Significance and History

Guru Nanak Jayanti is celebrated every year to mark the birthday of the first guru and founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak.  It is celebrated on the full moon day in the holy month of Kartik, usually falling in November. Arguably one of the most important days for the Sikh community, Gurpurab is a festival that is celebrated over three days. The name comes from “Gur” meaning Guru or master and “Purab” meaning day in Hindi and it is a day dedicated to the Guru. While this is celebrated for the other Sikh gurus as well, this one is celebrated on a larger scale as Guru Nanak introduced Sikhism. This year the festival falls on November 30. The mention of Gurpurab appears five times in the writings of Bhai Gurdas, written in the time of the fifth guru of the Sikhs, Guru Arjan Dev Ji. The cornerstone of the festival includes the reading of the Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book of the Sikhs.

Spiritual Sojourn

The three-day festivities start two days before the actual birthday when Akhand Path is performed in the Gurdwaras. This involves reading the Guru Grath Sahib continually without a break for 48 hours and devotees take turns to read so that there is no interruption. One day before the birthday, a procession is organized where a palanquin carrying the Guru Granth Sahib is carried by the five beloved ones or panj pyaras holding Sikh flags who are believed to be the people who have shaped the religion. This is called Nagar kirtan. The five people are followed by devotees who sing hymns  while brass bands play various tunes. The ‘Gatka’ or martial art teams show their skills in swordsmanship, and the percussionists sing the chorus. This procession usually traverses through the main streets of the town which are covered with colourful decorations. The main intent of the procession is to spread the message of Guru Nanka’s teachings to a larger community. 

The actual day of Gurpurab begins early in the morning at about 4:00 am when the Asa-di-Var or morning hymns are sung. This is followed by hymns from the Sikh scriptures and Katha that involves reading from the holy scripture and lectures and recitation of poems in praise of the Guru. Karah Prasad, a dessert made with whole wheat flour is distributed to all visitors. The festival is also about food and a special Langar (community kitchen) is served on the day of Gurpurab. Food is served to all irrespective of their religion, creed or caste. The food is cooked in the Gurudwara’s community kitchen itself. Some Gurdwaras also have prayer sessions in the night and Rehras or the evening prayer is recited close to sunset. Kirtan is part of the festivities too which involves singing holy verses and this goes on till late in the night. 

A Kavi-darbar or poetic symposium is also held where poets pay their tributes to the Guru in their own verses. At about 1:20 a.m. which is the actual time of the birth of Guru Nanak is when the congregation starts singing Gurbani or the hymns from the Guru Granth Sahib and the celebrations typically end by 2:00 a.m. 

 Life Lessons

The festival is celebrated widely in Punjab and Haryana. The Golden Temple in Amritsar wears a festive look on Gurpurab being the center of the activities. Gurpurab is also a festival that reinforces the key message of Guru Nanak which laid emphasis that one must overcome five vices namely lust, greed, attachment, anger and pride. Instead the focus should be on selfless service to God. In fact, he preached the concept of naamsimran or constantly remembering God as the only way to liberation. The Sikhs also refer to Prakash Utsav, which means ‘birth of light’ as they believe that this is the day Guru Nanak brought enlightenment to the world. 

The Guru Granth Sahib is usually covered with a cloth on which flowers are placed and the Golden temple is lit up and decorated with flowers too. Again, the connection of flowers with the festivities is hard to miss on Gurpurab too. Guru Nanak always extolled the fact that there is only one God, and anyone can have direct access to God without the need for rituals or priests. Truer words have probably never been spoken.

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It is not an understatement to say that India is a land of festivals and given its diversity in terms of faith, culture and rituals, our country celebrates a wide variety of festivals.  Each festival has its own distinctive customs and based on where it is celebrated, festivals are nation wide or state specific.  Irrespective of the region, flowers are a significant aspect of every celebration.  They add colour, life and an element of vivaciousness to the festivities.  No celebration is complete without the mention of flowers and they form one of the most important components of festival preparation.  Local flower markets are abuzz with tremendous activity as a run up to important festivals.  There is frenzied bargaining and buying as flower rates typically spike a couple of days prior to the festival.  Flowers are not just required for the puja and rituals but for decoration too.   

Ganesh Chaturthi: arguably one of the most auspicious festivals of India, this one is dedicated to the Lord of Beginnings aka Lord Ganapati.  Flowers are a key aspect of the celebration and the Lord is worshipped with some of His favourite flowers which include the red hibiscus, marigold and crown flower (Calotropis gigantea).  In coastal Karnataka, the Mangalore jasmine which is a slender, sweet smelling native variety is considered highly auspicious as is the inflorescence of the areca nut palm.  These flowers are especially sourced for the festival and offered to the God.  Twenty-one is considered a sacred number and 21 varieties of flowers and leaves are used for the puja ritual.

Dussehra aka Navratri: celebrated with pomp and gaiety across the country, Dasara is a ten-day long festival dedicated to Goddess Durga.  Houses are decorated with marigolds, asters and dahlias and the Goddess is decked up in the choicest of flowers including roses and jasmine.  In West Bengal, pandals hosting the idol of Maa Durga are decorated in path breaking themes and exotic flowers like orchids, anthuriums and stargazer lilies are used.  The pandals are a picture of resplendent beauty and flowers form the soul of the decoration.  As part of this festival, tools, vehicles, shops and business establishments are decorated with flowers of all kinds and worshipped.  Jasmine, asters, sunflowers and marigolds are extensively used.  

Diwali aka Deepawali: a festival that is celebrated by millions across India and the world, Deepwali is arguably the most popular festival of our country.  A festival that celebrates the victory of good over evil and light over darkness, Deepawali is symbolic of hope, progress and prosperity and also an ode to Goddess Lakshmi who is the Goddess of wealth.  The festivities start with the deep cleaning of homes after which they are decked with flowers of many kinds.  Red is the colour associated with Goddess Lakshmi and therefore red roses, chrysanthemums and gerberas rule the roost.  These flowers bring in vibrancy, positive and refreshing vibes.  Front doors are decorated with rangoli which is embellished with flowers and diyas.  Flowers and flower petals are floated in large “urlis” filled with water with candles placed in between to give a stunning look.  

Onam: celebrated across Kerala, Onam is a 10-day harvest festival and the homecoming of King Mahabali.  One of the highlights of this festival is the Pookalam which is derived from the words “Poov” meaning flower and “Kalam” meaning kolam or rangoli.  This auspicious arrangement of flower petals in the form of a rangoli is also known as Athapookalam or Onapookalam. The pattern usually consists of ten round rings which signifies ten different deities.  Several flowers are used in the preparation of Pookalam and this includes Thumba or Ceylon Slitwort, Chethi or Flame Of The Woods, hibiscus, Sankhupushpam or Butterfly Pea, lantana and marigold.  Chethi or Flame Of The Woods is in fact known as the official Onam flower.  It is interesting to note that on the first day a single flower is used, the second day two colours are used, third day three colors and so on, until the Pookalam of the last day contains a magnificent ten colours.

Christmas: the festival that celebrates the birth of Lord Jesus is also intrinsically associated with flowers including roses and poinsettia.  Red is the colour of the festival and hence red roses, gladioli and gerberas are used to decorate homes and front doors.  Holly, ivy and mistletoe are other flowers used in Christmas celebrations.

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Significance & History

The ten-day long Navratri festival kicks off on 17th October and lasts until 26th October this year. ‘Dussehra’ comes from ‘dus’ (meaning ten) and ‘hara'(meaning annihilated) in Hindi. One of the longest festivals in the country, Navratri is all about food, fun and festivities. A festival that essentially symbolizes the victory of good over evil it has its origin from epic Ramayana. This festival has two important mythological references. The first is that this festival marks the victory of Rama over Ravana in the Ramayana and hence the celebrations including burning the effigies of Ravana, Kumbhkarana and Meghnatha. As per the Hindu Puranas, it is believed that Goddess Durga defeated and killed buffalo demon Mahishasura on the tenth day after her relentless fight over the nine days. Hence her victory is celebrated as Vijayadashmi. The festival is all about tradition, culture and mythology which makes it unique and like none other. Flowers add their colorful touch to the celebrations.

Celebrations Galore

Dussehra is a festival that is celebrated in all parts of India, with different rituals that add to its charm. In North India there is a theatre that plays called Ram Leela that happens in large open grounds that have a carnival-like atmosphere that culminates with the burning of Ravana’s effigy. In Tamil Nadu, Dussehra Goddess Lakshmi is worshipped in the first three days, Saraswati is worshipped for the next three days and the last three days are dedicated to praying to Goddess Durga.  Karnataka celebrates with a set of miniature statues and tableaux of dolls called Bombe Habba locally. 

Eastern India especially Kolkata celebrates goddess Durga by installing large idols of Goddess Durga in pandals across the city which are immersed on the last day. Western India especially Maharashtra is where the Shami tree is worshipped and its leaves are exchanged as a symbol of good luck. Legend has it that on this day the Pandavas retrieved their weapons from under a Shami tree after 12 years of being in exile.

Unique Traditions

With myriad interpretations of the festival, many parts of India have their own unique take on the festival. In Mysore, Dasara is celebrated as an ode to Goddess Chamundeshwari, the reigning deity of the city and patronized by the royal family. The warrior goddess is celebrated over the ten days with events like a special Durbar at the brilliantly illuminated Mysore palace and the famed Dasara procession called the Jumbo Savari. 

In Himachal Pradesh, Kullu Dussehra, witnesses over 200 local deities and demigods coming together to participate in Lord Raghunath’s rath yatra to Dhalpur Maidan. Started by Raja Jagat Singh in 1637, the Kullu Dussehra celebrations begin on Vijayadashami, the day when the festivities end in the rest of the country. In Hyderabad Bathukamma (meaning Mother Goddess, come alive) is practiced which is a floral festival. After worshipping Lord Ganesha, women dance around a flower arrangement made by placing seven concentric circles of wood on top of each other to resemble a temple gopuram. 

Chhattisgarh celebrates Bastar Dussehra, a 75-day festival as an ode to Devi Danteshwari, the presiding deity of Bastar. Started by Bastar King Purushottam Dev in Bade Dongar in the 13th century, this tribal festival includes worship of wood, posting of the pillars, urn installation, throne installation and more. Coorg has four temples dedicated to Goddess Mariamma and each place celebrates with their own version of a ritualistic folk dance dedicated to Draupadi called Karaga. 

Navratri Mahotsav in Ahmedabad and Gujarat is all about energetic garba dances and the Gujarati aarti dance. Kulasekarapattinam a small town on Tamil Nadu, celebrates the Kulasai festival around the Mutharamman Temple with music, dance and drama. The trance dance sees devotees in fancy costumes dance with fire bearing clay pots in their hands for hours into the night. Kota celebrates Dussehra with a fair that includes cultural performances, costume plays and fireworks that runs for 25 days and was started by Maharaj Durjanshal Singh Hada in 1723 AD. 

However, one thing that is common to all the myriad celebrations is flowers and each place ensures that no festivities are complete without decorating the Goddess with the same. This is how Dussehra binds the country and this year specifically there is much to look forward to as the festival season rings in.

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