Tag: celebrations

Categories
Festivals

Know About the Festival of Kites, Makar Sankranti in Lake City

himadri pachori

In India, it is rightly said, there are Saat Din Aur Nau Tauhar (seven days and nine festivals). Udaipur, a happening place, is no exception. Makar Sankranti (Also known as Uttarayan) is a big festival in Lake City. According to astrologists, while rotating the sun enters different ‘rashis’ on Makar Sankranti, it leaves Dhanu Rashi and enters Makar Rashi. That is why it is called Makar Sankranti. The winter begins to become less severe. There are other reasons for this celebration.

himadri pachori
Photo by: himadri pachori

It is believed that on this day Lord Vishnu killed all the demons and the battle between the gods and demons ended. During Mahabharat, Bhishma Pitamah decided to leave his body. This was the day on which river Ganga came down on the earth. The new harvest is offered to the gods. Lord Surya himself went to his son Shani’s house. There is a tension between the two. To escape the ill effects we are advised to bathe in holy waters, perform religious rites give alms.

It is interesting to learn that while rotating on its axis, the earth lags behind every year so Makar Sankranti is shifted by one day in 80 years. According to an encyclopedia, it used to come on Christmas day 1700 years ago. It fell on 12th January when Vivekanand was born, during Akbar’s reign it came on 10th January.

People visit their relatives and friends and share special dishes such as porridge made with the new crop of grain and milk. The mood is one of merriment. Cattle are fed with green grass as part of charity and alms are given to beggars who gather in large numbers not only outside temples but also move around in different localities of the city.

The temples and the town are thronged with devotees after an early bath in water bodies like Pichola, they go to temples with offerings. In Jagdish Mandir, there is ‘Panchamrit Snan’ in the morning. The idol is dressed in velvet clothes. The Lord is offered ‘Kichdi’, ‘Halwa’, ‘Kesaria Bhat’, etc. Bhajans are sung. In Srinathji Ki Haveli, the idol is clad in gorgeous attire. The Lord is offered a bull and play items. Recipes made with ‘til’ are offered to the Lord in Asthal Mandir.

In streets and open places, children and even some elderly are seen playing ‘Satolia’ and ‘Mardari’. But these traditional games are being gradually replaced by cricket.

Kite flying in Udaipur used to be limited to Nirmala Ekadashi, but now it has become very popular also on Makar Sankranti. Maybe it is so due to the influence of a large number of Gujaratis who have settled in Lake City. Due to this craze over 15,000 kites are procured every year. The kites liked most by children are those of Motu Patlu, Spiderman, Tom and Jerry, Mickey Mouse, Chhota Bheem, Pogo, and Bahubali. Also popular are kites of film stars such as Deepika Padukone, Anushka Sharma, and Salman Khan. So also those of political leaders like Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi. For those who do not like plastic kites, the ones made with cloth are also on offer.

Makar Sankranti that has become a big festival is celebrated with great enthusiasm in Lake City.

Categories
Photos

[Pictures] Christmas Celebrations in Udaipur

Old Lady Fatima Church

Old Lady Fatima Church

Christian community in India celebrates Christmas with pomp, gaiety and devotion. This festival is celebrate evening of Christmas on 24th Dec and continue till New Year’s Day. All Christians across the country mark the birth of Lord Jesus Christ in Christmas day by participate in special masses organized in churches. Celebration of Christmas is marked by carols, cakes, candles, bells and the decoration of Christmas tree. Ladies start preparations for the traditional Christmas cake which is anxiously awaited not just by the entire family but also by the neighbors.  This festival has assumed secular overtones and evening joyfully celebrated by people of all religions and community. Christmas day called “Bada Din” (Big Day) in Hindi and Christmas is a national holyday in India. People from all religions join their Christian friends to make the most of the joys celebration. Christmas in India may not be as widespread affair as in some western country but in India, this festival is celebrated by the Christian community across the country with great zeal and gaiety. People staying in different cities for job or higher studies rush back to their homes to celebrate Christmas with their near and dear ones.

Old Lady Fatima Church

Customs of Christmas celebration vary in the vast expansion of India, this varies largely because of local culture of influence. Generally, on the day of Christmas, people of Christmas fraternity gather in church for worship. Here, they attend Church services and sing carols. There is also the concept of Midnight in India. In fact, it is a very important service and holds great religious significance amongst the Christians of the country. On the night of 24th December, all the Christian families attend the Midnight mass at the local churches. The Churches in India are also decorated with the Poinsettia flowers. In South India, for instance, Christians light clay lamps on the rooftop and walls of their houses, the same way as Hindus decorate during the “Diwali” festival.  . Besides, in several states of India a popular custom is to decorate customs is to decorate customs banana or mango tree instead of traditional Pine tree. In northwest India, the tribal Christians of the Bhil tribe go out night after night for a week during Christmas to sing their equivalent of carols the whole night through. In Mumbai, which has one of the largest Roman Catholic communities in India, there is a tradition to depict nativity scenes and decorate home with big stars.

Udaipur celebrated the year with lots of joy and happiness. The celebrations though started long before the Christmas day itself. There was an Inter-Church Caroling too, held in the Pentecostal Church (situated at Rani Road) this year, on Dec 23.

Father Kulranjan Nicholas, Parish Priest, The Our Lady of Fatima Cathedral (popularly known as St. Paul’s church) said that the highlight would be the Vigil Mass on Dec 24 from 11pm to 2am, where Bishop Joseph Pathalil would be the main celebrant of the Mass, assisted by more than 10 priests. “It will be in Hindi and after the Mass, we will have refreshments as the clergy and parishioners to greet each other a blessed Christmas. It is a time for family get-togethers, praying together. There will also be cultural programmes” Fr. Ranjan said. He trusted the dedicated team of people in charge of the project will come up with a remarkable and outstanding display of the Nativity Scene. This week, Fr Ranjan (and his assistant priests) has/have also been going around this week giving sacraments to the sick and the bedridden. Fr Ranjan added that a blood donation campaign is also being planned tentatively to be held on Dec 29 in the church premises. Check out the pictures below to see the Christmas celebrations in Udaipur

In the end, Team UdaipurBlog wishes all its readers a very happy Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year. 🙂

Guest Author: Aniket John

Photo courtesy: Aniket John and Mujtaba RG

Special Thanks: Father Kulranjan Nicholas

SHEPHERD MEMORIAL CHURCH
Shepherd Memorial
Old Lady Fatima Church
Our Lady of Fatima Cathedral

Old Lady Fatima Church

Old Lady Fatima Church

Old Lady Fatima Church

Old Lady Fatima Church

Old Lady Fatima Church

Old Lady Fatima Church

Old Lady Fatima Church

SHEPHERD MEMORIAL CHURCH

SHEPHERD MEMORIAL CHURCH

SHEPHERD MEMORIAL CHURCH

SHEPHERD MEMORIAL CHURCH

 

Father Kul
Father Kulranjan Nicholas
Aniket
Aniket, our Guest Author for the day
Categories
Festivals

Feminine Era: Celebrating the Women’s day

International Women’s Day celebrated each year on March 8 remains as a vibrant day in the women’s calendar. In the words of Late Pt Jawaharlal Nehru: “You can’t tell the condition of a nation by looking at the status of its women“.

As we will be celebrating women’s day on 8th March, I feel that it is my duty to express my gratitude to all women in my life, as a mother, sister, friend, and peer to all known and unknown women.

International Women’s Day (8 March) is an occasion marked by women’s groups around the world. This date is also commemorated at the United Nations and is designated in many countries as a national holiday. When women on all continents, often divided by national boundaries and by ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic and political differences, come together to celebrate their Day.

International Women’s Day is the story of ordinary women as makers of history; it is rooted in the centuries-old struggle of women to participate in society on an equal footing with men. In ancient Greece, Lysistrata initiated a sexual strike against men in order to end war; during the French Revolution, Parisian women calling for “liberty, equality, and fraternity” marched on Versailles to demand women’s suffrage.

The idea of an International Women’s Day first arose at the turn of 20th century, which in the industrialized world was a period of expansion and turbulence, booming population growth and radical ideologies.

International Women’s Day is the story of ordinary women as makers of history; it is rooted in the centuries-old struggle of women to participate in society on an equal footing with men. In ancient Greece, Lysistrata initiated a sexual strike against men in order to end war; during the French Revolution, Parisian women calling for “liberty, equality, and fraternity” marched on Versailles to demand women’s suffrage.

The idea of an International Women’s Day first arose at the turn of 20th century, which in the industrialized world was a period of expansion and turbulence, booming population growth and radical ideologies.

Forbes magazine has made a list of the 100 most powerful women in the world. Magazine looked for women who run countries, big firms or influential nonprofits organization for compiling the list. Their rankings are a combination of two scores: visibility in press and media and the size of the organization or country these women lead.

Top ten ladies selected for year 2010 are

1. Michelle Obama (First Lady Michelle Obama,U.S.)

'Operation Gratitude' at Rfk Stadium in Washington, D.C., America - 19 Jan 2009

2. Irene Rosenfeld (Chief Executive, Kraft Foods)

3. Oprah Winfrey (Talk show host and media mogul)

oprah

4. Angela Merkel (Chancellor, Germany)

5. Hillary Rodham Clinton (Secretary of State, U.S.)

6. Indra Nooyi (Chief Executive, Pepsico, India)

7. Lady Gaga (Singer and performance artist)

8. Gail Kelly (Chief Executive, Westpac)

9. Beyoncé Knowles (Singer and fashion designer)

10. Ellen DeGeneres (Talk show host)

The list of dedicated dynamic women personalities of Udaipur are

  • Ms.Girija vyas( Chairperson of National Women Commission)

  • Rajni Dangi (Sabhapati of Muncipal corporation)

  • Mrs.Padmaja Kumari (Jt. Managing Director, HRH Group of Hotels)

  • Mrs. Anshu Kothari (Secretary General of Udaipur Chambers Of Commerce and Indust)

  • Mrs.Shradha Gattani( Managing Director, Oriental Palace Resorts)

  • Dr. Sweety Chhabra(Managing Director, NICC)

  • Mrs. Alka Sharma (Founder, Central Public School (CPS)),

  • Mrs.Meera Ranawat (Chairperson of Techno India NJR Inst. of Technology)
  • DR. Sudha Kothari (Gynecologist)

and many more like them working in their respective field with hats off confidence and grace.

Women are often not thanked or shown gratitude. I doubt if a man can ever do what a woman does and manage both the career and family with the patience and zeal of a woman. A man too takes care of both but there are many aspects that a woman is capable of doing but a man is not. It’s not to put down the men, but we have all witnessed this at our place and elsewhere, so I take the liberty in saying these powerful statements.

Honouring Gratitude from Team UdaipurBlog to all Women across the globe.

You May Also Check : It’s our day – It’s Women’s Day

– By Chetna Purohit

——————————————————————————————————————————————–

About the author – Chetna Purohit is a young Udaipurite pursuing her Engineering in Computer Science (2nd Year).