Hindu auspicious & festive Days 2019-2020

Om Ganapathy!   As many know, Hinduism is just full of so many events, fasting days, auspicious dates..  They fall on astrologically significant days and are calculated using Hindu ephemeris. I’ll update this to give exact dates for last quarter of 2019 and 2020, as I learn of the actual dates.

29th Sept 2019  – Navarathri begins . Nine nights of the Goddess festival/ rituals for Durga, Luxmi & Saraswathy. (see below for blog)

8th  October 2019- Vijayathasami (vijayadhasami) – the 10th day after Navarathri festivals is celebrated as a day of victory and special day (also said to be when Lord Raman returned to his kingdom, with his wife Sita and brother Lakshman, after having been exiled in the forest for 14 years).  see below for blog

28th October 2019- Deevali / Diwali  (Deepavali – Tamil for path of light) – major Hindu festival of light.

28th October’ 19 – Kanthashashti fasting (viratham) begins – sacred time of worship for Murugan, god of war (brother of God Ganesh)

2nd November;19 – *Sooran Por (demon war) – Murugan defeats the Demon.  (exact date tbc) see below for blog/ video

3rd November’19 – Kanthashashti (skanthashashti) – final day of the sacred rituals for Murugan.   – Thurukalyanam- wedding of Murugan)

November- Karthikai Villakeedu – Day of light for all hearth & homes. Homes are decorated with many small lamps on doorways, entrances.

December – *Vinayagar Sashti

2020 (dates TBC)————–

14th January –  Thai Pongal   – New Year. Hindu Calendar begins.  First month is called `Thai’ (in Tamil).  Hence this is the date of 1st day of month of Thai. This day is generally celebrated by worship of the Sun. The following day is called `Mattu Pongal’ (Tamil word Madu means Cow.. ) it is when farmers honour farm animals, and also at this time they return to their fields and begin a new cycle of growing crops..

February – Thai Poosam – Major religious festival for the warrior God Murugan.  This is the day when his mother Parvathy gives Murugan the sacred spear, with which he later defeats demons.

 February – Shiva Rathri – Sacred night of God Shiva.  It is when he takes on the form of an infinite flame..which the other Gods Vishnu and Bramha tried to explore and failed. (See full blog on this below).

 March- Lord Raman’s sacred time begins.  Ramayanm (Hindu epic) reading in temples begin.

 March – Rama Navami – Birthday of Lord Raman, an incarnation of God Vishnu.   Blog post coming soon on Raman.  For Blog post on Incarnations of Vishnu, see link below.

April – Hanuman Jayanthi – special day for honouring Hanuman, the monkey Lord.  See blog post below.

14th April – Tamil New Year (beginning of the Spring month)

July- Kodi etram at Ealing Durga temple (hoisting of flag- annual event)

 July- Kodi etram at Wimbledon Ganapthy temple (hoisting of flag- annual event

August – Wimbledon Ganapathy Ther festival (Chariot through streets)

August – Ealing Durga Temple- Chariot Festiva

August – Varaluxmi Pooja – sacred day for worshipping of Luxmi (Lakshmi) Goddess of Love & wealth (equivalent of Venus). She was born of the churning of the seas, and God Vishnu marries her.

 September– Vinayagar Sathurthi /Chaturthi – Birthday of God Ganapathy / Ganesh celebrated .( It falls on the fourth day after new moon in the Hindu month of Bhadrapada). .The festival begins with the installation of huge elaborately crafted statutes of Ganesha in homes and podiums, which have been especially constructed and beautifully decorated.  It’s forbidden to look at the moon on this first night as legend had it the moon laughed at Lord Ganesha when he fell from his vehicle, the rat. On Ananta Chaturdasi (the last day), the statues are paraded through the streets, accompanied by much singing and dancing, and then immersed in the ocean or other bodies of water. (see below for blog)