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2. Promoting Dignity Mutual Respect & Pluralism
Holy Days & Festivals
Promoting Dignity Mutual Respect & Pluralism

3. Hindu holidays Deity Season Historical Event
Celebrated on the schedule of the lunar calendar, each event may commemorate many things.

4. Deity Celebrations

5. Shivaratri PAYS HOMAGE TO SHIVA, THE GOD OF TRANSFORMATION
Fasting all day (ranges from eating only fruit to abstaining from food)
Chanting his name and singing hymns all night
Adorning a Shiva linga (a murti) with milk, honey, water, fruits, and leaves from
certain trees
Sitting in meditation with Shiva
February/March

6. 9 Ramanavami CELEBRATION OF THE BIRTH OF RAMA, AN
INCARNATION OF VISHNU
Some Hindus choose to fast for 9 days 9
Depicting the Ramayana through song, dance, and dramas.
March/April

7. Krishna was born at midnight
Krishna Janmashtami
CELEBRATES THE BIRTH AND LIFE OF KRISHNA, THE AVATAR OF VISHNU WHO DELIVERED THE BHAGAVAD GITA
Many Hindus choose to fast up to midnight
They blow conches, sing Krishna’s praises, and feast on sweets at midnight
Krishna was born at midnight
August/September

8. A multiple-day festival
Ganesha Chaturti
PAYS HOMAGE TO GANESH, THE REMOVER OF OBSTACLES
Devotees immerse murtis of Ganesh into a body of water
The murtis are made of material that dissolves in the water
A multiple-day festival
The ritual is symbolic of the cyclical nature of time, and that even the Gods themselves will eventually dissolve
August/September

9. The most popularly worshiped manifestations of the Feminine Divine
Navaratri
WORSHIPED MANIFESTATIONS OF THE FEMININE DIVINE
The most popularly worshiped manifestations of the Feminine Divine
Durga (the Mother Goddess),
Saraswati (The Goddess of Knowledge, Speech, and the Arts)
Lakshmi (the Goddess of Health, Wealth, and Prosperity)
Nine-night celebration of the Feminine Divine 9
The tenth night is known as Dusshera and is marked with many festivities
10th
MANY FASTS AND RITUALS ASSOCIATED WITH NAVARATRI ARE EXCLUSIVE TO WOMEN
5 Times a Year (the spring and fall celebrations are the most widely celebrated)

10. Seasonal Celebrations

11. Makara Sankranti | Uttarayana | Pongal
PAY HOMAGE TO GODDESS SARASWATI, AS WELL AS TO ANCESTORS
Hindus thank God for the bountiful harvest, which broadly coincides in winter
Marks the transition of the Sun into Capricorn (Makara rashi) on its celestial path
Pongal is widely celebrated in Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka
January 14th

12. Celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, and Buddhists
Holi
CELEBRATES TRIUMPH OVER DIVISIVENESS & NEGATIVITY AND LOVE & UNITY
WELCOMES THE ARRIVAL OF SPRING AND THE HARVESTS
Celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, and Buddhists
Many celebrate by tossing colored powders in the air and using dyed water to color each other.
In the evening, Hindus celebrate by lighting bonfires and eating festive foods.

13. Other Celebrations

14. CELEBRATES THE BOND BETWEEN BROTHERS AND SISTERS
Raksha Bandham
CELEBRATES THE BOND BETWEEN BROTHERS AND SISTERS
Sisters tie a decorative sacred amulet (rakhi) on her brothers’ right wrist and pray for their protection
(often including distant cousins and friends considered honorary brothers)
Brothers give their sisters small tokens or gifts of appreciation
August

15. One of the most celebrated Hindu festivals
Diwali | Deepavali
COMMEMORATES THE VICTORY OF GOOD OVER EVIL
The light from these lamps symbolizes the illumination within the individual
The word refers to rows of earthen lamps celebrants place around their homes
One of the most celebrated Hindu festivals
October/November

16. Diwali, the festival of lights
Key takEaways
HINDUS FESTIVALS ARE
very diverse
and vary by region and tradition
Diwali, the festival of lights
is one of the most widely celebrated Hindu festivals

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