Year: 2017

Shigmo, also known as Shishirotsava, I an annual festival celebrated on every spring by the people of Goa. It being one of the main festivals of the Hindus living in Goa, Shigmo is celebrated in a grand manner there.

It is mainly observed by the Konkani people and the Hindu festival of colors, Holi, is also a part of the festivities.

Shigmo festival has two parts, Dhakto Shigmo and Vhadlo Shigmo. The former is generally celebrated and observed amongst the labors, peasants and the people of villages while the latter is celebrated on a larger scale and everyone takes part in it.

The Dhakto Shigmo starts around 5 days prior to the day of full moon on the month of Phalguna, one of the lunar months on Hindu calendar, and will come to an end on the day of the full moon. It is observed in the areas that were under the rule of the Portuguese for a longer time period and is called the Old Conquest areas.

While the celebration of Vhadlo Shigmo starts on the day of the full moon and continues for the next five days in the month of Phalguna. This takes place in New Conquest areas of Goa.

The celebrations
During Dhakto Shigmo mainly folk dances along with folk songs are performed by the locals while the festivities of Vhadlo Shigmo are carried out in the temples of the villages. It is performed in various temples across Goa on different dates but on the same time period.

On the very first day of the celebrations the Deity of the village is bathed in a ceremonial manner and then made to put on robes of saffron color after which the Deity is offered with food. Once it is done a grand feast is held by the people of the village. It is held in some of the very famous temples of Goa like Phatarpya, Jambavali, Dhargale and Kansarpal.

Hundreds and hundreds of tourists and devotees gather in these places during this time of the year to witness the Shigmo celebration. During the celebration, the villagers gather at a particular places and sings songs called Naman and Jot in chorus. The songs are also accompanied by traditional dances like Hanpet, Talgadi, Gopha and Lamp dance. Some people are seen to carry gigantic drums called Taso and Dhol from one door to another while the others match steps with the beat.

The performers also carry the money donated by the people on a plate and they also sing a song known as Tali in which they wish for the donor’s wellbeing. The local people believe that on the last day of the festival a spirit called Gade Padap posses the bodies of the dancers and right after the festivities come to an end, it is customary for all the performers to take a bath together and this is called Mand Davarap.

In the present times the Shigmo festival is receiving support from the State Government which is also providing full support to the parades which includes folk dances and elaborate floats representing famous mythological and religious scenes. This festival goes on for around two weeks in full vigor and each day of the festival is celebrated in different rural areas across the Indian state of Goa. Shigmo is an annual festival celebrated in the month of March every year. The dates of the celebration depend on the Hindu lunar calendar thus its corresponding dates on the Georgian calendar might vary from one year to another.

The Hindu communities residing in Southern India especially in the Kannyakumari region of Tamil Nadu observe the festival of Holi in a slightly different way and it goes by the name Kaman Pandigai.

This festival is essentially associated with the well – known legend of Shiva burning up Kamdev who was the God of love, into ashes. It’s said that on the auspicious occasion of Holi was Rati the wife of Kamdev able to plead Shiva into making him revive her husband.

This festival is also known as Kamavilas or Kama – Dahanam and is generally observed on the day before Holi. Just like Holi, this festival is also found to occur generally in the month of March.

The Legend
The story goes that after the death of Sati, Shiva’s beloved, he went into deep meditation and this indifference created a total imbalance in the universe. During this time Parvati who was the daughter of the mountains too started meditating to attain Shiva as her husband.

After undergoing several years of penance, Sati was reborn as Parvati. But even after that, Shiva continued with his meditation and nobody was able to break it. All the Gods became worried and in order to make Shiva return back to his original self, they sought the help of Kaamadeva who was the God of love. In spite of knowing what repercussions he may have to undergo, he still agreed to help the tensed Gods and do good to the world.

While Shiva was in deep meditation, he was shot by Kaamadeva with the love – arrow. Shiva became so enraged that he opened his third eye and instantly reduced Kaamadeva to ashes. But his love arrow had produced the desired results and Shiva agreed to marry Parvati. After the whole incident got over, Rati, the wife of Kaamadeva worshipped Shiva and after a tough penance, was able to recite the whole tale to Shiva and requested him to revive her husband. After listening to the entire tale, Shiva agreed to revive her husband and blessed her on Holi day.

Celebrations
This festival is celebrated in two different moods. One is that of sorrow and mourning because Kaamadeva had died during this time. The other happy and celebratory emotion was due to the Rati getting blessed from Shiva on this day and her husband getting revived. On this day, people offer Sandalwood to Kaamadeva with the intention of easing the pain of burning. Songs are sung that portray feelings of sorrow and mourn the death of Kaamadeva. There is an altar that’s raised for more than ten days after which on the full moon day, its set ablaze and sugarcanes are thrown into the fire. Prior to this there was general mourning among the people but, after this there is merriment and two people dressed as Rati and Kaamadeva go around collecting money.

It’s another name for Holi- the festival of colors where Phagu means sacred red colored powder and Purnima is the full moon day on which this festival ends.

This festival is observed for eight days just before the full moon day of month of Phalgun or March according to the Gregorian calendar. Holi announces the onset of spring and passing by of winter.

Phagu Purnima is a popular festival enjoyed by all the sections of the society and continues from eight days straight days starting from the eighth day of the waxing day and ending on the full moon day. It’s celebrated as a victory of good over evil and uses significant amounts of different colors especially the vermillion.

This festival occurs generally in late February or in the beginning of March and is known by this name in the Bihar region of India and even in the Nepal. People in Bihar also call this festival ‘Phagwa’ according to the local Bhojpuri dialect.

The Legend
A religious text named Padma Purane Krishna Bachanam says that whoever erects a Chir (a bamboo pole decorated with strips of cloth) on the eighth day of the month of Phagunand and will keep worshipping it right till the day of Purnima with scented Vermillion and take the name of Lord Krishna will make Lord Krishna happy and he will bless the worshipper.

Another legend talks about how demon king Hirankyakashyap tried to kill his own son Prahlad with the help of this sister Holika. Holika was immune to fire so she took Prahlad in her lap and entered a blazing furnace. But an ardent devotee of Lord Krishna, Prahlad came out untouched while Holika burnt to death. This signifies the victory of good over evil.

Celebrations
On this day, Chir is erected at the Hanuman Dhoka Durbar Square in Kathmandu and sacred vermillion powder is thrown on the pole. People also play with colors and spray each other using pistons and water balloons. People both young and old are drenched in colors and groups of people are seen singing and dancing while throwing colors on each other.

On the eve of Phagu, Holika tree is generally burnt and traditional folk dances are performed around the fire. In the evening of Phagu day, children play with dry colors and seek blessings from elders. Phagu is a major festival for the people of the Terai region who go for fishing a day before Phagu Purnima and on the day of the festival itself, families come together and daughters and son in laws are invited for elaborate food and drink affair.

Fish is one of the most important food items that are consumed during this festival. Other special dishes prepared on this day include Mal Pua which is a dessert made from flour, milk, sugar and dry fruits. Dishes prepared using Jackfruit is also popular.

This celebration of Holi, the Hindu festival of colors, is more of a local celebration. In Uttar Pradesh, Lath Mar Holi is played few days before the day of Holi in the towns of religious importance, Nandgaon and Barsana, which are located near Mathura.

Thousands and thousands of Hindus from all over India gather here to be a part of the celebration and witness the exotic and grand act of Holi.

This Holi includes special customs and traditions and is celebrated only in few places.

The celebration
According to the legend, on this particular day notorious Lord Krishna had gone to his lover, Radha’s village and teased her and her playmates in a playful manner. The women of Barsana took offence at Lord Krishna’s pranks and chased him back to his own village, Nandgaon.

This playful tradition is kept alive even today as all the men of Nandgaon goes to Barsana all together every year only to be welcomed by women carrying sticks or lathis in order to beat them playfully for their mischief. In the act, the women of Barsana throw the sticks at the male visitors who try to protect themselves as much as possible.

If they fail to protect themselves and flee back to their village and in turn get captured by the women of Barsana, those poor men are forced to dress up in female costumes and are made to dance in front of everyone as punishment. The Radha Rani temple dedicated to Radha is located in Barsana and is the only Radha temple in entire India. Every year on this day people from all over the country gather to be a part of the celebration and witness the act in which women beat up men with sticks in a playful manner replicating the scene in which Lord Krishna was chased away for teasing Radha.

The songs narrating undying love between Radha and Krishna and Lord Krishna’s mischief are sung along with it. On the very first day of the festival all the shepherds of Nandgaon go to the neighboring village of Barsana to play with the shepherdesses there and it begins at the famous Radha Rani temple. On the next day the shepherds of Barsana go to Nandgaon to play Holi with the shepherdesses living there. Following the rule of tit for tat the Barsana men invade the village of Nandgaon only to smear the women of Nandgaon in the exotic colors of palash and kesudo.

On this day it is the turn of the Nandgaon women to beat up the Barsana men for drenching them in colors. The men are seen to sing songs having provocative lyrics only to tease the women and attract their attention. In between the act the onlookers and the participants cool themselves down by drinking a special traditional drink thandai and drinking another drink made up with cannabis called bhang, which has an intoxicating effect and thus heightens the playful mood.

On this day all the people, forgetting all their differences, come together to be a part of the celebration and merrymaking and hence thus this festival strengthens bonds. The preparation of this festival starts months before its arrival and the women of Barsana are the ones who are the most excited. The mother-in-laws are seen to take special care of their daughter-in-laws and feed them healthy food so that they can prove their strength on the special day and can out do the men from Nandgaon. The Lath Mar Festival also empowers women and sends a message of equality. It is filled with fun, frolic and excitement.

Holi is considered to be the second biggest festival in India and is celebrated by one and all. It’s known by different names in different parts of the country.

Its numerous names all over the country very clearly establish the truth about its immense popularity. One such name is Dhulandi which is native to the state of Haryana. Over here, Holi is celebrated with much pomp and splendor.

It’s the second day or rather the main day of the 2 day festival of Holi which is also known as Rangwali Holi in other parts of India.

Customs And Celebrations
This day boasts of a lot of fun rituals and customs and is especially dedicated to the ‘Bhabhis’ and ‘Devars’. Bhabhis are the wives of the elder brothers of the family while the Devars are the younger brothers of the family.

On this day, the Bhabhis get an upper hand while the Devars have to be on the lookout for their Bhabhis. This day is characterized by full proof permission from the society for the Bhabhis to punish their Devars. Devar – Bhabhi relationship is always known to be a fun, teasing, filled with pranks bond amongst all other bonds in the family. There’s always a cat – mouse race seen between them on who can outdo the other in pranks.

On this day, the Bhabhis are entitled to make their Devars pay back for all the mischievous and naughty pranks that were played on them throughout the year. On this day, they want to make them pay for all their troubles including an interest. Paying back may not be in the monetary sense of the term but nonetheless, the Devars don’t get forgiveness so easily. The Bhabhis of the house roll up their sarees in the shape of a rope and take their Devars on a good long run.

Possessing a mock anger, they decide to trouble their Devars for once to their hearts content on this day. The evening traditions of the day comprise of the Devars bringing in sweets and gifts for their Bhabhis in an attempt to seek forgiveness. If pleased by their actions, Bhabhis forgive their Devars and the festival day has a happy ending. Other famous traditions of the day include breaking of a pot of buttermilk which has been hung high on the streets.

It’s done so by forming a human pyramid similar to the one done during Janmashtami. Also, as it’s the second or main day of Holi, its celebrations include people playing with wet and dry colors. Dry powdered colors known as ‘gulaal’ are smeared on each other’s faces while some prefer to drench other people by spraying water and wet colors. Water balloons and pichkaris are common tools used on this day and men and women, child and adults get together to enjoy this day of fun and celebrations.

• The festival of Rang Panchami is celebrated and observed five days after the Hindu festival of color, Holi.



• It is celebrated on the 5^th day of Phalgun, which is one of the months in the Hindu lunar calendar, by smearing fragrant and colored powder called gulals and splashing colored water from water jets at each other.

• It is believed that the blazing fire which is set up on Holi causes the raja-tama particles to decompose into the atmosphere and this in turn awakens the Gods and the Goddesses in form of various colors.

• This belief if celebrated by following the tradition of throwing the colored powders in the air.

• This festival symbolizes the victory or the win over raja-tama and is celebrated with various exotic colors on Falgun Vadya Panchami.
• Rang Panchami mainly involves summoning and invoking the Deities which forms a part of the process of worship of the forms of Gods that are recognizable and perceptible.

• The main purpose and essence of it is to arouse five elements of bright manifest colors and to feel the presence and touch the Gods and Goddesses who are activated and summoned by those particular colors.

• This festival is celebrated to worship and show respect to the Deities in their savior form.
• The word Rang mean color and the word Panchami refer to the fifth day. As the name suggests, it takes place on the fifth day of the lunar month of Chet.
• The festival of colors, Holi, is observed and played on the very first day of that particular month and is also observed in many villages across India. However in the small towns the main festival is celebrated on Panchami.
• A procession is carried out on this day through every streets of the town. The procession is led by a huge water tank having pressure jet set up high on it, a camel and two cannons.
• This procession goes around the entire town splashing colored water at everyone on the streets and thus spreading the joy of this festival.
• It is customary to drink the traditional edible cannabis preparation called Bhaang to arouse the mood merriment and celebration and enjoy it to the fullest.
• In the Indian state of Maharashtra, the locals recognize this festival of colors by the name of Rang Panchami since the celebration with colors and water jets are done on the fifth day instead of the first day of the month.
• The local people of Maharashtra also call Holi by the name Shimgo or Shimga and it is popular mainly among the fishermen of Maharashtra. On this day all the fishermen come together to celebrate this festival by singing and dancing in their own traditional ways.
• This festival is mainly observed in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and in some places of North India where people play with colors on the fifth day of the lunar month of Phalgun rather on the first day when the rest of the country celebrates the festival of Holi.
• Rang Panchami is just like Holi and is associated with it but is not as popular as Holi as its celebration is limited to only few states.

Basant Utsav is how Holi is known in the state of West Bengal and particularly in Shantiniketan. This was the place where poet and Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore had set up his university, Vishwabharati and started off the tradition of celebrating this festival.

Basant Utsav literally means the celebration of spring and is unique in its own way. Compared to the loud and chaotic Holi celebrations in the rest of the country, Basant Utsav is celebrated in a more calm and peaceful manner. It is filled with grace and dignity and is a beautiful way of welcoming spring.

Customs And Celebrations
In Shantiniketan, this day is one to be remembered. People celebrate it with immense mirth and energy accompanied by dance and music. Young boys and girls are dressed up in saffron or yellow colored clothes as saffron or yellow is the color of the spring.

They welcome this season which is symbolic of fresh starts and new hopes in a very elegant and joyous manner.  They perform to songs and music that describes the essence of spring. Along with that many interesting hymns are chanted which adds to the serene and quiet atmosphere of Shantiniketan. And not to be forgotten, colors or powdered dry ‘gulaals’ are thrown up into the air to celebrate this festival of color.

It’s smeared on near and dear ones and everybody gets united in a single bond of happiness and love. The main event of the day is the cultural fest which is organized by the students of the Vishwabharati University. This fest witnesses some amazing and excellent works of art and culture. The students are very talented and put together some remarkable performances for the audience. They sing melodious songs as well as dance to happy tunes engulfing the audience in pleasures and enjoyment.

In the later hours of the day, the students and teachers of this university apply colors on each other so as to portray love and respect for each other. This powdered and dry form of colors is popularly known as ‘Abir’ and is extensively found in the air and atmosphere on this day. All the students take part in the merriment and enjoy smearing each other with colors. This paints the entire premises of the university colorful and it’s indeed a beautiful sight.

All the visitors are given a hearty welcome on this day and are readily accepted to take part in the Holi celebrations. Thus, the whole day is bathed in colors of joy and merriment which is remembered for months to come. These celebrations are a major reason behind the popularity of Basant Utsav in Bolpur, Santiniketan. Over the years, Basant Utsav has been love and enjoyed by people all over the country and now on this occasion every year, tourists flock to Shantiniketan not only from the rest of West Bengal but from also the different parts of the country.

Holi is the ever popular festival of color celebrated widely in India and Nepal. It also signifies the end of winter season and onset of the spring.

It is also associated with the victory of good over evil and takes place on the full moon day of the month of Falgun. This festival is celebrated over a span of two days with the first day known as Chhoti Holi with a following Rangwali Holi.

Holi is celebrated on a widespread scale over all the states of India where it’s known by different names respectively. Each of the regional names also has some significance and legends behind them which makes it all the more interesting.

The Gods and Goddesses that are worshipped on the days of Holi also differ in the various different states of the country.

But in spite of such distinctions, Holi is a festival that unites the whole population of the country in bonds of love and brotherhood.

Different Regional Names Of Holi

• Lathmar Holi – Barsana Village, Uttar Pradesh:

The Barsana Region of India comprises of Mathura, Vrindavan, Nandgaon and Barsana which boasts of being the originating point of this festival of color. Here, as per the unique traditions, women chase the men with ‘lathis’ in a playful mood.

• Dulandi Holi – Haryana:

On this day, the ‘Bhabhis’ i.e. the wives of the brothers are considered to be the most important women of the house while the ‘Devars’ i.e. their husbands younger brothers have to stay on the lookout for them. On this auspicious day, the Bhabhi’s get permission from the society to beat up their Devars in return of all the pranks that have been played on them.

• Rang Panchami – Maharashtra And Madhya Pradesh:

This fun celebration takes place on the 5^th day after Holika Dahan and symbolizes the victory over Raja Tama. On this day, ‘Gulaals’ or powdered forms of color are splashed up into the air or smeared on each other’s faces.

• Basant Utsav And Dol Purnima – West Bengal:

Basant Utsav is an occasion to welcome the spring or ‘Basant’ season and is greatly celebrated in Shantiniketan. All men and women dress up in saffron colored and dance and sing on this day. On Dol Jatra or Dol Purnima however, the celebrations are a bit different. On this day, the idols of Radha and Krishna are worshipped and taken out on street processions. Also, people have fun by splashing each other with colors and water.

• Hola Mohalla – Punjab:

Also called by the name Warrior Holi, this festival is particularly observed by the ‘Nihang’ sect of Sikhs. This occasion generally occurs on the day prior to Holi and consists of celebratory activities like martial arts performances and singing of warrior songs.

• Shigmo – Goa:

This is an extravagant and splendid spring celebration that annually takes place in Goa. This event is a major tourist attraction and includes traditional folk dance performances. There are processions and parades which has farmers taking part in folk and street dances.

• Kaman Pandigai – Tamil Nadu:

On this day, people of Tamil Nadu worship Kaamadeva for his ultimate sacrificial death on the day of Holi. This festival and its traditions have its roots in an age old legend. Songs of sorrow and pain are sung on this day as well as sandalwood is popularly offered to Kaamadeva.

• Phagu Purnima – Bihar:

This festival is popularly known as ‘Phaguwa’ according to the local Bhojpuri dialect. It’s a tradition to light up the Holika Pyre before the Holi celebrations commence. The celebrations include spraying each other with water and smearing with powdered colors while dancing and singing to popular Holi tunes. Intake of the popular Holi beverage “bhang” is also a custom on this day.

In Hinduism, Kaamadeva is considered to be the God of desire and love. He is Goddess Sri’s son and Pradyumna, the son of Lord Krishna is considered to be the incarnation of Kaamadeva.

The legend of Kaamadeva also has significance behind the celebration of the festival of color, Holi which is one of the main festivals celebrated all over India.

The legend

• As the famous legend has it, Sati, the wife of Lord Shiva, had jumped into the blazing fire when her father, King Daksha, had disgraced and belittled her husband in front of everyone.
• On death of his beloved wide, Lord Shiva was devastated. He had given up on all his worldly responsibilities and duties and had started meditating.
• Meanwhile, the daughter of the Himalaya had fallen for Lord Shiva’s devotion and wanted to make him her husband.
• However after losing his wife, Lord Shiva had lost all his interest in the worldly relations and affairs and other complications of the world.
• This made all the other Gods afraid and they were extremely concerned about the consequences.
• Not being able to find any solution to this problem, all the other Gods had seeked Kaamadeva’s help to bring Shiva back to his own self.
• Kaamadeva, the God of love, desire and passion, knew that if he ruined Lord Shiva’s meditation, he would have to face the consequences.
• However for the betterment of the entire world and to put an end to all the complications that were arising, Kaamadeva had accepted to carry out his task.
• According to the plan, while Lord Shiva was meditating, Kaamadeva had shot his arrow of love at him. As his meditation was broken midway, Lord Shiva had become extremely furious and in order to punish Kaamadeva, he had turned him into ashes.
• Even though Kaamadeva had to meet his end in the process, his arrow had the desired effect on Shiva and he married Parvati.
• After sometime, Rati, the wife of Kaamadeva begged Lord Shiva to being her husband back to life and told him that it was a joint plan made by all the Gods.
• Shiva himself being the incarnation of love accepted her request and brought Kaamadeva back to like. Thus this legend ended on a happy note for everyone.

The celebrations

• It is believed that Kaamadeva was reduced to ashes on the day of Holi.
• The South Indian states thus worship Kaamadeva on the day of Holi for his selfless sacrifice and for saving the world from various perils and complications.
• Kaamadeva is generally portrayed with his bow made out of sugarcane having a line of buzzing honey bees in place of the usual string and the arrows are topped with love and desire which pierces into the human hearts and awakens passion.
• While worshipping him, people offer mango blossoms to please him and paste of sandalwood to ease to burnt areas and soothe him.
• Songs depicting his wife’s acute misery on losing her husband are also sung by the people on this day.
• However in Tamil Nadu, the festival of Holi is also called Kamavilas, Kama-dahanam and Kaman Pandigai which represents the legend of Kaamadeva.

Holi, the festival of color is one of the main festivals celebrated all over India. There are various ancient legends behind the celebration of this festival.

Each of these legends has its own significance and the customs which have propped up from those legends are still carried out by the people as an effort to maintain the age old traditions.

Among the few famous legends are the legend of Radha and Krishna, the legend of Holika and Prahlad and the legend of Kaamadeva.

The legend of Dhundhi is yet another story about the evil ogress and how she was driven out of the kingdom by little boys.

About the legend
According to this famous legend, there was once a vicious ogress named Dhundhi who lived within the kingdom of King Raghu, also known as King Prithu. The evil monster used to devour children especially little boys in that kingdom and also troubled them to a great extent.

Everyone was terrified of this ogress but did not know how to drive her away. Moreover due to her staunch devotion towards Gods and Goddesses, she had received various blessing from them which made her all the stronger. Highly satisfied with her devotion, Lord Shiva had blesses her that she could never be killed by any God or human and neither could any human weapon or any form of adversities could harm her in any way. This boon made her almost indestructible and invincible.

However, Lord Shiva had also cursed her that only young boys who would not be afraid of her but mock and taunt her instead would be a great danger for her. The troubled king highly fed up of the Ogress’s evil doings went to the priest to find a solution to this problem and protect his kingdom. The priest told that on 15 Phalguna when the winter comes to an end and the season of summer begins, if all the boys of that kingdom would come out of their houses with sticks in their hands and gather at a place, if they would put up a heap of grass and woods and set it on fire along with chanting mantras, continuous laughter and by making extreme noise, it would drive the ogress away.

It is believed that on the day of Holi, all the young boys gathered courage and came out of their houses with the only objective of getting rid of that ogress and their fear along with her. They drank an intoxicating drink called bhaang and chased Dhundhi. They shouted, hurled insults at her, taunted her, used obscene words, made extreme noise, laughed hysterically, and did all these till the ogress was terrified and was forced to leave the kingdom of King Raghu. This is the sole reason why younger boys are allowed to get intoxicated on bhaang, use rude words and even act in a rowdy manner on the day of Holi without being stopped by the adults.