In the Midst of Shraavan: The Month of Festivals

In the Vedic calendar, when the Sun enters the House of Leo (approximately mid-July to mid-August), it is the month-long festival of Shraavan. It is a time that is celebrated in song, theater and cinema. There are street festivals, special pujas and family gatherings. By some calendars Shraavan is calculated from Full Moon to Full Moon, in others, it is New Moon to New Moon. There are many holidays during this time, depending on local customs and traditions.

The whole month is dedicated to Lord Shiva and many days within the month are dedicated to Lord Vishnu. There are auspicious days for fasting. It is the marriage season and on the dry plains of India it is the monsoon season. In agricultural areas farmers honor livestock and the land. Here are some of the holidays:

- Shravan Somar:  Mondays, wives fast for their family’s well-being and pray to Lord Shiva

- Mangal Gauri: Tuesdays, wives fast and pray to Goddess Parvati

- Karnika Ekadashi: August 10, Day of Vishnu’s Blessing

- Hariyali Teej: August 17, Day of Parvati, Shiva’s wife

- Nag Panchami:  August 19, married women offer milk to snakes to bless their brothers and sisters

- Putrada Ekadashi:  August 25, Day of Vishnu’s Blessing

- Varalakshmi Vratram:  August 28, Day of Lakshmi’s Blessings

- Raksha Bandha:  August 29, Day to celebrate love between brothers and sisters

*Timings are for the United States, 2015.

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Here is a poem celebrating this festival month:

Shraavan

Holiest month, time of festival, spectacle and worship,

Star Shraavan rules the skies.

Winds shift and clouds gather over parched plains.

Relief is on its way, the rain is coming,

Monsoon.

And the temples are ready to celebrate

Music, food and family.

Honoring New Moon, Full Moon, poets, God of the Sea,

Krishna, Shiva, brother and sister, snakes, cows and bullocks,

Marital happiness, Lakshmi, fasting, feasting,

Pomp, fun and solemnity.

All month long, Sunrise to Sunrise,

The world is dancing and singing.

                                                           -Nafeeah Kim

Holidays and celebrations are a time to share love and build community, foster cultural pride and delight the senses. Honoring special days is enriching, creates beautiful memories and sanctifies life!

How will you celebrate?  


Further reading: 
Click here for another article about Shraavan
Click here for a website with lots of specific info on holiday times and meaning.

Guru Purnima is almost here! The Inner Meaning of Guru Purnima

The Full Moon of July is a holiday called Guru Purnima. Guru means “esteemed teacher” and Purnima means “Full Moon Day.” On Guru Purnima we celebrate all that our Gurus have given us in gratitude and appreciation. And we joyfully honor our relationship to our personal Gurus and teachers.
But what about those of us who don’t feel that personal connection to one person or even one tradition? The Vedas say that the only and ultimate Guru is the supreme Self within. Guru Purnima is a day to honor all spiritual lineages, teachings and teachers and experiences which have enriched our lives. It is the one day of the year when the cosmic energies between student and teacher are most open and flowing.

There are three important aspects to Guru Purnima. The first is to take stock of where we are in our spiritual development. How have we grown in the past year? What has opened and unfolded for us? What understanding or perspective do we have now that we didn’t have a year ago?

The second aspect is to humbly and sincerely express gratitude for our growth and for our magnificent good fortune that we desire to work on spiritual development as humans on this planet during these amazing times.  It is this gratitude that activates the flow and amplifies the energy between our guardians, guides, lightworkers, teachers and ourselves.

The third aspect is to identify how we want to grow and increase our enlightenment and abilities in the coming year. What will we dedicate ourselves to? How can we work to be better? Then we can take all of our achievements of the past and present them as a gift to those who have taught and helped us. At the same time we can request divine assistance for all that we still wish to become. It is said that no heartfelt request will be denied on this auspicious day of Guru Purnima, all requests will be fulfilled in time.

No matter what your tradition or beliefs, if you are a soul on earth working to become better and to have more wisdom and love; you can leverage the power of this day in your favor.  This is the time to recognize who you are and where you are going- and to receive a blessing and a gift for your journey.

Wishing you a happy Guru Purnima 2015!

 Guru Purnima is being celebrated around the world on the full moon days of July between the 29th and the 31st.

 We are celebrating here in Denver on the 30th, click here fore more details.