History & People of Gujarat

Festivals in Gujarat symbolise people's cultural, social and religious aspirations. They help the people to live a fuller and a better life, remove monotony and provide healthy recreation. They promote unity, fellow-feeling, self-discipline and austerity.

Navaratri

The festival of nine nights, proceeding the Dussera is a special feature of Gujarat when both males and females congregate in village squares and temple compounds and sing and dance. The festival ends on the Dussera day, when artisans worship their instruments, agriculturists their ploughs, warriors their weapons and students their books. The Navaratri festival is closely followed by the Sharad Purnima, the full moon night in the Asvina month, when under the moon light people partake of prasad rice and milk. The people of Surat make merry on the Tapi bank.

Gujarat has two temples dedicated to two most popular mother goddesses of Gujarat, Amba Mata and Becharji Mata. On Kartika and Chaitra Purnima days and during the Navaratri days, people visit these temples and enjoy Gujarati's typical folk drama, the Bhavai.

Diwali

Asvina is a month which marks the end of the harvesting season. This month ends with Diwali which is a four-day festival. The first day of the festival starts with the Laxmi Puja. The second day is considered as the day of the casting off evils. The third day is the main Diwali day. On this day every home is illuminated and decorated. The fourth and the last day is the New year day for the Gujarati's when people visit temples in colourful costumes and greet each other. The day following the new year day is called the Bhai bij day when brothers are invited by their sisters to partake of sweets with them.

The full moon day of the Kartika month, with its preceding eleventh (ekadashi) day is called the Dev-Diwali. On these days the marriage of the Tulsi plant with the Shaligram, symbolising Lord Vishnu, is celebrated in every Hindu home in Gujarat. It also marks the termination of the Chaturmans(fast), observance of four months of rainy season, during which Hindus, mostly ladies, miss a meal on every Ekadashi day and the ascetics do not move about.

Kite festival

Kite Festival, another festival in Gujarat is observed on the 14th of January, the day when the sun enters the tropic of cancer. On this day young boys and girls and even the old people, are on their house tops flying kites. This is really a national festival for Gujarat. Know more

Holi

Like the Diwali, the spring festival of Holi on the full moon day in the month of Phalguna has a universal appeal. While Diwali marks the end of the monsoon and therefore the agricultural season of the Kharif crop, the Holi festival marks the agricultural season of the Rabi crop.

During the entire period between June and October, when most of the countryside is engaged in agriculture, the festivals are mostly days of austerity, Penance and fasting. The period includes the Gauri Puja, the Janmashtami, the Nag Panchami the Paryushan and the Ganesha Chaturthi. Many of Gujarat's festivals are mostly celebrated by women. No festival except the Balev, when Brahmins change their sacred threads, is exclusive to any particular community or section. Even on the Balev, sisters tie Rakhi on their brother's wrist wishing them happy life. Gujarat also celebrates festivals like the Ramnavami, the Sivaratri and the Mahavir Jayanyti. Gauri puja is observed by young, unmarried girls, who fast and pray for getting 'suitable husbands'. The Savitri Vrata is observed by a married women. They worship the banyan tree and offer their thanks giving for their happy married life .

Muslims in Gujarat have their festivals, such as the Moharrum, the prophet's day and the Id days. Similarly Parsis celebrate their new year day Pateti. The Christmas, the New year day and Easter are observed by the Christians.