is part of life.
Unlike philosophies or belief systems that suggest that suffering is more or less an illusion, Jesus says this from the cross: suffering is real. As a fully human person, Jesus suffered. On Good Friday, he was beaten, tortured and then nailed to a cross, the most agonizing way the Roman authorities had devised for capital punishment. There, according to the Gospels, he hung for three hours. Victims of crucifixion died either from loss of blood or, more commonly, asphyxiation, as the weight of their bodies pulled on their wrists, compressed their lungs and made breathing impossible. Jesus's life, like any human life, included physical suffering, and an immense amount of it on Good Friday.
But even before Good Friday, Jesus suffered physically, because he had a human body like yours and mine. Growing up in the tiny town of Nazareth, and later as an adult traveling throughout Galilee and Judea, Jesus likely had headaches, got the flu, sprained an ankle or two, and perhaps even broke a bone--in an era of lousy sanitation and only the most primitive of "medical" knowledge. As a fully human person with a fully human body, he suffered physical aches and pains. Good Friday was not the only day he suffered physically.

Two. Emotional suffering is part of life.
When Christians speak of Jesus's suffering on Good Friday, they tend to focus on his physical trials. Many Early Renaissance artists, for example, depicted that agony in gruesome detail, as a way of reminding Christians of what their Savior underwent. But Jesus's "Agony on the Cross" included emotional sufferings as well. In these emotions we can see further intersections with our lives.
To begin with, Jesus of Nazareth felt a deep sense of abandonment. How could he not? All of his disciples had abandoned him before the crucifixion, save for a few faithful women and the Apostle John. Peter, his closest friend, denied even knowing him. Moreover, Jesus felt the suffering of betrayal: another close friend, Judas, betrayed him outright. How that must have weighed on his heart as he hung on the cross.
Finally, Jesus likely knew the crushing disappointment of seeing his great work seemingly come to an end. That is, he may have felt like a failure. While it's almost impossible to know what was going on in Jesus's mind on Good Friday (save for the few words he utters before Pontius Pilate and while on the cross) it's not unreasonable to think that he lamented the end of his public ministry.
Now, here we enter some complicated theological terrain. On the one hand, since Jesus had a human consciousness, he would not have known what was going to happen. On the other hand, since he had a fully divine consciousness he would have.
So, on the one hand, it is possible that Jesus knew that the Resurrection was coming. (By the way, for anyone who thinks that this "lessens" his suffering, think of being in a dentist's chair: knowing it will be over soon does not remove the pain.) In fact, Jesus predicts the Resurrection at various points in the Gospel. But it is also possible that Jesus the fully human one may have been surprised on Easter Sunday, when he was raised from the dead.
Thus, as he hung on the cross, Jesus might have mourned the end of his great project--into which he had poured his heart and soul--the end to his hopes for all his followers, the end to all that he tried to do for humanity. And so he says, "It is finished."

Three. Suffering is not the result of sin.
Sometimes it is. If we do something sinful or make immoral decisions that lead to our suffering, we could say that this suffering comes as the result of sin. But most of the time, particularly when it comes to illness and other tragedies, it is assuredly not. If you still harbor any doubts about that, think about this: Jesus, the sinless one, suffered a great deal. He was not being "punished for his sins."
This idea was more or less common in Jesus's time. In the Gospel of John, when Jesus meets a man who was born blind, his disciples ask, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" Jesus answered bluntly. "Neither this man nor his parents sinned."
Sadly, this attitude is still common today. Recently, friend living with an operable cancer received a visit from friends she knew from her church. They callously told her that they felt her illness was the work of "Satan." In other words, sin had entered her life and she was being punished. When she told me this, I reminded her not only of the Gospel of John, but Jesus's own suffering.

Four. Jesus is fully human.
Christians believe that Jesus Christ is fully human and fully divine. Now this is, as theologians like to say, a mystery, something that we will never be able to fully comprehend. But belief in this is essential for Christian belief. Besides, attempts to paint Jesus as either only human or only divine simply don't square with the Jesus we encounter in the Gospels. We read of him both weeping at the death of his friend Lazarus (hardly something that the classic Aristotelian or Platonic God would do), and we also see him heal the sick, still storms, and raise people from the dead (hardly something that people expected of religious figures in first-century Galilee and Judea, or modern-day anywhere today).
In the events of his Passion, we see Jesus's humanity on display. On Holy Thursday, in the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus says, "Remove this cup." In other words, I don't want to die. Only when he realizes that it is his Father's will that he undergo death, does he assent. But initially the human one expresses, in the bluntest language possible, that he does not wish to die. Later, also revealing his humanity, he utters a great cry from the Cross, "My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?" I don't think Jesus ever despaired--to my mind, someone in union with the Father would not be able to do that--but he clearly struggled and, at that moment, felt a profound sense of God's absence. Here is his humanity on full display.
This is often a consolation to people who pray to Jesus, the risen one in heaven. Why? Because he understands their humanity. He gets it. Christians do not have a God who cannot understand them, because God endured all the things that we do.

Five. Suffering is not the last word.
The message of Good Friday is incomplete without Easter. The story of the passion is not simply of a man being brutally tortured, nailed to a cross and executed by the Romans. It is the story of a man who turns himself fully over to the Father's will, trusts that something new will come out of this offering, and receives the astonishing gift of new life. The message of Easter is not only the Christ is risen, not only the suffering is not the last word, not only the God gives new life, but this: Nothing is impossible with God.

So may you have a prayerful Good Friday, but, more important, may you have a happy Easter.

Its Vaisakhi ... or New Year.... but its time for Celebration

Vaisakhi, Baisakhi or Vaishakhi People use call it by many names.But the standard of the spelling is Vaisakhi. with "V".

The word has been inspired by the lines written in Guru Granth Sahib ji.

Vaisaakh suhaavaa Thaan Lagai Jaa Santh Bhaettai Har soe ll3ll ( Ank/ Page 134 SGGS)

Vaisakhi is a festival which is celebrated across the India, But this festival is mostly celebrated by the Sikh communities. It is also celebrated by Hindus and Buddhist for different reasons including the start of the New Year.People in Punjab region regard vaisakhi as a harvest festival.

The Birth of the khalsa Celebration seem to mean the beginning of this realization-where this Air/ Pavan (Vaa+ai) as the companion (Sakhi) takes one to the journey of understanding and connecting with the ultimate reality.

Importance for Sikhs:

Sikh celebrate Vaisakhi in religious way. on the Vaisakhi day 1699, the 10th Guru of Sikhs, Guru Gobind Singh ji laid down the foundation of the Panth Kahlsa, that is the order of the Pure Ones. This day is also observed as the thanksgivings day by the farmers for the abundant harvest and also praying for the future prosperity.

the Main celebration takes place at Talwandi Sabo ( where Guru Gobind Singh Ji stayed for 9 months and completed the recompilation of the guru Granth Sahib)and in the Gurdwara andapur sahib the birth place of Khalsa and Golden Temple in Amritsar.

About Khalsa Panth

The Panj Pyare were the first members of the new Sikh community called the Khalsa. Guru Gobind Singh gave the Khalsa a unique identity with five distinctive symbols of purity and courage, known today as the Five K's. The Guru gave all Khalsa men the surname of Singh (lion) as a reminder to be courageous. Women took on the surname Kaur (princess) to emphasize dignity. With the distinct Khalsa identity, Guru Gobind Singh gave all Sikhs the opportunity to live lives of courage, sacrifice, and equality. These Sikhs were to dedicate their lives to the service of others and the pursuit of justice.

Importance in Hinduism

Its believed that thousand of years ago, goddess Ganga descending to earth and in her honor, many Hindus gather along the sacred Ganges river for ritual Basis.It is celebrated requisites bathing, partying and worshiping. Hindus plant poles in front of their homes. and hang pots of brass, copper or silver on top.

Puthandu in Tamil Nadu

It is celebrated in the Tamil Nadu as Start of the Year or New Year. The auspicious occasion of Puthandu is also popularly known as  Varusha Pirappu. People of Tamil Nadu celebrate varusha pirappu in a big way by merrymaking and feasting

 People of Tamil Nadu follow some rituals.  Early morning womenfolk adom the enterance of their house with colorful Kolam Patterns. Centre of Kolam pattern is decorated with a lamp called Kuthuvillakku. It is a sign of brightness and it is believe that it would dispel darkness.

Peopole use to wear bright and new clothes for this occasion and relish best of festive food including "Maanga Pachadi"

A popular custom of puthandu is Kanni which means the auspicious sight. Following this ritual, people start Puthandu day watching auspicious things like gold and silver ,  bettle leaves, nuts and fruits etc.

Vishu In Kerala:

Vishu falls on the first day in the Malayalam month of Medam. As per Gregorian calender Vishu falls on the  14 April.

Kerala people celebrate vishu with lots of joy and mirth. One of the very interesting custom of vishu is Vishukani or Kani Kanal The custom stems from the strong belief of the people of Kerala that good things seen on the New Year day brings good luck for the entire year. Ladies of the house make preparation for Vishukani on a previous night. They would keep prescribed items including a cadjan leaf book, gold ornaments, fresh white cloth, a measure of rice or paddy, flowers of the Konna tree (Cussia fistula), halved jack fruits, halved coconuts and yellow cucumber in a big pot. Behind this pot is kept the bell metal mirror and a garlanded deity of Lord Krishna. Two standing oil lamps are also placed before the deity. Master of the house is the first person to take a look at auspicious things. Children are brought blind folded from their rooms to watch Vishukani. Many people in Kerala prefer to perform Vishukani in temples. Vishukani is offered to Gods and is later distributed amongst poor and needy.

Popular Festive Dishes served include " Veppampoorasam" and " Mampazhapachadi"

Vaishakha in Bihar:

Vaishakha in Bihar  with huge fan fare and gusto. It is celebrated twice a year , first in the hindu month of Vaishakha and then in the month of Kartika. This festival dedicated to the Sun God in Bihar .

It may be mentioned Surajpur-Baragaon lake has a temple in honor of Sun God and holds special importance for the people of Bihar, especially during Vaishakha celebrations and Chhat Puja or Sun Worship Festival.Vaishakha celebrations in Bihar are marked in a village called Surajpur-Baragaon. Following the ancient practice, devotees pay obeisance to the Sun God by taking bath in the temple tank and offering flowers and water from the sacred rivers of Ganga. Rangoli Bihu in Assam: The Rongali Bihu marks the agricultural New Year at the advent of seeding time and is celebrated as the Festival of Merriment.  The Kati Bihu marks the completion of sowing and transplanting of paddies.  The Magh Bihu marks the end of the harvesting period.  Traditional festive food of Bohag Bihu is the special cake known as the pitha.  Colouful rituals mark the first day of Rongali Bihu celebrated as Garu Bihu. This day is dedicated to the cattle and livestock. The rest of the weeklong celebrations of Bohag Bihu are known as Manuh Bihu.  Naba Barsha In Bengal: Naba Barsha festival is known as Poila Baisakh in Bangladesh and is celebrated as a national holiday. A very important tradition of Naba Varsha is the making of elaborate rangolis or alpanas in front of the house by womenfolk. Rangolis are prepared with flour and its center is adorned with earthenware pot decorated with auspicious swastika. This pot is filled with holy water and mango leaves to symbolize a prosperous year for the family. On Naba Barsha, people of West Bengal propitiate Goddess Lakshmi - the Hindu mythological Goddess of Wealth to pray for prosperity and well being.  For Bengalis, Naba Barsha is the beginning of all business activities. Businessmen and traders purchase new accounting books and start new account known as Haalkhata. People also worship Lord Ganesha by chanting mantras.Enthusiastic people of Bengal also celebrate the eve of Naba Varsha as Chaitra-Sankranti and bid farewell to the past year.  Bengalis take out processions known as Prabhat Pheries. To participate in Prabhat Pheris ladies clad themselves in traditional Bengali sari (white sari with red border) and flowers in hair while men wear dhoti kurta. India Celebrate all the festival with different flavors and colors. This is the specialty of India.

Navratri … The Indian Festival of Nine Days

Navratri is a very important Hindu festival celebrated in India, which is devoted to Goddess Durga. The festival is celebrated with great reverence and faith across the country. It stretches over a period of nine days, with each of the nine days being dedicated to one of the nine forms of the Goddess. In different parts of India, different legends describe the history of Navratri. It is difficult to say how old the custom of Navaratri is or where exactly it began. Some believe that it is an ancient harvest or fertility festival. Many of the ancient religious festivals were related not only to the sun and moon, but also to the position of the stars. Navaratri, like all holidays and rites of passage, is determined by Indian astrology. The position of the constellations at the time of Navaratri are closely related to the basic story that is at the heart of the celebration, the tale of Durga, a fierce form of the Divine Mother who rides a lion and conquers the evil Mahisasura, who takes the form of a buffalo bull. Like the positions of the stars in the sky, she is often depicted atop the buffalo demon as she slays him. Legend says that when Mahishasura, the spiteful demon, who was a devotee of Lord Shiva, acquired unbeatable powers of eternity, he started taking away innocent lives. In order to stop him from taking over all the three lokas, Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu and Lord Mahesh of the Hindu Trinity united their supreme powers and created a warrior goddess Durga who entered a war with Mahishasura. This war extended for nine days and on the tenth day she beheaded him. These nine nights signify the festival of Navratri.
As per Hindu mythology, Uma, daughter of King Daksha of Himalayas, married Lord Shiva against the will of her father. In order to take revenge, King Daksha arranged a yagna where he invited all the deities except Lord Shiva. The story goes that when Uma visited her parents to take part in the yagna, her father offended Lord Shiva. Unable to bear the insults meted on her husband, Uma jumped into the agnikund, which is why she is also known as Sati. In her rebirth, she married Lord Shiva and also made peace with her parents. It is said that Sati comes to stay with them for nine days, which is celebrated as Navratri.
It is also said that Lord Rama worshipped Goddess Durga in all her nine forms, for nine days, in order to gather all the powers required to vanquish Ravana the demon, and release his wife Sita from his clutches. Those nine days imply Navratri, and the tenth day when he killed Ravana, came to be known as Vijaydashmi and is celebrated as Dussehra.

History of Navratri

The history of Navratri also takes us to the assumption which states that in prehistoric times, the Kshatriyas used to drive themselves out from participating in any warlike activities all through monsoon season. As soon as monsoons got over they would worship Devi for nine days and set off with their war activities. These nine days are today celebrated as Navratri.
Now the first three days of this festival is devoted to the goddess Durga who is the
warrior goddess.  Each of the three days is devoted to a different aspect of womanhood, from girl child to young woman to a fully mature woman representing three different incarnations of Durga.
The second three days are devoted to the goddess Lakshmi.  She is the goddess of prosperity and wealth.
The next two days are devoted to the goddess Saraswati who is the goddess of knowledge
and arts.
The final day is a celebration marked by a traditional ceremony involving children.
During these nine days we are strictly vegetarian to honor the goddesses.  Some people, depending on their own beliefs are also fasting.  A fast means they are allowed to drink water, tea and milk and can eat fruit items only.  No other foods are allowed.  Some people fast for the entire eight days before the final festival on the ninth while others will fast on certain days only.
Finally on the ninth day the festival culminates with a small ritual involving nine young
girls.  These girls are all pre-pubescent and represent the nine forms of the goddess herself.  The nine girls are invited into your home and treated as living forms of the goddess to be worshiped.

Mythological Evidences For Navratri Celebration

According to legends, Mahishasura- a worshipper of Lord Shiva had grown into an spiteful demon and started on a spree to kill innocent people. To stop his malevolent activities to take over the three Lokas or realms, Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesha of Hindu trinity united their powers to form the supreme- Goddess Durga.
She entered into a war with Mahishasura that lasted for the period of nine days and on the tenth day, Goddess Durga ended the war by beheading the demon, Mahishasura. These nine days to save the universe from destruction signify the Navaratri festival.
As per Hindu mythology, there is another legend attached to Navaratri. It is believed that Lord Rama venerated Goddess Durga for nine days to attain the power to vanquish Ravana. On the tenth day, Lord Rama killed Ravana that came to be known as Vijayadashami or Dussehra, when idols of Ravana are burnt in most parts of our country.
It is not surprising in the Hindu mythology when one finds vivid evidences related to the same incident. Same is the case with Navaratri. Apart from the legends already described, there is one more history behind the celebration of the festival. As per Hindu mythology, Uma-daughter of King Daksha, ruler of Himalayas, married Lord Shiva against the will of her father. In response, King Daksha arranged an Yagna to avenge Lord Shiva. When his daughter, Uma visited him to take part in the Yoga, Lord Shiva was intentionally offended by the king.
Unable to bear the insult of her husband, Uma jumped into the Agni Kund, which is why she came to be known as Sati. In her rebirth, she married Lord Shiva and made peace with her parents. It is said that resurrected Sati visits her parents and stays there for a period of nine days which corresponds with the nine days of the Navaratri festival.
After going in-depth into the history of Navaratri, how would it be to know more about the celebration mannerisms of Navaratri? Let’s take a look at the ways Navaratri festival is celebrated in different parts of India.

Nine patterns of Navaratri

Punjab
The people from Punjab perform fasts to show their devout austerity to Goddess Durga- the symbol of Shakti or power. The fast is performed for the first seven days, which breaks on the eighth day of Navratri by organizing a Bhandara or feast for nine young girls known as Kanjak. They are also gifted red Chunris or Dupattas. A Jagrata is another special feature to them, where devotional songs are sung in the honor of Goddess and keep awake the whole night.

Himachal Pradesh
It is actually the most important festival for the Himachal Hindus. The tenth day of the festival is popularly known as Kullu Dussehra in Himachal Pradesh. While Navaratri festivity ends everywhere on the tenth day, it marks the beginning of the festival in this state. People gather together in a pompous mood, marking the return of Lord Rama to Ayodhya after killing the demon, Ravana. On Dussehra, the deities from temples are taken out to roads in processions.

Gujarat
Gujarat is the centroid of the most vibrant Navratri celebration. A clay pot known as Garbha or womb is the source of life on earth. Women dance around the water-filled Garbha wearing vibrant costumes. This dance is also termed as Garbha that derives its name from the iconic clay pot. Dandiya Raas is another contemporary attraction of the festival where people dance in coordination with each other. In Dandiya Raas event, sticks of equal length are used for the dance. Overall, the festive mood in Gujarat is a colourful affair.

Maharashtra
Maharashtra regards Navaratri as a good time to initiate things. Some prefer to buy a car, or even venture into the investing arena. The Maharashtrians find it to be an auspicious time. Married women exchange the gesture of ‘Saumangalyam’ by putting Haldi and Kumkum onto their foreheads. Because of Maharashtra’s proximity to Gujarat, both the states bear resemblance in its festive celebration. Each family in the two states get drenched in the mood of joy and celebration.

West Bengal
In West Bengal, Navaratri has its synonym as Durga Puja. Durga Puja is considered to be the most joyous and important festival for the Bengalis. It is celebrated with a great pomp and lavishness. This is a temporal sight when the festival begins from the sixth day of Navaratri 2014-Shashthi. Maa Durga is welcomed to her maternal home from the heavens. Idols of Goddess Durga along with her children-Kartik, Ganesh, Lakshmi and Saraswati are sculpted in the Durga Puja. The festival becomes worth considering if one talks about Navaratri.

Karnataka
The celebrations in Karnataka dates back to the era of Raja Wodeyar. Although, the purpose of celebration is the same i.e. triumph of Goddess Durga over Mahishasura-the resident of Mysore, the celebration is done according to the traditions of the Vijaynagar empire of 17th century. Processions of elephants are taken to roads. Exhibition of craft artefacts are an important feature of the Carnatic Navaratri.

Kerala
Kerala celebrates the last three days of Navaratri i.e. Ashtami, Navami and Vijaya Dashami. Being the most literate state in the country, this states the reason behind its literacy (piously). Since, Goddess Saraswati is worshiped during the last three days, they firmly believe that Saraswati Mata will grant them the wisdom of learning and knowledge.
They place the books and musical instruments in front of the Goddess on Ashtami. They pray the Goddess for granting them knowledge and education. On Vijaya Dashami, they take the books out for learning.

Tamil Nadu
The Dravidian state devotes the nine days of Navaratri to Goddess Durga, Goddess Lakshmi and Goddess Saraswati. Women belonging to the Iyer community invite their married female acquaintances and gift them symbols of marital goodwill- bangles, earrings etc. A special dish ‘Sundal’ is prepared of lentil seeds and pulses for the guests. Some people also creates a special makeshift staircase ‘Golu’ that consists of nine steps symbolizing the nine days of Navaratri. Idols of Gods and Goddesses are placed on the stairs that are handed over from generation to generation.

Andhra Pradesh
Navaratri is celebrated as ‘Bathukamma Panduga’ in Andhra Pradesh. Bathukamma Panduga literally means ‘Come Alive Mother’. The term celebrates universal motherhood. Women prepare ‘Bathukka’ which is a beautiful stack of seasonal flowers which often appear like a pot. They have the ritual to position themselves in the centre and sing songs dedicated to Goddess Shakti. After performing the ritual, they float away the Bathukkas in lake water.
Navaratri is the festival that represents the omnipotent motherhood. It takes the form of Maha Gauri, Goddess Durga or Katyayani Maa. Be it in any form, the festival signifies the triumph of good over evil through the hands of the supreme mother.
The nine days is a period to celebrate purity and goodness. To know more about the spiritual proceedings of Navaratri.

The Goddess is always present within us to enlighten.


Wishes you all A Very Happy Navaratri 2014!