As I write these posts, I'm listening to Navratri music in the distance. Even though it's well over a km away, the music is loud and clear.
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August is the beginning of festival season in this part of India. With a few exceptions, Indian holidays are based on a lunar calendar, so they move every year.
Actually, this year, it began with the Muslim holiday of Eid-ul-Fitr -- the end of Ramzan (Ramadan) at the end of July.
August brought Raksha Bandhan on the 10th -- a day for brothers to honor their sisters. Independence Day is on the 15th. (That's one that doesn't move!). Followed by Krishna's birthday (Krishna Janmastrami) on the 17th, Parsi New Year on the 18th, and Ganesh Chaturthi on the 29th, along with the Jain festival of repentance and forgiveness that concluded on the same day.
The Ganesha festival continues for 5 or 7 or 9 or 10 days (your choice) -- more on that in an earlier post.
September brings Navratri: 9 nights of garba dancing starting on September 25. The festival honors Durga. Other areas celebrate Durga Puja (most notably West Bengal and Kolkata) at the same time. Same god, same festival, different way of celebrating.
Navratri ends on October 3. Eid-ul-Azha, another Muslim holiday, is on October 6. Gandhi's birthday is October 2 (another non-moving date). Then comes Diwali -- the festival of lights, and the biggest holiday in India -- from October 20 to 25. In Gujarat, the day after Diwali is New Year's Day, and the celebrations are deafening.
Then it's all over. Monsoon is gone, and the weddings begin. Here in Vapi, Christmas is an asterisk, and New Year's Day (January 1st, that is) is just another work day.
*********
August is the beginning of festival season in this part of India. With a few exceptions, Indian holidays are based on a lunar calendar, so they move every year.
Actually, this year, it began with the Muslim holiday of Eid-ul-Fitr -- the end of Ramzan (Ramadan) at the end of July.
August brought Raksha Bandhan on the 10th -- a day for brothers to honor their sisters. Independence Day is on the 15th. (That's one that doesn't move!). Followed by Krishna's birthday (Krishna Janmastrami) on the 17th, Parsi New Year on the 18th, and Ganesh Chaturthi on the 29th, along with the Jain festival of repentance and forgiveness that concluded on the same day.
The Ganesha festival continues for 5 or 7 or 9 or 10 days (your choice) -- more on that in an earlier post.
September brings Navratri: 9 nights of garba dancing starting on September 25. The festival honors Durga. Other areas celebrate Durga Puja (most notably West Bengal and Kolkata) at the same time. Same god, same festival, different way of celebrating.
Navratri ends on October 3. Eid-ul-Azha, another Muslim holiday, is on October 6. Gandhi's birthday is October 2 (another non-moving date). Then comes Diwali -- the festival of lights, and the biggest holiday in India -- from October 20 to 25. In Gujarat, the day after Diwali is New Year's Day, and the celebrations are deafening.
Then it's all over. Monsoon is gone, and the weddings begin. Here in Vapi, Christmas is an asterisk, and New Year's Day (January 1st, that is) is just another work day.
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