Wednesday 24 March
This day marks the birth of Lord Swaminarayan for followers of
the Swaminarayan tradition.
Birthday of Lord Rama, an incarnation of Vishnu and the hero of
the Ramayana
Rama Navami celebrates the birth of Lord Rama, son of King
Dasharatha of Ayodhya.
Rama
(centre) with Laxman, Sita and Hanuman ©
Rama was an incarnation of Vishnu and the hero of
the Ramayana, the Sanskrit epic of 24,000 stanzas.
A continuous recital of the book takes place for about a week prior
to the celebration and on the day itself, the highlights of the
story are read in the temple.
The house is thoroughly cleaned on Rama Navami and is also
decorated. Offerings of fruit and flowers are placed on the
family shrine and after an early bath, prayers are
recited.
The youngest female member of the household leads the puja
(prayers) by applying a red tilak (mark) to all the other members
of the family before everyone joins together in worship.
An image or picture of baby Rama is placed in a covered cradle. At
noon the covering is removed and Prasad (special sacred food) is
offered to Rama, which may then be shared amongst the
congregation.
There is an element of fasting. Some people don't eat certain
foods, particularly things like onions, garlic, some spices and
wheat products.
The festival is a focal point for moral reflection and being
especially charitable to others.
Celebrations at places associated with Sri Rama, like Ayodhya in
Uttar Pradesh and Ramesvaram in Tamil Nadu, attract thousands of
devotees.
Swaminarayan Jayanti celebrates the birthday of Lord Swaminarayan
(1781-1830), the founder of the Swaminarayan tradition.
Lord Swaminarayan was born in the village of Chhapaiya, Northern
India, near Ayodhya, into a Brahmin family. He travelled
extensively around India in his youth and eventually settled in an
ashram in Gujarat. He was known as a social and moral reformer by
the people of Gujarat, and by the British administration in that
region. At the age of 21, he founded the Swaminarayan Sampradaya
(or denomination) to promote his teachings. He initiated 3,000
sadhus (monks) and is recognised and worshipped as God by his
followers.
To continue his work of promoting personal morality and moulding
spiritual character, he promised to remain ever-present with his
followers through an unbroken succession of enlightened gurus.
Devotees of Lord Swaminarayan celebrate his birthday by fasting and
offering a large variety of food to sacred images of Swaminarayan
in temples. The day passes in worship and reflection. In the
evening, celebrations include scriptural discourses, devotional
singing, and live enactments of episodes from the life of
Swaminarayan. At precisely 10.10pm, believed to be the time of
Swaminarayan's birth, the arti ritual is
performed symbolising the auspicious birth.
Festivities continue into the night and with the breaking of the
fast the following morning.