Story behind the festival

I n India, if you ask children what is the festival which they like the most, many of them will answer that Diwali is their favourite one because they burn crackers which is their most favourite part about this festival. Diwali, also known as “Festival of lights” usually falls in the month of October. On this day, most of the people do Laxmi pooja and pray for wealth and prosperity. They distribute sweets among themselves on this beautiful occasion and they believe that burning crackers kills harmful insects. On Diwali, people burn the idol of the demon “Naraka Asura” and celebrate the festival with great warmth. There are several stories associated with this festival but the most popular ones are shown below. Demon Narakasura’s death: There once took place the birth of a baby boy who was the son of Earth goddess and Varaha, one of the incarnations of Lord Vishnu. His mother noticed that the boy clearly showed demonic qualities and thought that his death would be in the hand...

Dussehra is one of the major festivals celebrated by many religions in India which usually falls in the month of October. Dussehra is also known as ‘Vijaya Dasami’ which indicates the celebration of victory over evil. Story of Dussehra: In ancient times, there lived a demon called ‘Mahishasurudu’. Mahishu means buffalo. As he was in the form of a buffalo, he got that name. He was one of the strongest among all demons. He had a firing desire to triumph all the three worlds (Trilokya). So, he went on to do yoga vigorously for Brahma without considering scorching sun, rain, coldness, hunger. Finally, after many years of yoga, Lord Brahma had to appear before him and asked him what he desired for to which Mahishasura wished that he should be killed by no man thinking that women would do no harm to him. Brahma granted his wish and disappeared. From then onwards, Mahishasura went to the three worlds and started torturing the people. He made all the people suffer. Though the triods i.e.,...

In India, Holi is a festival which is liked by everyone regardless of everything. Primarily, it was celebrated by Hindus but gradually it became popular among non-Hindu communities as well. Holi is a festival of colors which is also known as ‘Rang Panchami’. From children to adults, everyone likes to play with colors on this day. It marks the beginning of spring season. We observe this festival usually in the month of March. The day we set bonfire before Holi is known as ‘Chota Holi’ or ‘Small Holi’ and we smear colors on each other the next day which is said to be the ‘Big Holi’. But why do we celebrate Holi? Want to know the story behind it? Well, read on to find out. Story behind Holi: There once was a king named Hiranyaksahyapu who was a king of demonic Asuras. After a vigorous thap , he was granted a boon by Lord Brahma that no man or animal could kill him. This made him so arrogant that he made an announcement by his messengers that everyone should treat him as god and wo...