Punjabi festivals.punjab culture2019

Punjabi festivals

Punjab is classic example of the diversity and versatility of Indian culture. Punjabi peoples believes in celebrating any festive occasion to the hilt. So, every festival is marked traditional songs ,energetic dances and delicious racipes. The Punjabi's area diverse group of peoples   from different religious background that affects the festival they observe. A festival is an Event where people symbolically showcase their ideals, their values and their trueness.

Lohri

"In a softly glowing candle light,
May all ur dreams cum true.
Every star of every night brings

Luck & joy to u…"

Wish u n ur family a very HAPPY LOHRI.

Lohri is the winter harvest festival of Punjab, celebrated widely throughout the state. It is the festival of fertility and is associated with the worship of the God of Fire (Lord Agni). According to the Hindu calendar, Lohri falls on 13th January every year, at a time when the earth is closest to the sun.
‘Lohri’ comes from the word ‘Loh,’ which means light and warmness of fire. People believe that warmth of the fire and folk songs invoke Lord Sun.
The most popular story is of Dulla Bhatti. Dulla Bhatti was the king of Pindi Bhattian and was popular among the poor during the era of Mughal emperor Akbar. He used to rob the rich landlords and distribute the money and goods among the poor and needy.
He rescued poor Punjabi girls. They were being forcibly taken to be sold by the Mughals in the slave market. His kindness made the people love and respect him. Also, he saved a poor girl from kidnapping. Later he adopted her and took her care as his daughter.

He arranged the marriages of the girls to village boys. Further, he provided them with financial and material help. Many folk songs sung on Lohri are about the bravery of Dulla Bhatti. The songs express gratitude towards him, for helping people.
Lohri Poem (Written by me)

Marking the onset of harvest season happily,
And singing folk songs with friends and family.
With so much enthusiasm, colors, and fun,
Lohri is about welcoming the sun.
Dressed in beautiful traditional attire,
People dance on the dhol beats circumambulating the bonfire.
Tossing in the fire, popcorns, peanuts and some jaggery candies with sesame seeds,
Farmers thank the nature for fulfilling their needs.
With cute smiles, everyone meets and greets,
Filling their tummies with delicious sweets.
Also known as the festival of farmers and festival of harvest,
Everyone observes Lohri with full zest.
Celebrations of infinite spiritual bliss,
A festival you simply can’t miss.
Punjab and Haryana, being the state of agriculture,

Together with them, entire India will continue this traditional culture..!!

Maghi

Maghi is the occassion when Sikhs commemorate the sacrifice of forty Sikhs, who fought for Guru Gobindh Singh Ji.

Maghi, Makara Sankranti, the first day of the month of Magh. The eve of Maghi is the common Indian festival of Lohri when bonfires are lit in Hindu homes to greet the birth of sons in the families and alms are distributed. In the morning, people go out for an early-hour dip in nearby tanks. For Sikhs, Maghi means primarily the festival at Muktsar, a district town of the Punjab, in commemoration of the heroic fight of the Chali Mukte, literally, the Forty Liberated Ones, who laid down their lives warding off an attack by an imperial army marching in pursuit of Guru Gobind Singh. 

The action took place near a pool of water, Khidrane di Dhab, on 29 December 1705. The bodies were cremated the following day, the first of Magh (hence the name of the festival), which now falls usually on the 13th of January. Following the custom of the Sikhs to observe their anniversaries of happy and tragic events alike, Maghi is celebrated with end-to-end recital of the Guru Granth Sahib and religious divans in almost all gurdwaras.

 Basant panchmi

"May the revered occasion of Basant Panchami, Bring the wealth of knowledge to you, May you be blessed by Goddess Saraswati… and all your wishes come true. Happy Basant Panchami."
Basant Panchami is celebrated to mark the beginning of the spring season. It is also celebrated as the birthday of the goddess of knowledge and education Goddess Saraswati, the wife of Lord Brahma. The festival is observed in all educational institutions and students observe this day to get blessing from the goddess. The Namdhari Sikhs celebrate the occasion of Basant Panchami as the birthday of the originator of Namdhari Khalsa Panth, Sri Sath Guru Ram Singh. He was born on 3rd February 1816, which was the fifth day of Basant Panchami.

The festival of Basant Panchami is also celebrated by Sufi Muslims who gather at the dargah of Hazrat Nizamuddin in New Delhi. A group of qawwals visit a close by village in Haryana where they offer mustard flowers at the tomb of various saints and dye their clothes with yellow colour hereafter they start singing and dancing the Basant Qawwali tunes.

Farmers are especially happy during the celebration of Basant Panchami. They are happy with their crop and celebrate by performing the folk dance of Bhangra. They visit gurudwaras and participate in langar organized at the gurudwara.

Holi

"Happiness is when you see brightness even in darkness,

so keep on walking with the colorful mind to bring out the best color in you!!!!Happy Holi"

Holi is the spring Hindu festival of colours which is celebrated by throwing colours on each other. The festival is celebrated on the first day of the Punjabi lunar month of Chet and marks the Spring season. The festival is primarily celebrated by Hindus. But Sikhs also participate in the festival which is seasonal in its significance and secular in its celebration.
In the Indian state of Punjab, Holi is preceded by Holika Dahan the night before. On the day of Holi, people engage in throwing colours on each other.

During Holi in Punjab, walls and courtyards of rural houses are enhanced with drawings and paintings similar to rangoli in South India, mandana in Rajasthan, and rural arts in other parts of India. This art is known as chowk-poorana or chowkpurana in Punjab and is given shape by the peasant women of the state. In courtyards, this art is drawn on cloth. The art includes drawing tree motifs, flowers, ferns, creepers, plants, peacocks, palanquins, geometric patterns along with vertical, horizontal and oblique lines. These arts add to the festive atmosphere.    

Baisakhi

"May you come up as bright as sun,

as cool as water and as sweet as honey.
Hope this Baisakhi fulfill all your desires and wishes.
Happy Baisakhi."

Baisakhi was one of the three festivals that the third Sikh Guru, Guru Amar Das, chose to be celebrated by the Sikhs. In 1699, the ninth Sikh Guru, Guru Teg Bahadur, was publicly beheaded by the Mughals. This occurred due to his willingness to oppose the Mughal invaders and protect the cultural identity of Hindus and Sikhs whom the Mughal ruler Aurangzeb wanted to convert to Islam. On Baisakhi day of 1699, his son, Guru Gobind Rai, rallied the Sikhs and inspired them through his words and actions, bestowing upon them and himself the title of Singh or lion, thus becoming Guru Gobind Singh. The five Ks of Sikhism were adopted, and the Guru system was dispelled, with Sikhs being urged to accept the Granth Sahib as the eternal guide. Thus, the festival of Baisakhi is observed as the coronation of the last Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh, as well as the foundation of the Khalsa Panth of Sikhism, granting it a position of immense importance to Sikhism, and is one of the biggest Sikh festivals.

                                 Baisakhi was also the day of the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre in 1919, when the British colonists trapped and murdered a peaceful assembly of Indians, acting as a major catalyst in the Indian freedom struggle.

Rakhi

"All other festivals may be very colourful but no festival is as powerful as Raksha Bandhan. It makes our bond stronger and stronger. Happy Raksha Bandhan!"

The Rakhri ritual is not a Sikh ritual. Its practice doesn’t fit in the Sikh philosophy.
Rakhi or Rakhri means protection. This is a custom among some Hindus. Accepting a Rakhri from a girl, sister or a cousin, means that the boy takes responsibility of protecting her if she happens to the into any trouble. As a token of his promise, he gives some money to the girl after she ties the Rakhri on his wrist. The ritual Rakhri assumes that a girl cannot protect herself. This gives second-rate status to the women. Hence, it is not an approved custom among the Sikhs.

According to historic tradition, the Rakhi or Rakhri was a magic thread tied by a Tantric Yogi, a holy person, or a fakir, to protect the wearer from evil happenings. Later, the Rakhri took the form of the present colorful bangle like thread with flowers and other decorations tied to it.

Teeyan

Teeyan, a festival of the rainy season, is celebrated on the 3rd of the bright fortnight of Sawan (July-August). The four months from Harh (June-July) to the first half of Assu (September) are called Chaumasa. During this period the sky  generally remains overcast and the weather shifts between sultriness and rainfall. Rains bring the longed-for  relief to the heat-stricken Punjabis, and the rhythm of the little and big drops of rain instills in them the enthusiasm which must seek expression in fun and frolic. A newly-married girl looks forward to the rainy days when a brother or some other male relative from the parental home may come to escort her to her father's place. This reversal from bride hood to being just a daughter again is such a liberating and thrilling experience that it cannot be put into words. One day before the Teeyan, girls apply henna to their hands and feet, and on the day of the festival they put on their best clothes and go out to the fair. The fair resounds with the songs of love and the rhythm of dance. The songs are known as Teeyan songs. The Giddha dance has become a regular and most enchanting feature of this festival. At home women make kheer, a dish specially associated with Sawan.

                           Dance and songs are an integral part of Teej celebrations in Punjab. It is also considered a very important medium to convey their heartiest thoughts and messages . Women freely express their feelings for their love or husband by singing and dancing on traditional Teej songs. Some the most popular Punjabi Teej songs are:

"Sawan Da Mahina Din Giddha De Sabhe Sahalyan Aiyan Nachan Kundan, Jhutan Pingan Piyan Vadiyan Gharan Diya Jaiyan Bhij Gai Rooh Mitra Sham Ghatan Chad Aiyan".

    

[By-Pardeep kaur]