Jammu and Kashmir - Art Culture Heritage - Festivals @ whatisindia.com

Lohri festival
The Lohri festival, marking the culmination of the cold season, is celebrated with zest every where. Children go from door to door to collect subscriptions for the community bonfires. When the fires are lit at night, the young and old gather round the flaming fires throwing parched grain, coins and other offerings into these with gusto. Gay dancing at the venues goes on for hours.

Tihar
Tihar is an interesting festival observed in Bhadarwah and Kishtwar in the months of Chaitra (March-April). Springs and baulis receive a spring-cleaning and this is followed on the next day by worship of nagas (serpents), to whom rice and floral offerings are made. Samkrant or the beginning of a month (in Bikrami era) is regarded as a sacred day by Hindus. Women bathe in rivers and observe a day's fast.

Navaratra
The New Year day falls on first Navaratra - the first day of the new moon in the month of Chaitra. In every Hindu home, it begins with an invocation to Lakshmi, the goddess of bounty. In every family, a young lady lays a large plate with paddy, sugar, curds, fruits, walnut, coins, a mirror, ink-holder and the New year scroll. Early in the morning she shows the plate to every inmate and thus seeks the blessings of the goddess for moral and material development of members of the family.

Navroz festival
The Navroz festival of the Shia Muslims comes a week after the New year day. They celebrate this nine-day festival with good eating and activities showing a spirit of gay abandon, in contrast to recitation of religious dirges that characterize most of their festivals.

Durga Ashtami
During the month of April they celebrate Durga Ashtami, followed by Ramnavami. It is the birthday of Lord Rama. For the Kashmiri pandits the day is also connected with goddess Durga, and they celebrate it with a feast of rice and meat viands, after the prayers.

Urs Festivals
The Urs (or Ziarats) is a typical Kashmiri festival. It is held annually at the shrines of Muslim saints on their death anniversaries. There is a saying " It snows when the Urs of Meesha Sahib is held, it is windy when the Urs of Batamol Sahib takes place, it rains on the occasion of the Urs of Bahauddin". These Urs are popular despite the rigors of weather. This is celebrated in different parts of Srinagar, not only by Muslims but Hindus and Sikhs also. An interesting feature of the Urs celebrations at Batamaloo (the locality in Srinagar named after the saint Batamol Sahib) and in Anantag (Rishi Mol's anniversary) is that both Muslims and Hindus abstain from taking meat during the course of the festival. The inter-communal participation is the main feature of the Urs celebrations. The anniversary of Rishi Pir, a Hindu saint, held on the fifth day of the full moon of Baisakh, at his home in Srinagar is attended by Muslims also.

Shab-i Mairaj
Muslim festivals which are celebrated nationally, include Shab-i Mairaj which is followed by Shab-i-Barat. The dates of these festivals change in accordance with the appearance of the moon and shift by 10 days each year. During the night of Shab-i-Barat, the Muslims keep vigil. Legend goes that on this night the Holy prophet visits each house and relieves the pains of suffering humanity.

Jeth Ashtami
Then comes Jeth Ashtami, succeeded in a month by Har Ashtami. These two days are the birthday and the incarnation day, respectively, of the Ragnya goddess. Hindus fast on these days and go on a pilgrimage to Khir Bhawani, a well known spring-girt temple. After a bath in the cool stream nearby, incense and candles are burnt at the altar of the goddess. The counterpart of Khir Bhawani, is Devibal in Anantang, which is also a spring-girt temple. It is visited on these Ashtamis by Hindus living in contiguous areas. A belief connected with these ancient shrines is that their water changes color according to the state of the society. It has been known to become black before a disaster or calamity.

Rakhi festival
Rakhi or Raksha Bandhan in northern India is the day for brothers and sisters to renew the affectionate ties that bind them. On this day, the Kashmiri Hindus in Srinagar climb the temple of Shankaracharya on a hill top. This is believed to be an abode of Lord Shiva. But the more revered abode is situated in the far off, glacier-bound cave-shrine of Amarnath where pilgrims from all parts of India behold sacred pigeons - believed to be incarnations of Shiva and Parvathi. Those who cannot trek to Amarnath make it to Thanjivara cave - 3 km from the town of Bijibrara - to worship the Shiva lingam. The belief is that three pilgrimages to this shrine equal the merit gained by the Amarnath yatra.

Janam Ashtami
Kashmiris also celebrate Janam Ashtami, on August, just eight days after Rakhi. Hindus fast on this day, hold religious meetings to propagate the teachings of the Gita. The Ras Leela of Lord Krishna is staged at some places.

Vaitha-Vatur-Truvah
On the 13th day of the lunar fortnight of Bhadon (Aug-Sep), they celebrate a festival named Vaitha-Vatur-Truvah which literally means: 'Vaitha for the River Jhelum-source-thirteenth day'. It is held at an ancient temple at Verinag, the source of the Jhelum, in which Hindus coming from all parts of the valley , participate along with some local Muslims. A big Havana ceremony is performed on the occasion.

Khichri Amavasya
A typically Kashmiri festival known as Khichri Amavasya falls in the month of Posh (Dec-Jan). Kashmir is believed to have been the abode of Yakshas in ancient times. The Yaksha spirit is invited to relish Khichri (rice cooked with dal and ghee). It is believed that during the night the yaksha comes and tastes the Khichri served neatly in the attic along with a fish.

Gori Trai
In the month of Magh (Jan-Feb) comes the Gori Trai, on the third day after the new moon. The family priest brings gaudy scroll paintings for the children. Saraswati Puja is offered on the day.

Basant Panchmi
Basant Panchmi, is another festival celebrated in Kashmir. During this time, bird-loving Kashmiris cook yellow rice, prepare small balls of it and throw them on the roof for crows and other birds.

Shivratri festival
The Shivratri festival or Herat, which falls in Feb-Mar is also celebrated by Kashmiris. It lasts for about a fortnight. Hindus spring-clean their houses during this fortnight, wear new clothes, and buy utensils. Women go to their parents homes to get the 'festival money', as they call it. Three days before the festival, the worship of Shiva and Parvati starts. It is said that Shiva and Parvati were wedded on Shivratri. The offerings in this worship are walnuts soaked in earthen utensils. The four parts of the kernel represent four yugas. After some days, people are seen carrying baskets containing these nuts to be distributed among relatives and friends.

Reference:
http://jammukashmir.nic.in

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