India has a rich union of diverse forms of traditions and
festivals across all its states. Every region of the country follows different
traditions. Today, we are going to speak about one of the most colourful and
joyful celebrations followed in the states of Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Madhya
Pradesh – the Gangaur festival. Following the festival of Holi, the traditions
of this festival are followed for 18 days with great zeal and passion by women
as a devotion to Lord Shiva and his consort Goddess Parvati. Lord Shiva is
known as “Gana” and Goddess Parvati as “Gauri”, thus the name combined forms
the word “Gangaur”. Goddess Parvati is a symbol of virtue and devotion, and is
considered a legendary figure by married women, which is why this festival is
held particularly in her honour.
Both married and unmarried women perform the traditions of
this festival. While married women worship the deities for marital bliss and
happiness, unmarried girls worship them to get a suitable match. During the
days of the festival, women bury the seeds of wheat and barley in the ashes of
the fire of Holika, and water them every day until they germinate. They observe
fast for 18 days and have only one meal a day. Idols of both Lord Shiva and
Goddess Parvati are made from clay and are decorated with colourful clothes and
ornaments. On the last day of the celebration, these idols are carried on the
heads of the women and taken to a water body. The idols are then submerged in
water, depicting the grand farewell of the Goddess by her beloved worshippers
with Lord Shiva to their home.
This entire festival is celebrated with rich tradition,
belief and rituals, and depicts the colourful and musical heritage of the state
of Rajasthan. There is a feeling of love spread all around on this occasion. Because
this festival celebrates the union of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati, the festivity
also gives an opportunity to tribal men and women to come in contact with one
another, meet and interact freely, so that they can select partners of their
choice to get married to.
The most prominent celebrations take place in Rajasthan, in
the particular cities of Udaipur, Jodhpur, Jaipur, Jaisalmer, Bikaner and
Nathdwara. Ghewar, a popular sweet dish of Rajasthan is distributed between
families, relatives, and friends on this occasion. This year, this amazing
festival is falling on 30th of March. If you wish to get the feel of
this lovely festival, you must visit the cities of Rajasthan.
If you are a married woman looking for marital bliss, or an
unmarried girl looking for a life partner, you can also engage yourself in this
festival. However, if your customs do not allow you to do so, there is another
way out. You can get in touch with MakeMyPuja Pandits and have a Gauri Shankar
Puja performed, which is equivalent of this festival in pleasing Lord Shiva and
Goddess Parvati for the same purposes. It is believed that Mata Sita also
performed this Puja before getting married, in order to have a husband like
Lord Rama.
Website: https://www.makemypuja.com/
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